Sunset from my porch

[ronocnikral]

A goal I have this year is to improve my landscape/night time photographs. All criticism is welcome and I am always grateful to those who take the time to leave feedback, but anything in regards to post process is GREATLY appreciated.

I finally sprinted downstairs to grab a dslr to capture the great sunsets we are afforded from our porch. shot with canon 5d mkii, 70-200/2.8 IS mkii. One mistake I made was not having a tripod handy, and I ended up shooting at f3.5 and I would would have like f8 ish. The "fire on the sky" also looks smudgy to me. My wife claims that is how it looked and attributes it to a nearby refinery. Any comments on how to "un-smudge" the sky in post are appreciated.

Thanks for looking, and thanks for taking the time to leave comments.

[N_Addy]

I love Maine. You must have quite a view from your porch.

The image is very nice. If anything the colors look over saturated to my eye. I'm wondering if the "smudginess" is due to the shorter DOF from shooting at f/3.5. I'm not sure where the focal point is. Can you try using a tripod and shooting at f/8 or f/11?

[scottbuckel]

Looks like you have a great backyard and this was a very nice sunset. The plane makes this sunset for me. Probably the best thing to do to improve your landscape/night photography is to use a tripod, but I think you know that.

Since you have such a nice location, you may just plan on shooting sunset by having you equipment ready - the intense color lasts only a few minutes. I can't remember who suggested this, but someone like Rod Planck or John Shaw mentioned in a seminar to sit and watch sunset (or sunrise) everyday for a month to see the subtle differences between days and see really good light. It looks to me that you have a great place to practice something like that.

As far as post processing goes, did you use curves at all? I'm thinking a very subtle curves layer would make the clouds pop a bit more and reduce the exposure on the mountains. I think that will unsmudge the sky a bit more for you as I am thinking the smudginess you are mentioning my be due to contrast.

Scott

[ronocnikral]

Originally Posted by N_Addy

I love Maine. You must have quite a view from your porch.

The image is very nice. If anything the colors look over saturated to my eye. I'm wondering if the "smudginess" is due to the shorter DOF from shooting at f/3.5. I'm not sure where the focal point is. Can you try using a tripod and shooting at f/8 or f/11?

Thanks Neal. A quick aside, I got spooked a while back when a creeper was around and changed my information. It's not Maine, but certainly a worthwhile and very beautiful place.

I also suspect that shooting at 200mm and f/3.5 made my DOF a bit shallow for this image and contributed a bit to the "smudginess." I didn't tinker with the saturation too much (if at all), but I'll try toning it down a bit. Generally speaking, these are the colors we get from a sunset like this. I did ETTR and bring the exposure down, perhaps a bit too much?

Originally Posted by scottbuckel

Looks like you have a great backyard and this was a very nice sunset. The plane makes this sunset for me. Probably the best thing to do to improve your landscape/night photography is to use a tripod, but I think you know that.

Since you have such a nice location, you may just plan on shooting sunset by having you equipment ready - the intense color lasts only a few minutes. I can't remember who suggested this, but someone like Rod Planck or John Shaw mentioned in a seminar to sit and watch sunset (or sunrise) everyday for a month to see the subtle differences between days and see really good light. It looks to me that you have a great place to practice something like that.

As far as post processing goes, did you use curves at all? I'm thinking a very subtle curves layer would make the clouds pop a bit more and reduce the exposure on the mountains. I think that will unsmudge the sky a bit more for you as I am thinking the smudginess you are mentioning my be due to contrast.

Scott

Thanks Scott. Yes, the conversation with my wife last night went the way of having camera and tripod ready (we only have about 5 DSLR bodies). Only problem these days is I leave for work in the dark, and return in the dark. But, we did pay a premium to have these views, and staring out the window when I am home for a sunset is a highlight of my day. Practicing will be a true joy.

I didn't use curves at all. In fact, I am trying to use a different program. We only have a single license to LR3 and CS whatever we have, and I didn't want to get another one so I can work on the laptop without my wife wondering what I am doing on "her" computer all the time. I used DxO 7, and I couldn't get the curve to come up, despite showing it in the propoganda on the website? My understanding is a curves layer is not possible with DxO, but they "make up" for it in the form of single shot HDR? (and not multi-shot).

I'll try tinkering with the contrast a bit as well when I get home. Would you prefer to see no detail in the mountains? My wife and I both agreed it is better with some detail there. but it can also be brought down to have some detail, yet have the exposure reduced.

Thanks again Neal and Scott!!

[DHaass]

I didn't use curves at all. In fact, I am trying to use a different program. We only have a single license to LR3 and CS whatever we have, and I didn't want to get another one so I can work on the laptop without my wife wondering what I am doing on "her" computer all the time. I used DxO 7, and I couldn't get the curve to come up, despite showing it in the propoganda on the website? My understanding is a curves layer is not possible with DxO, but they "make up" for it in the form of single shot HDR? (and not multi-shot).

You're Adobe license allows you to have Lightroom and Photoshop on a desktop and a laptop at the same time. So your wife can do Facebook while you while your time away on Lightroom and/or Photoshop on the laptop.

[ronocnikral]

doug, very true. The intent of the license is single user, and since my wife purchased for her business and I am doing "hobby" work, I don't feel good about putting the adobe software on my laptop. Also, only one computer can use the program at a time....

[scottbuckel]

It sounds like using just DxO is limiting. Why not download a copy of GIMP. It is the open source program that is very similar to Photoshop and it has curves and all of the other major editing tools that would be useful.

I can relate to the going to work in the dark and coming back home in the dark - did that for many years. I saw many great sunrises and sunsets from my desk window while I lived in Colorado.

Scott

[groovyone]

DxO has the tone curve which works like curves. Set your templated to Advanced User and it will be a few spots under DxO lighting. DxO has a few HDR modes. I have had good luck with the HDR - Realistic. They just did a few free webinars on DxO 7. The videos should be out there, if not I may have a link.

[ronocnikral]

Originally Posted by scottbuckel

It sounds like using just DxO is limiting. Why not download a copy of GIMP. It is the open source program that is very similar to Photoshop and it has curves and all of the other major editing tools that would be useful.

I can relate to the going to work in the dark and coming back home in the dark - did that for many years. I saw many great sunrises and sunsets from my desk window while I lived in Colorado.

Scott

I'll certainly check out Gimp.

Originally Posted by groovyone

DxO has the tone curve which works like curves. Set your templated to Advanced User and it will be a few spots under DxO lighting. DxO has a few HDR modes. I have had good luck with the HDR - Realistic. They just did a few free webinars on DxO 7. The videos should be out there, if not I may have a link.

Thanks Keith, I found the tone curves!!

Well, I may have gave the image bit too much exposure, certainly detail is lacking in the orange section of the sky, and perhaps some detail in the red part of the clouds, which may contribute to the "smudginess?"

Here is an image w/ a little less exposure (1/125 vs 1/80). I adjusted the exposure, and brought the highlights and shadows down in the tone curve. There is a little more detail in the orange section in this image, and the mountains are slightly more overexposed. No change to saturation or contrast...

[Andre Shawnson]

Good job. I personally like the 2nd shot better and would probably like it even more if it was cropped into a landscape crop taking off the top maybe 1/3 of the image since that part of the sky is now black.....Looks good man! I would shoot that sunset every night if that was my back porch!!

[ronocnikral]

thanks Shawn. I'll play around with the crops a bit more.

I wish I had more time to shoot off the back of the house. last night, I just got home at the tail end of the sunset. I just watched....

[rhoffart]

Ron, I really like the post processing on the second one. I thought in the first one, there was not enough foreground detail in the mountains. I like the way it was removed in the second one.

[ronocnikral]

thanks Rick! I too like the second one much better!