State Forest Landscape -Blended Exposures

[Nicks Pics]

Hi Folks

This is a scene from this fall. Taken I think, in the Pere Marquette State Forest Michigan. A Very remote location.I didn't really bracket these images, but looking back at them I noticed I had much more detail in the clouds in one frame than the other, so I made an attempt to barrow small part of the sky nearer to the horizon where the clouds look fluffy from one photo into this one to replace where the clouds were blown out white. I spent a long time on it without getting anywhere, but since it couldn't really be done perfectly, since they weren't lined up exactly, I did better the second time when I spent about 5 minutes on it. I sharpened it to be viewed at full size. I think this image is of a pipeline, as there was an oil well nearby.

[Shadowman]

Nice effort, the puddle needs a bit of the sky for reflection; intensity decreased of course.

[Nicks Pics]

John,
Thank you for your comments. I looked back at the original (the one with the clouds I used) to see if there should be reflections in the puddle from the clouds, but there weren't- though I agree that would have been nice. I guess the puddle was not reflecting that part of the sky. May I ask why you think the puddle brightness should be decreased?

[IzzieK]

Nick...you have been successful in blending two shots to make the sky more prominent here. I like it. Can you lose that brown thingie at the middle end on the RHS? I like the cut off tree at the LHS as it led my eyes to the sky...it was snowing when you took this shot and it adds to the atmosphere of it too. Nice...

[John 2]

Nick, the blend seem fine to me but IMHO, this is a bit over sharpened and perhaps a bit flat. I you add a bit of Gaussian blur, increase the saturation and slightly increase the contrast (but protect the sky or the highlights will blow), it gives it more depth. Something like this:

[bnnrcn]

Hi John I like the edit, may I ask if you added the gaussian blur partially to the image ? I can't notice it very well but I can feel it somehow

Nick, the blend seem fine to me but IMHO, this is a bit over sharpened and perhaps a bit flat. I you add a bit of Gaussian blur, increase the saturation and slightly increase the contrast (but protect the sky or the highlights will blow), it gives it more depth. Something like this:

[bnnrcn]

Hi Nick I like the composition and colors very much and I like John's edit .

[Nicks Pics]

Izzie, Thanks for your comments. I think you are noticing a brown oak tree on the RHS, yes I could crop that out, thanks for noticing. I think the precipitation was rain, rather than snow, there was a rain bow the opposite direction around that time, but no great photos of that.

John, thanks for the time you took to think about my image and try to make it work better. I do take your suggestion about saturation, I plan on giving it another working over. Do you see how in the original the sky is gray and in yours it is blue? I think I will stick with gray for this image because I like it and that is what it really was. I will agree also on the over sharpening, thanks for noticing, I usually downsize and sharpen for upload, but I think it was a little too much this time.

[Nicks Pics]

Here is a re-edit, I tried to increase saturation, but with as much yellow as there is in this one it was quick to look over-saturated, so the change may not be very noticeable, Also this one is sharpened less, I think, and cropped slightly from the right.

[Brownbear]

Hi Nick,

Nice capture. I especially like your framing and the way you captured the snowflakes in the air.

And yes, it appears over-sharpened to me, too. I often use a radius of just .5 and 25 in Lightroom for sharpening images with trees and grass. Your edit still looks a little too sharp to me on the left hand side and also the snowflakes.

I like it cropped just a wee bit off of the top just above the tree on the right hand side because it places more emphasis on that beautiful cloud in the sky. I like the foliage on the left hand side for the leading line it creates.

[John 2]

That's more like for me Nick. Sorry about the blue, I forgot to mention it and it is not important to the comp. I think your saturation is now just about there.

[Texas Dave]

This is one of those shots that can be interpretted in so many ways, edited to suit an individuals taste in different ways and still be a beautiful shot. Just a dammed ole pipeline. lol.

I've been staring at Brent Cotton's and Eldridge Hardie artwork all weekend and can see paint stokes in your photo rather than actual photographic capture. I miss the outdoors of Michigan this time of year. I really like your photo. Thanks!

[Nicks Pics]

Hi Christina,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and your experience with landscape images. I think I was wanting to show that the grass was wet and shiny, but perhaps that amount of sharpening wasn't necessary to make the point. I might crop off the top a little if I edit it again. Very much appreciate your comments.

John, thanks again for your suggestion, I think it helped.

Dave, Thank you, yes there are several ways you could do this one probably, but I have gotten some good suggestions. Yes, I think it is an underground pipeline. This place was accessible by a system of small dirt roads in the state forest land. You are missing some of the best weather of the year up here

[terrib]

I like the composition of this shot very much. I cannot tell that you combined multiple images but then again, I haven't much experience with doing that myself. I like the mood you've set with leaving the sky grayish and I like the slight change in crop you did in your edit. Nice job.

[Nicks Pics]

Thank you Terri,
I'm glad you liked it. Maybe it could use a little more work, but it's getting close probably.

[IzzieK]

I like John's edit, Nick but the mood of your last edit makes it more better. Neater. Beautiful-er(?) You know what you like and got it here.