Hi all,
I managed to capture an amazing sunset a couple of days ago & would love some feedback
It was a focus stack & a blue hour blend with the foreground/sunset captured 20min before the Moon & Venus *appeared in the sky.
Specific Feedback Requested
I’ve got two options for the crop & I’m wondering which would be best (attached images)
Any general comments on the colour/composition would be great, I’m not sure if there’s something I can do to clean up the feel of the transitional midground.
I’m wondering also if there’s anything I can do to add more depth to the image
Thanks in advance!
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
I wouldn’t consider this a composite because it’s the same place, same angle only minutes apart…more of a blend
5 shots taken at ISO 250, 0.6sec, f11 for the sunset/foreground
1 shot taken at ISO 250, 0.6sec, f11 for the sky pointed further up
1 shot taken at ISO 1600, 3sec, f4 for the moon/night shot
Auto aligned in Photoshop, manually blended & dodged/burnt in camera raw
Hi Dale - My preference for crop is your first image. The color is delightful. I am not sure how to clean up the mid ground other than a change of perspective but then you would loose your foreground flowers.
Hi Dale, I agree with Eva that the first image (Landscape) is stronger than the portrait version. It feels more balanced and the lines to the left of the flowering plant lead me into the scene. Can’t tell if that’s a trail or not.
The plant on the far left helps to contain my eye and it’s a repeating pattern with the main plant. The Moon and Venus are a nice addition to an overall terrific capture.
I like the blend, but the highlights seem a bit bright to me. At least compared to the softer light in the foreground. Did you bracket for any of the exposures you used for the blending? That could help, also starting with a linear profile can as well. Search for the conversation about that topic and you’ll find the resource to download one. If I were on scene here I would have tried to get higher than you are - the last bit of land in the foreground is almost converging with the islands in the background (or whatever the land is there) and it looks a bit tight to me. The foreground is pretty nicely done although that dark pocket is also a bit awkward. A beautiful scene for sure!
I’m in the minority of comments here, but I prefer the vertical comp for a couple reasons. First my eye is drawn to a strong straight line relationship from the center flower, to the moon, to Venus. I think this relationship feels stronger in a vertical image. Second, in the horizontal image, I’m slightly bothered by the dark patches on both sides of the center flower. In the horizontal they feel like dark negative space to me. But in the vertical these dark areas feel more like a vignette framing the center flowers, which seems more balanced.
In terms of the mid-ground, I might try gently dodging some of the highlights in the vegetation. Something like this
They’re both fine images and I could make a case for liking either one. Water seems not cut short in the horizontal image, but the overall balance of the vertical image is better.
Just a little correction in that the Moon and Venus don’t exactly “rise” at sunset. It just gets dark enough when the sunsets that we can briefly see them before they set a short time after the sun. In fact, if you’re alert, you can see both during the day, even Venus when it’s bright enough. Having the moon close by can help with that.
I’ll agree with the majority here and vote for the first image. I think the main fg flower is too close to the bottom of the image in the vertical. This stretches the image in an awkward way. In the square comp the elements around the horizon start to dominate and that works better for the less elongated format.
Dale,
Both are wonderful images, but I agree with @Ed_McGuirk about the vertical being stronger for the reasons he already mentioned. I think his little tweak with the mid ground flowers has added a little more depth to this lovely scene. Beautifully done.
I’m going to agree with @Ed_McGuirk here and say the vertical. For me, it does a better job of leaving me into the image. A well done image in either case.
