One Extreme to Another C&C please

[RobNZ]

Had a day off today, but it is an overcast dull day so I set out to see if I could pull a shot together. I usually wouldnt bother.

I went to a location that is close to my opposite picture as you may be able to make out by the rock formation on the beach in the distance.

Technique: I used all 3 of my ND filters 2,4 & 8 and a polarizing filter to allow for longer shutter release and just used the auto bracket setting in full manual and shot RAW iso 100 with manual focus.

Combined 2 exposures -2 and 0 with HDR photo merge in Paintshop Pro x2, manually adjusted clarify to about 63, then added a graduated filter, and finally a curves layer, soft light also at about 63%.

Sorry for the long speel, but its more for my reference than anything

I do like the effect, but I am not sure if its any good?
Does it tell you a story?
Does the shot produce any feelings?

So from dark and dreary to.....

 

[shanemono4]

I really like the red sky and reflection in the tide in the second, I'm a landscape noob myself but I think it looks great. Did you catch some sort of bird in it too?

 

[JSD]

I think your second sunset is lovely, if perhaps a bit too saturated. Composition, subject, all are very good. The first one, while very nicely composed is too surreal for me, too over manipulated. The only story it tells is that you are clever in post processing but, to me, nothing about the scene. I'd love to see the original...JSD

 

[florenceinitaly]

first one looks almost CG-like XD

 

[Yownhouse]

I have wanted to know how to take photos like this for the longest time and I'm still clueless! Is this the camera capturing all these colors?! Or is there something that I'm just not aware of in editing or shooting?

 

[Yownhouse]

OH! And that sunset is absolutely incredible!

 

[Tulsa]

I have wanted to know how to take photos like this for the longest time and I'm still clueless! Is this the camera capturing all these colors?! Or is there something that I'm just not aware of in editing or shooting?

Search HDR, thats what does it, i think all decent DSLRs have the settings to do those style

 

[willli]

I really like the sky of the second one

 

[RobNZ]

I have wanted to know how to take photos like this for the longest time and I'm still clueless! Is this the camera capturing all these colors?! Or is there something that I'm just not aware of in editing or shooting?

Search HDR, thats what does it, i think all decent DSLRs have the settings to do those style

The first shot is HDR from 2 images, the 2nd is not, but has been processed from RAW, levels tweaked and sharpness, then in Paintshop Pro x2 a graduated filter applied to bring out the the blue in the sky which also had the side effect of enhancing all the colours in the sky,then a curves layer applied with soft light, opacity set at about 63%.

 

[RobNZ]

I think your second sunset is lovely, if perhaps a bit too saturated. Composition, subject, all are very good. The first one, while very nicely composed is too surreal for me, too over manipulated. The only story it tells is that you are clever in post processing but, to me, nothing about the scene. I'd love to see the original...JSD

Originals untouched other than resized for the net. I was shooting RAW+Jpg, so these are the Jpg's as the camera processed.

 

[clbd39]

they are both very good, i like them!

 

[emilylouise]

I like the second one (maybe tone down on the saturation a bit though), but the first one just looks really odd to me...like it's completely digital. I don't know, maybe that's just me.

 

[jackieclayton]

i like them both!! the PP in the first one looks like a scene out of 300 or something, very neat!

 

[RobNZ]

i like them both!! the PP in the first one looks like a scene out of 300 or something, very neat!

It does look a bit like that doesnt it, haha.

We have had the sunrise shot printed 18"x12" and looks fantastic, but we feel it would really have an impact on our wall if it was big enough to hang alone as feature, we are tossing up between having it done at either A1 or A0 size.

Based on the scaled image you folks can see, will I get away with such a large size (final print result)?

Original is 15mp, 4750 x 3170 which would give me a print resolution of 140 ppi at A1, the machine it will be printed on is 300dpi, considering its not going to be viewed up close it should work out ok? A0 would be just over 100ppi.

A1=594 × 841mm (23.4" × 33.1")
A0=841 × 1189mm (33.1" × 46.8")

I have another image that has been printed at large scale 2m x 0.5m and it came out brilliantly, but it was a 56mp image stitched together from 30 5mp images, you can really get up close and personal without seeing any pixelation or lack of definition.

 

[R6_Dude]

wow I really like both pictures.