# Grand Canyon Sunset II **URL:** \ **Category:** Image Critiques\ **Tags:** landscape\ **Created:** [October 1, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/grand-canyon-sunset-ii/17081 "2020-10-01T16:57:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lyle\_Gruby](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@Lyle\_Gruby](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Lyle_Gruby)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/grand-canyon-sunset-ii/17081/1 "2020-10-01T16:57:32Z")
Hi All, Very much appreciate your comments on my last post. This is a different vantage point from the same evening. In post, I blended two images and then worked on the tones/contrast with luminosity masks. ALl C&C welcome. ![LWG_8334](https://images.naturephotographers.network/original/3X/2/f/2faa701aee745c684c0fdeffa6ffe990f5185343.jpeg) Techs: D3s 16-35 mm f/4 @ 29mm ISO 200 f/14 1/30 ###### If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ‘ig’ and leave your Instagram username below. @feelingruby ---
**Author:** ![Han\_Schutten](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/han_schutten/32/72686_2.png) [@Han\_Schutten](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Han_Schutten)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/grand-canyon-sunset-ii/17081/2 "2020-10-01T20:16:02Z")
Hi Lyle, A beautiful image. A great landscape in great light. The balance in brightness of the foreground and the sky and sun rays is probably a matter of taste, but I like your processing and choices a lot. The image feels tilted to me. You probably leveled your camera, but the line of the mountains in the distance suggests a tilt and I would be tempted to rotate the image a bit CCW. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Meehan](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/sean_meehan/32/29561_2.png) [@Sean\_Meehan](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Sean_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/grand-canyon-sunset-ii/17081/3 "2020-10-01T22:43:38Z")
Lyle, what tremendous conditions in the marvel of the Grand Canyon! There is so much to like here - the beautifully rendered light rays, the silhouetted tree, the dynamic sky all work together to create a truly impactful image. Nicely done! I agree with Han about the horizon, and my only other critique is that it feels a bit dark and moody for the sun still being relatively high and peeking out from under the clouds. I think the dense clouds above somewhat detract from the spectacle of the sun on the landscape, which to me is the star of the show here. I did a quick reinterpretation - implementing the rotation, a panoramic crop to reduce the dark sky and focus attention on those magical light rays, some selective dodging in the middle ground to bring a bit more life there, and slightly brightening and warming the image overall. I think this just slightly better emphasizes what you had already captured. Thoughts? ![LWG_8334-v2](https://images.naturephotographers.network/original/3X/c/f/cf676932e79a1d2b7cee1483c6db01b59cb1c53b.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Lyle\_Gruby](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@Lyle\_Gruby](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Lyle_Gruby)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/grand-canyon-sunset-ii/17081/4 "2020-10-01T22:51:54Z")
Thanks for taking the time. I like that a lot. In fact, it is very close to how I processed it back in the day and how I remember the scene. Of course, back then, I ran the photo through some HDR software and marveled at how good it looked! I think I was just a little gun shy about bringing this re-edit so close to that version. ---
**Author:** ![Lyle\_Gruby](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@Lyle\_Gruby](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Lyle_Gruby)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/grand-canyon-sunset-ii/17081/5 "2020-10-01T22:52:31Z")
> [@Han\_Schutten](#): > > …Hi Lyle,A beautiful image. A great landscape in great light. The balance in brightness of the foreground and the sky and sun rays is probably a matter of taste, but I like your processing and choices a lot.The image feels tilted to me. You probably leveled your camera, but the line of the mountains in the distance suggests a tilt and I would be tempted to rotate the image a bit CCW. Thanks, @Han_Schutten. Think you’re bang on about the horizon! ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Meehan](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/sean_meehan/32/29561_2.png) [@Sean\_Meehan](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Sean_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/grand-canyon-sunset-ii/17081/6 "2020-10-01T23:46:59Z")
> [@Lyle\_Gruby](#): > > Thanks for taking the time. I like that a lot. In fact, it is very close to how I processed it back in the day and how I remember the scene. Of course, back then, I ran the photo through some HDR software and marveled at how good it looked! I think I was just a little gun shy about bringing this re-edit so close to that version. Good to hear it, though ‘back in the day’ HDR sounds kind of scary! 😅 My edit was like 2-3 minutes, you could definitely work the scene better with a more thorough approach. I think the rotation and cropping helped it the most, your exposure blend was good and I just slightly opened up the shadows further. You could go in endless directions with the tones and color based on personal taste and expression. You’ve got a wonderful base for exploration here, and I’m curious if others will take a crack at it… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Williams](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/john_williams/32/28797_2.png) [@John\_Williams](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/John_Williams)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/grand-canyon-sunset-ii/17081/7 "2020-10-02T15:00:28Z")
You really caught some great conditions with these images Lyle! The haze makes that light spilling through the ridges so attractive. I think Sean’s changes are spot on, and the direction I would vote for the image. As with your prior post, I think there is a great BW lurking in there too.