Sunset Panorama from Mt. Hough

JimMcClain · Jul 22, 2015

Mt. Hough is in Feather River Country. It's about 7,500' elevation and it's difficult for me to breathe up there, but I just HAD to revisit the mountain and try getting a panorama of the beautiful vistas. This picture actually has another view of Lake Almanor (see my previous post of the lake here), just to the right of the setting sun. It looks like 2 lakes, but it's actually one boot-shaped lake.

Stitched together from 8 frames using Lightroom CC 2015. D810, Tamron SP 15-30mm F/2.8 Di VC USD at 23mm, f/16, ISO 64, mounted on a Manfrotto 294 Carbon Fiber Tripod with ReallyRightStuff BH-55 LR ball head.

Your C&C is encouraged.

Jim

jaomul · Jul 22, 2015

Well done

John Hunt · Jul 22, 2015

Very beautiful!

Didereaux · Jul 22, 2015

Composition is very nice. BUT you are WAY to over saturated, and sharpened. Those sliders should be handled with a light touch, not a hydraulic bionic finger.

JamesScott86 · Jul 22, 2015

That is beautiful! Excellent Shot!!!

Bryston3bsst · Jul 22, 2015

I think it's a beautiful shot. And I disagree regarding the over saturation and sharpening comment above. It's fine as is.

tirediron · Jul 22, 2015

Great scene and well timed, but I agree that the processing is a bit intense. More importantly (IMO) is the fact that as a result of the HDR process (I assume), the lighting no longer makes sense. We can clearly see the setting sun, but there also appears to be a strong lightsource from background upper left, especially noticeable on the rocks image right.

Dagwood56 · Jul 22, 2015

Stunning shot Jim! Print it, frame it, hang it!

PropilotBW · Jul 22, 2015

I like this scene a lot!

Derrel · Jul 22, 2015

This looks like it belongs on 500px, Jim.

Majeed Badizadegan · Jul 23, 2015

Really great scene with a lot of potential.

The sky looks a little stretched in the color gamut, especially noticeable with some of the magentas bleeding into the blues, as well as the ridge line.

The foreground is the real problem. I understand the importance of keeping shadow detail, but relative in luminosity to the bright sky, the foreground should be considerably darker (if you want to realistically present the light). That means keeping the foreground in shadow, with detailed darks. You can achieve this with careful blending of luminosity masks. I'm also not a huge fan of the boulder on the right, but it's probably because it's demanding so much attention with this processing; the textures are pulling me away from the best parts of the scene. I think it's worth a re-process.

JimMcClain · Jul 23, 2015

Majeed Badizadegan said:
The sky looks a little stretched in the color gamut, especially noticeable with some of the magentas bleeding into the blues, as well as the ridge line

I don't understand this part. Can you use layman's terms? Is there a fix or solution to this you might recommend?

The foreground is the real problem. I understand the importance of keeping shadow detail, but relative in luminosity to the bright sky, the foreground should be considerably darker (if you want to realistically present the light). That means keeping the foreground in shadow, with detailed darks. You can achieve this with careful blending of luminosity masks. I'm also not a huge fan of the boulder on the right, but it's probably because it's demanding so much attention with this processing; the textures are pulling me away from the best parts of the scene. I think it's worth a re-process.

"Blending of luminosity masks" is another term I am unfamiliar with. I use primarily Lightroom CC 2015. I have Photoshop CC 2015 as well, but have very little hands-on with that program. Can you offer some guidance I can use to improve my knowledge in that area?

This foreground issue may be what @tirediron was referring to, although this photo is not an HDR image. I realize some may think I have a "hydraulic bionic finger" but that's certainly not my intent. I like dramatic images, but will be the first to recognize I am still learning how to reign that in a bit when given the proper guidance. Your critique is very helpful and much appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim