An evening at Canandaigua Lake (Finger Lakes, NY)

capturef22 · Nov 11, 2013

I don't know about you but despite some nifty tools like The Photographer's Ephemeris, I sometimes find myself chasing the light; trying to get myself to a good location just before sunset. Such was the case a few weeks ago when I was near one of the Finger Lakes in NY. A big constraint that we Northeast shooters have is private land. There's all kinds of spectacular locations, but most are privately owned so the choices get whittled down from the get-go. Anyway, an hour or so before sunset I found this State park, which afforded a nice view or two. Here's what I came away with. Enjoy.

Looks best "original size"

[IMG width="400px" alt="Looks best "original size" "]http://photorefuge.smugmug.com/Other/Recent-Pics/i-8KNCQrR/0/XL/IMGP0778_adj-XL.jpg[/IMG]
Looks best "original size"

Looks best "original size"

[IMG width="400px" alt="Looks best "original size" "]http://photorefuge.smugmug.com/Other/Recent-Pics/i-MQ9jRHL/0/XL/IMGP0804_adj-XL.jpg[/IMG]
Looks best "original size"

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David Nall · Nov 12, 2013

capturef22 said:
I don't know about you but despite some nifty tools like The Photographer's Ephemeris, I sometimes find myself chasing the light; trying to get myself to a good location just before sunset. Such was the case a few weeks ago when I was near one of the Finger Lakes in NY. A big constraint that we Northeast shooters have is private land. There's all kinds of spectacular locations, but most are privately owned so the choices get whittled down from the get-go. Anyway, an hour or so before sunset I found this State park, which afforded a nice view or two. Here's what I came away with. Enjoy.

I like this one the best Capture.

capturef22 said:
Looks best "original size"

This one I would crop some off the left and foreground. and adjust levels.

capturef22 said:
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View of Yosemite Valley, Bridalveil fall 4 frame vertical pano taken from the tunnel parking lot.

http://davesphotography9173.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v58/p1109307522-2.jpg

capturef22 · Nov 13, 2013

David Nall said:
I like this one the best Capture.

Thanks Dave; it was a pretty amazing sky that night; rapidly changing and quite colorful!

David Nall said:
David Nall said:

Looks best "original size"

Click to expand...

This one I would crop some off the left and foreground. and adjust levels.

David Nall said:

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Click to expand...

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View of Yosemite Valley, Bridalveil fall 4 frame vertical pano taken from the tunnel parking lot.
http://davesphotography9173.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v58/p1109307522-2.jpg

I like your suggested cropping; level boost I'm not so sure (but maybe). It's definitely more dramatic. What were those adjustments--saturation only or others too?

Thanks for the input--appreciated.

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John E Fox · Nov 13, 2013

I've cropped some of the water off so as to concentrate on the sky.

Cropped so as to make the chairs the main feature.

Also straightened the horizon a tiny bit.

David Nall · Nov 13, 2013

John E Fox said:
I've cropped some of the water off so as to concentrate on the sky.

Cropped so as to make the chairs the main feature.

Also straightened the horizon a tiny bit.

I like your crop on the first one, but not the second and was thinking more about how to eliminate the chairs. Dave

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View of Yosemite Valley, Bridalveil fall 4 frame vertical pano taken from the tunnel parking lot.

http://davesphotography9173.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v58/p1109307522-2.jpg

David Nall · Nov 13, 2013

capturef22 said:
I don't know about you but despite some nifty tools like The Photographer's Ephemeris, I sometimes find myself chasing the light; trying to get myself to a good location just before sunset. Such was the case a few weeks ago when I was near one of the Finger Lakes in NY. A big constraint that we Northeast shooters have is private land. There's all kinds of spectacular locations, but most are privately owned so the choices get whittled down from the get-go. Anyway, an hour or so before sunset I found this State park, which afforded a nice view or two. Here's what I came away with. Enjoy.

This one I think The chairs really detract from the beauty of the scene, so I would crop them out. It think it would have been better to move to the other side of them for shooting this one IMHO. Here it is cropped, straightened, a bit of contrast and levels adjustment.

capturef22 said:
Looks best "original size"

Looks best "original size"

I liked John's crop and straightening and I also adjusted colors a little less pink looking, and lightened up the hill on the right so slight definition is now visible there.

capturef22 said:
--
http://photorefuge.smugmug.com/

--
Visit my gallery at http://davesphotography9173.zenfolio.com/
View of Yosemite Valley, Bridalveil fall 4 frame vertical pano taken from the tunnel parking lot.

http://davesphotography9173.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v58/p1109307522-2.jpg

gvidal · Nov 13, 2013

Very beautiful sunsets. Love your long exposure, so appropriate..

capturef22 · Nov 13, 2013

Thanks John. I hadn't considered taking more of the water out of the sunset picture, thinking I "needed" it for the reflection, but seeing your version, I like it better. I also appreciate the suggestion for cropping the other photo. I liked the chairs as an element in the photo but didn't think about making them even more prominent. I like it.

capturef22 · Nov 13, 2013

David Nall said:
David Nall said:

Click to expand...

This one I think The chairs really detract from the beauty of the scene, so I would crop them out. It think it would have been better to move to the other side of them for shooting this one IMHO. Here it is cropped, straightened, a bit of contrast and levels adjustment.

David Nall said:

Looks best "original size"

Click to expand...

I liked John's crop and straightening and I also adjusted colors a little less pink looking, and lightened up the hill on the right so slight definition is now visible there.

David Nall said:

--
http://photorefuge.smugmug.com/

Click to expand...

--
Visit my gallery at http://davesphotography9173.zenfolio.com/
View of Yosemite Valley, Bridalveil fall 4 frame vertical pano taken from the tunnel parking lot.
http://davesphotography9173.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v58/p1109307522-2.jpg

Thanks Dave. I like both your suggestions / revisions. It's funny, I really thought those chairs added something to the scene originally but seeing your revision, I can appreciate where you're coming from and that there's a whole different feeling created by leaving them out. I didn't go to the other side of them because there was more shoreline clutter (boats, houses, etc.--not terribly photogenic) outside the right side of the frame.

I think I'm still suffering to some extent from trying to stick to (what I thought) I photographed. I definitely think some of these bolder adjustments add to the image, but they tend to be a significant departure from how I remember the scene.

Thanks for the input!

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capturef22 · Nov 13, 2013

Thanks gvidal; I appreciate the comment.

ahmami · Nov 13, 2013

I like the vastness of the place.

capturef22 · Nov 15, 2013

ahmami said:
I like the vastness of the place.

mnodonnell · Nov 15, 2013

I don't think they work since they are facing something we cannot see. If you're going to do the "chair thing" you should make the viewer want to be sitting there. The fact that you chose to point the camera in another direction makes me think the chairs don't face anything interesting.

capturef22 · Nov 17, 2013

mnodonnell said:
I don't think they work since they are facing something we cannot see. If you're going to do the "chair thing" you should make the viewer want to be sitting there. The fact that you chose to point the camera in another direction makes me think the chairs don't face anything interesting.

fireplace33 · Nov 17, 2013

Hi,

I like that second sunset shot in the original post best too.

I think that the black wedge shaped silhouette on the right works quite well to direct the eye into the focal point of the image between the mountains into the distance at the end of the lake. When detail is added, by lightening up the wedge, your eye sort of gets caught up in that detail and the wedge shape doesn't act anymore so much like a pointer (if you see what I mean)

IMO it doesn't really need the crop off the bottom either, I think it works without the horizon being conform to the Rule of thirds in this case; with the reflection balancing the sky, and that focal point is in a "thirds position" on the left hand side.

capturef22 · Nov 18, 2013

Your rationale was really what I was originally thinking when I processed (that, and there wasn't a whole lot of detail to pull from the shadows, as I recall). I remember thinking when I took this shot that it was definitely more important to get the colors of the sunset than detail in the shadows--other than the silhouette of the treetops--which I really liked. As I recall, I barely touched the saturation during post processing.

It was just a wonderful sunset! Thanks for the comments, fireplace.

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An evening at Canandaigua Lake (Finger Lakes, NY)

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