Critique Desired: I was out shooting a nice sunrise

[Rachel Foster]

this morning -- 14 degress-- with the Rebel because UPS does not open til 10.




ISO 400 (no tripod; I was shooting from the car because it is 14 degrees out there), f/5.6, 1/320, 72mm.


I heard Asher's voice in the back of my head nagging me to "open it up; don't crop it so close!" So I did.


ISO 400, f/4.5, 1/320, 20mm.



I think it was good advice!

[James Newman]

So you are not waiting on their delivery but instead are going right to the source? Very nice. I love UPS days. Congratulations and I can't wait to see what you do with such a tool.
James

[Rachel Foster]

Forty-seven minutes.....

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Rachel,

I'm a sucker for sunsets and stop to my family's chagrin. Your picture has impressive depth. I wondered about an alternate presentation.

© Rachel Foster "Sunset, 5DII Pending!"

I like the idea of getting rid of the sliver of the first partial tree and then thought, let's make a pano format. Some tweaks! Hope you like it.

Asher

[Rachel Foster]

What did you tweak????? Rather, how did you stretch it out?


Did you notice how much better it is than the close crop I habitually go for? I did!

[Asher Kelman]

Originally Posted by Rachel Foster

What did you tweak????? Rather, how did you stretch it out?


Did you notice how much better it is than the close crop I habitually go for? I did!

Hi Rachel,

It's not stretched at all just cropped. I added curved layer with a tiny amount of S-curve to the sky and sharpening to the trees.

Asher

[Nicolas Claris]

LoL!
Amazing!

For once someone (Rachel) do shoot wide to get out of close-up, and Asher crops it!

That's really fun :-) The world is inversed!

BTW, I agree with the crop, the picture is more dynamic… but I'm still laughing on my sofa!

[Rachel Foster]

Oh, Nicolas, the irony!


Do I get a special award for this? LOLOL!

[Nicolas Claris]

Originally Posted by Rachel Foster

Oh, Nicolas, the irony!


Do I get a special award for this? LOLOL!

Yep!

you got the right to repost tomorow the same image from the same place but shot accordingly to Asher's suggestion… (well only width wise, then cropped) BUT with your new toy!

[Rachel Foster]

Ha! You don't know about Midwestern American weather, do you?????

[Maris Rusis]

It may be perilous to be declamatory but there are literally millions of sunrises (and more sunsets) just like this in the grand photographic archive. They all look very similar, colourful patch top middle. optional silhouette, black no detail foreground. Surely there is no ongoing reason to look at another one.

The maddening thing is that sunrises and sunsets are powerfully evocative things that offer rich expressive possibilities. Just pointing a camera at them and plinking is a serious shortfall in what might be achieved.

The biggest single step forward in sun-horizon photography, that millions of amateurs and lots of pros forget, is to get rid of that blank black bottom half of the picture. Put detail in the bottom half; something, anything, maybe even something that enhances the sun effect. Classic successful foregrounds include water (lake, river, sea, puddle) reflections, shiny objects (cars, windows, smooth walls), artificial lights, and good old fill flash.

I photograph lots of sunsets (too sleepy for sunrises) and every time there is a rush to find a foreground. The light show is over in as little as a minute. Without a "magic" foreground I will only turn out another red and black cliche. Not worth photographing; not worth looking at.

[Rachel Foster]

I've noticed a plethora of sunrises/sets too. Thanks for the input and suggestions.