Sunset on the river

[joebranko]

I have not been getting out much lately. This was taken in 2014 in jpeg, (not sure if I was shooting in RAW at the time) but anyway, I like the colours. It was shot from a lookout point in the mountains just above Annecy, France. Since it is unlikely I will return I have to be happy with this shot. C&C always welcome.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[joebranko]

Nicely captured.

Thanks John.

[Geoff F]

It is OK, Joe; but if you want a really honest opinion, then I tend to think along the lines of; 'If I was a judge in a competition with a substantial prize and this was an entry, what would I really think?'

In which case, the composition is quite good. But the scene appears somewhat 'muddy'. Neither sharply focused nor a proper haze. And a bit on the noisy side so more sharpening isn't really an option. The sort of scene I would have shot 10 years ago with inferior equipment to what I now use.

Maybe this is the best which could have been achieved under those weather conditions; which would make it OK, but not a prizewinner.

[John 2]

A pleasant shot and you were in the right place to capture the moment Joe. My only thought is that to me it slopes a little from left to right.

[joebranko]

It is OK, Joe; but if you want a really honest opinion, then I tend to think along the lines of; 'If I was a judge in a competition with a substantial prize and this was an entry, what would I really think?'

In which case, the composition is quite good. But the scene appears somewhat 'muddy'. Neither sharply focused nor a proper haze. And a bit on the noisy side so more sharpening isn't really an option. The sort of scene I would have shot 10 years ago with inferior equipment to what I now use.

Maybe this is the best which could have been achieved under those weather conditions; which would make it OK, but not a prizewinner.

Ouch! I thought it was quite nice! Anyway appreciate your honesty. Not sure why it is so noisy! It was shot nearly 2 years ago so obviously I don't remember why I chose the settings I used then.

[joebranko]

A pleasant shot and you were in the right place to capture the moment Joe. My only thought is that to me it slopes a little from left to right.

Thanks John, Quite possibly. But how do you see that?

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Joe,

I agree with John, I also get a feeling it would look better if rotated anticlockwise.

It was shot nearly 2 years ago so obviously I don't remember why I chose the settings I used then.

The EXIF data says:

Canon EOS REBEL T2i with Tokina 11-16mm lens at 15mm; Aperture-priority, 1/30 sec, f/22, ISO 400, Compensation: +2/3 (plus another stop added in LR 6.4).

As to why you chose them, you're correct, the EXIF doesn't say!

For sharpness, f/22 really wasn't needed for DoF (at 15mm), but in that same position, I might have chosen it to protect the sensor from the direct sun.

Cheers, Dave

[Ndukes]

A pleasant shot and you were in the right place to capture the moment Joe. My only thought is that to me it slopes a little from left to right.

Not if you use the clouds as the reference.

[John 2]

Ah but Neville, you're assuming that the clouds are running parallel to the horizon.

[Sergio M.]

Joe, technicalities aside, it's enjoyable photo and a good remembrance.

Sergio

[joebranko]

Joe, technicalities aside, it's enjoyable photo and a good remembrance.

Sergio

Thanks Sergio. My sentiments exactly. But I do welcome the input for future shots.

[bnnrcn]

I like it Joe, I agree with the others about the rotation

[IzzieK]

Somebodies already talked about the rotation so I won't. I want to say that to my eyes, this is a good shot, the foreground, the middle and the background is an excellent composition. The sun, the stray clouds is really good. Also the colour. I love this shot.

[Manfred M]

Joe - I agree with the comments from the others. While the image is enjoyable, it is suffering from two issues, so far as I can tell. The scene looks rather hazy, and that is going to give you a bit of a muddy look. Try playing around with Lightroom's Dehaze function to crisp up things a bit.

The other issue is pretty common in sunset shots (where you are shooting into the sun); you are dealing with a a back-lit scene (i.e. dark shadow tones), and this is where the noise tends to lurk in an image, especially when the exposure is off a touch. You might want to look at cleaning up some of those sensor dust bunnies as well.

[joebranko]

I like it Joe, I agree with the others about the rotation

Thank you Binnur. I have trouble with the rotation when there is no vertical referance or horrizon to work with. I could not see it until it was mentioned. Now I think I see it, maybe, perhaps?

[joebranko]

Somebodies already talked about the rotation so I won't. I want to say that to my eyes, this is a good shot, the foreground, the middle and the background is an excellent composition. The sun, the stray clouds is really good. Also the colour. I love this shot.

Thank you so much Izzie. I really appreciate your comments.

[joebranko]

Joe - I agree with the comments from the others. While the image is enjoyable, it is suffering from two issues, so far as I can tell. The scene looks rather hazy, and that is going to give you a bit of a muddy look. Try playing around with Lightroom's Dehaze function to crisp up things a bit.

The other issue is pretty common in sunset shots (where you are shooting into the sun); you are dealing with a a back-lit scene (i.e. dark shadow tones), and this is where the noise tends to lurk in an image, especially when the exposure is off a touch. You might want to look at cleaning up some of those sensor dust bunnies as well.

Thanks Manfred. If I remember correctly it was a hazy evening when I shot this, but I will try the dehaze tool and see what I get. Thanks for pointing out the dust bunnies.

[Wavelength]

A lovely sunset image

[joebranko]

A lovely sunset image

Thanks Nandakumar.