After viewing a couple of killer shots of this field with blazing sunrise skies on Ed Mcquirk’s website, my expectations were high enough that I thought the 6 hour drive to the location was worth the risk. As is usually the case, reality doesn’t seem to live up to our expectations. That’s usually because our expectations are unrealistic. When my brother Ed and I arrived in the morning, we were greeted with a heavy layer of fog. Ed usually tells me to stop whining about what can’t be controlled and just except what you’re given. And I realized what we were given was still pretty awesome. And to top it off, on the one day out of the year we go to this spot, we ran into Ed himself and had a pleasant morning shooting.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Any is appreciated.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any is appreciated.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Nikon D800, 35mm, 1.5 sec @ f/22, ISO 100
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You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
One of the challenges for me is learning to see the opportunities that I have when my expectations don’t pan out. I suppose that photography mirrors life in that regard too.
I’d say that while this isn’t what you were expecting it is still very beautiful. The warmth of the foreground plants and flowers contrast nicely with the otherwise moodiness of the scene. The panoramic format also works really well here. Nicely done!
I really like the processing here. It’s unrealistic but oh so beautiful. Powerful vivid colors. I also feel that greater care could have been put into composing that bottom yellow layer. Of course I wasn’t there. Perhaps there were no natural borders around the yellow plants.
Thanks @Brian_Schrayer and @Igor_Doncov. I guess I’ll have to work a little more on my processing and compositional skills. Here is the SOOC unprocessed, uncropped image.
Really gorgeous look to this picture and if I am completely honest I think your unprocessed image, un-cropped, is more natural and superior to the original post. The picture looks edibly good.
I like the image and think the processing looks really good. I might back off the green saturation a touch, but that is strictly personal preference. Nice job on taking what you were given and making it work.
Now that’s making lemonade out of lemons. This has great color, and I love the misty light. I agree with Harley about pulling down the saturation of the greens a bit.
With all that Goldenrod, I would need an IV of Benadryl!
–P
Great photo! As a native of San Francisco who shoots a lot in Golden Gate Park, I am used to fog and actually come to prefer it because the foliage and flower colors are more vibrant than in sunny conditions. One suggestion: the bottom foreground is not quite in focus, even with shooting wide at f 22. You might improve it slightly if you use Photoshop by using Shake Reduction: Filter/Sharpen/Shake reduction. Just a minor nit, it is lovely as is.
This is quite beautiful and I think the fog seals the deal. Interesting because my first impression was autumn. The “yellow” flowers are more gold and some orange and so I thought fall. But this is a summer scene right? But who am I since I don’t know these flowers and what they looked like when standing there. And so thanks for the RAW posting as well.
I love your crop and composition! I think there is great balance and I’m really loving the purple being surrounded by both the yellow and the foggy forest and field above.
The only suggestion I have would be to take a TK’s yellow luminosity mask and shift the yellow hue a little bit back towards yellow. Otherwise this is quite beautiful as presented.
Mike,
I am glad you quit whining long enough to get your camera out. All kidding aside this is a lovely meadow scene with some superb foggy atmospherics. I was actually glad to see the fog as I do not have many images with misty conditions. I like the colors in your unprocessed image better; just my personal preference; because this is outstanding as is.
Mike, it was nice to unexpectedly run into you and your brother at this location. As I said, I’m shocked that you found this location, since it is so far off the beaten path.
I think the magic of this location is the fog, it’s one of those places that frequently gets ground fog on August mornings, which is why I keep going back to it. The fog adds such a wonderful mood to this image, and adds a sense of mystery. The heavy fog on this morning was indeed from the nearby ocean, and not ground fog, as I learned from watching the weather report on TV that evening. Fog is not something you be complaining about
Mike, I like the composition, and the way the fog is threading through the trees. But I tend to agree with @Ian_Cameron and @Lon_Overacker, the colors of the yellow and green look better in the original, and I would shift the goldenrod back to more yellow, and I like the less contrasty processing of the trees in the original. I think te magent color of the Joe Pye Weed looks better as you presented it though. A very colorful, yet moody image, nicely done.
All kidding aside this is a lovely meadow scene with some superb foggy atmospherics. I was actually glad to see the fog as I do not have many images with misty conditions. I like the colors in your unprocessed image better; just my personal preference; because this is outstanding as is.