Sun had just set below the horizon where I was shooting a landscape when I heard the skies open and a deluge began about a half a mile up from me. I barely had enough time to set up and calculate my settings before the waning light took it from me completely. I slightly overexposed knowing I could get it back in post.
Specific Feedback Requested
I really had to work this image in Photoshop to push the rain forward while maintaining the details in the upper clouds. Too much emphasis on the rain, just right or not enough?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
D850 28-300 @ 82mm, ISO 31, f/22, 2sec, ND4 (variable ND filter)
This was processed first in ACR for lens calibration, basic panels and a tad of color mixing for mid tones. Next, I took it into photoshop and really didn’t have to do too much other than use one of Sean Bagshaw’s old techniques of selecting the rain area, giving it a curve but not touching the curve, only changing the layer mode to screen, lowering the opacity then feathering the stew out of the selection. I did have to “paint” out some of the more shadowy areas to build a decent layer of depth behind the rain. I did add a bit of color in the water by using select by color range, popping the highlights up a tad.
I really like the dramatic sky and the colors. You did a good job processing for my taste. The only thing I might be tempted to do is crop a bit off the bottom, maybe up to the first row of grass to put even more focus on the sky because that is the real star of the image.
This really shows the beauty and drama of Mother Nature which can only be captured during or pre storm. Your processing looks spot on throughout the image. Must have been amazing to view this in real time.
It was and a bit later I will post one of the stellar lightning shots I got a bit further up the road. This and the Lightning were shot at the St. Marks NWR, Florida
Very dramatic, with the warm color in the clouds, and dark menacing sky beneath. Sometimes the best colors do come from just after sunset. The warm/cool color contrast works very here. I think the composition works fine as presented, I like the repeating bands of light and dark at the bottom of the image.
With virga as a nice as this, I’d be tempted to bring it forward even a little bit more. Here is a rework with some slight luminosity mask based dodging and burning of the immediate area around the virga.
I noticed the dust spot just a few minutes ago and immediately cleaned my sensor…hate dust. I’m still learning to use the luminosity masks, so that will come later. Thanks for your suggestions and input.
Hi Chris, I love seeing scenes like this and I think you captured it perfectly! I don’t have any post processing advice, you already got really good advice from experts, but I really like the composition and I also like how @Ed_McGuirk brought out the rain even more. Nice capture!
I too can’t give any expert advice, only comment that I loved it in the original. The composition had visually interesting and colorful elements down to the waning sun reflected in the water amid the shadowy plant life.
It depends what type of mood you want to convey. That’s a subjective thing, ultimately coming down to what mood you as the maker want. My personal, subjective opinion is that I liked the darker look of the original, those ominous dark clouds were a great dark background to showcase the highlights of the clouds and virga against. I prefer the yellow clouds at the top from the original image. And IMO in your rework you have made the yellow clouds so bright that they compete for attention with the virga. And to some degree this comment applies to the water as well. I prefer the moodiness of the original, with a just touch more light on the virga added. Just my opinion, there is no right or wrong to this…
Chris, You really captured the drama of the moment here and it is beautiful. Ed did a nice job with his suggestion and it was subtle. I think in your last version you went a little to far and lost some of the dramatic mood. I would lean back towards the original but it all depends on the look and feel that you want. It’s a wonderful image!
