Stunning sky

[Rita]

A couple of weeks ago I was house sitting. When I went to close the front blinds in the evening I spotted this vibrant and stunning sky. Grabbed the camera and got a quick shot, or 2, in. Within a couple of minutes the entire scene had dissipated. A lot of people in the area were grabbing shots of this and sending them into the news as it was such an unusual site. When I took this I was facing east, the sunset, which was also wonderful, was reflecting in the cloud. Rain can be seen coming out of the bottom of the cloud but never reaching the ground. For PP I have been getting in the habit of setting the black and white points, it sure brought the sky out in this image.

C&C always appreciated.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

That is a very cool shot Rita.
Glad you caught it and thanks for sharing it.

[terrib]

I hope people view in the lightbox as it does make a difference in how nice the light looks below the clouds. Great catch!

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[ccphoto]

It's a nice capture but seems to be a tad oversaturated.

[Mike Buckley]

While the color is obviously unique, this isn't just a nice photo of a sky; you framed it with interesting land and influences of mankind that provided great context for the sky.

[Rita]

Thanks all for your comments.

[IzzieK]

Wooooooooo......I am still about to comment. Is it oversaturated? No, I do not think so....I have seen places where this kind of colour is very beautiful indeed and real, some more so, that the mornings are pinkier and more fushia than anything else one can imagine seeing and watching. Nicely caught, Rita...you will always remember this and so would I. Beautiful and excellent shot. I followed Terri's advice and looked at it in lytebox -- more beautiful especially at the bottom of the clouds where the house becomes more prominent. Thanks to you two....

[Stagecoach]

Nicely captured Rita.

[ccphoto]

I have to disagree, Izzie as to the over-saturation. I've traveled around the world several times and visited places where there isn't the first piece of air pollution (though now, perhaps) and yet to have seen that much color all in one sky. De-saturating by a mere 14% brings it closer to reality for me. I do work on a monitor which is calibrated monthly. For many years I worked in commercial photography doing dye-color matched fabrics to print media so I am, I guess over sensitive to sliders that have been pushed a tad to far to the right or a camera that is programmed for "Vivid," instead of Neutral.

-14% still retains a vivid sky and is still quite stunning though for my eye, more realistic. Always though, it is the choice and vision of the artist. We are merely co-conspirators in their artistry.

[Rita]

Izzie, Grahame, and Chris, thanks for commenting.

Chris, in PP I didn't add any saturation to the image. My camera is set to standard rather than vivid. Minor adjustments were made in ACR and then in PS I cropped, set the black and white points, then dodged the foreground because it was quit dark. When the Black and White points were set the colours did pop a bit more but for sure no saturation was added. I do agree with your statement that we are co-conspiriters in each others artistry, extra eyes always help for fine tuning.

[ccphoto]

I guess then I would ask if you are working on a calibrated monitor and if yes, then apologies are in order.

[shreds]

Interesting as to your location in the World as I had a call yesterday saying look out the window, and that self same? cloud was visible here in England (!). Must be something in the air or strong air currents?

Only nabbed an iPhone shot which is pretty poor, but yes the colours were that vivid and it is not oversaturated.

[Rita]

Chris, yes, my monitor is calibrated. No apologies are in order. I appreciate all comments and suggestions and you made me think about what I had done in PP and that is not a bad thing.

[Rita]

Ian, that is amazing! It was quit the sight here and an unusual sight too. It was seen in my neck of the woods on Aug 25.

[FootLoose]

It was seen in my neck of the woods on Aug 25.

Ah, you're a time traveller, Rita. That might explain the vivid colour

[JBW]

Wow

[Rita]

Ah, you're a time traveller, Rita. That might explain the vivid colour

And I didn't even know I went anywhere

[Rita]

Thanks Brian.

[JBW]

I have to disagree, Izzie as to the over-saturation. I've traveled around the world several times and visited places where there isn't the first piece of air pollution (though now, perhaps) and yet to have seen that much color all in one sky. De-saturating by a mere 14% brings it closer to reality for me. I do work on a monitor which is calibrated monthly. For many years I worked in commercial photography doing dye-color matched fabrics to print media so I am, I guess over sensitive to sliders that have been pushed a tad to far to the right or a camera that is programmed for "Vivid," instead of Neutral.

-14% still retains a vivid sky and is still quite stunning though for my eye, more realistic. Always though, it is the choice and vision of the artist. We are merely co-conspirators in their artistry.

small aside: by the middle of the 20th century no child was born without inhaling polluted air.