Sunsets were a bit of a bust during my Badlands workshop - this was the most color on the most colorful day. The cloud deck wasn’t high so I concentrated on the valleys and ridges instead. Luckily the mud dried and I could walk out onto a ridge a bit.
Specific Feedback Requested
There is one thing that bugs me about this shot, but I couldn’t do anything to correct it in the field or in post. Also, how does the wb look? Overall tonalities? Natural looking?
Technical Details
Tripod
Lr for RAW edits - mostly to do highlight and shadow recovery and get a basically flat file to Ps. In Ps I used a variety of masks as stencils with dodge and burn layers in order to bring out the contours of the rock. A little clarity action confined to the mid-tones as well as a touch of warming.
Kris, this one might be my favorite of the group so far. Hard to be too picky as they’re all fine images overall…
btw: what was bugging you in the scene?..
Thanks @Paul_Breitkreuz - sorting through the images to pick which are the best is tough, too, but somehow I’ll get through it. How do you like the more expanded view? I think it was a tad earlier so I didn’t warm up the scene much.
Kris, is the thing that bothers you the peak that touches the horizon? it is in both of your shared images. The tonality and white balance look good to me.
I prefer the first image too. It has a stronger sense of place than the expanded view. I think the color balance and tonalities look natural. But then, I’ve never been there so what do I know?
I think @Alfredo_Mora may have hit on what’s bugging you. You just needed a taller tripod.
This is beautiful Kristen. I especially like how the soft pastel light in the sky complements the layers in the ridges. The lines and contours keep my eye engaged across the frame.
Got it in one. I tried everything I could in the field, but couldn’t get enough height to change it. Even with my giant tripod that extends over my head. Plus I was on a little bit of rock that wasn’t really big enough to take the tripod extended fully.
Thanks @David_Bostock, @Brian_Schrayer & @Paul_Breitkreuz for chiming in as well. When I first saw this vantage point, I thought that the lighter ridge nearest the camera, with its loop to the right and leading line into the frame, would be more of a favorite, but the first shot won me over, too.
Nice image. I like the closer image as well. I think the horizon and the horizontal strata lines work very well together. I would like to see a little more contrast to accentuate the darks.
