Michael Nath
April 2021 - Dawn at Sunset Point
About the Image(s)
Attached is my image for April taken in Bryce Canyon National Park at sunset point. It was taken about 5 minutes after sunrise (I was late setting up before the sun came up). I did not want any of the sun directly in the photograph so I turned my camera (on a tripod) to the south to take advantage of the very warm side lighting which revealed so much of the texture of the rocks. The technical data is 1/125 s, F6.3, ISO 400, using a 24-70 mm lens on my D810. Post processing was limited to NIK Vivenza to enhance the details in the final print. The horizon was deliberately omitted prior to exposure. I tried to balance the shadows in the top left with the brighter bottom right.
7 comments posted
(Groups 36 & 67)
Beautiful. One of the better shots I've seen of this location. The light and the camera angle really paid off. Posted: 04/01/2021 13:33:01
Thank you Larry, I really appreciate it. Posted: 04/02/2021 10:11:17
Very nicely done! Hard to image any improvement at all. I like the elongated share of the tree in the foreground; it really helps establish that this is shortly after sunrise and, in turn, justifies the deep shadows between the ridges.
I don't use Nik Vivenza, myself, so I don't have a feel for how you used it. Would you care to elaborate? Posted: 04/13/2021 12:48:41
I don't use Nik Vivenza, myself, so I don't have a feel for how you used it. Would you care to elaborate? Posted: 04/13/2021 12:48:41
Thank you for the compliment Mark, I appreciate it.
To answer your question, NIK is a set of plugins for Photoshop, of which Vivenza is one of the choices a photographer can use to perform a set of changes on a single layer (not necessarily a smart layer though that option is available also). Vivenza provides a set of sliders to adjust either positively or negatively the brightness, the contrast, the saturation, the structure, levels, and/or curves along with control points on a single layer. Once you have made the adjustments that you want, and the entire image is visible, you can choose "OK" to apply the changes to the entire image OR you can choose "BRUSH" to apply the changes with the brush tool to smaller selected areas of the image. When you click "APPLY", a separate layer appears with a layer mask indicating where the brush applied the changes.
If you choose to create a smart layer in Photoshop first, you can make all the changes mentioned above and retain the ability to change your adjustments later, but you lose the ability to "BRUSH" in the changes to smaller areas. However, for some people, changing their mind later is more important than selecting a smaller area to adjust. For me personally, I prefer to use the "BRUSH" to adjust just part of the image. I can then use Vivenza (or any of the other tools in NIK) to create as many adjustment layers that I want and apply the separate adjustments to different or even overlapping areas of the image. From within Photoshop, I can then adjust the blending modes separately for each layer prior to flattening and printing the image.
As you can imagine, the possibilities are essentially limitless. DxO bought the NIK software and now offers it for resale only. I use an older version that Google gave away for free. If you wish to try it, search the internet for the free version. It has a few bugs but nothing I can't work around from within Photoshop. Posted: 04/13/2021 13:33:26
To answer your question, NIK is a set of plugins for Photoshop, of which Vivenza is one of the choices a photographer can use to perform a set of changes on a single layer (not necessarily a smart layer though that option is available also). Vivenza provides a set of sliders to adjust either positively or negatively the brightness, the contrast, the saturation, the structure, levels, and/or curves along with control points on a single layer. Once you have made the adjustments that you want, and the entire image is visible, you can choose "OK" to apply the changes to the entire image OR you can choose "BRUSH" to apply the changes with the brush tool to smaller selected areas of the image. When you click "APPLY", a separate layer appears with a layer mask indicating where the brush applied the changes.
If you choose to create a smart layer in Photoshop first, you can make all the changes mentioned above and retain the ability to change your adjustments later, but you lose the ability to "BRUSH" in the changes to smaller areas. However, for some people, changing their mind later is more important than selecting a smaller area to adjust. For me personally, I prefer to use the "BRUSH" to adjust just part of the image. I can then use Vivenza (or any of the other tools in NIK) to create as many adjustment layers that I want and apply the separate adjustments to different or even overlapping areas of the image. From within Photoshop, I can then adjust the blending modes separately for each layer prior to flattening and printing the image.
As you can imagine, the possibilities are essentially limitless. DxO bought the NIK software and now offers it for resale only. I use an older version that Google gave away for free. If you wish to try it, search the internet for the free version. It has a few bugs but nothing I can't work around from within Photoshop. Posted: 04/13/2021 13:33:26
Thanks, Michael. I'm gathering that it has a devoted set of users, and that tells me it's got something going for it. At this point, I feel I'm still in the process of learning how to move from idea, from intent, to realization, using the tools in already have in Photoshop. I use the TK panel extensively, and only this week I've been acquainted with using the History Brush. Sounds like the Vivenza workflow is much like what one can accomplish with the history brush, though Vivenza may make the process more "intuitive", at least for straightforward edits. Thanks for explaining. Looking forward to seeing more of your work! Posted: 04/13/2021 16:16:55
Very nice tone contrast and colors. I love how the hoodoos glow in the early morning light. Posted: 04/19/2021 10:23:52
I love the color saturation on this photo. I agree with Mark about the trees in the foreground and the shadows they cast. I like the way you've composed the image with the hoodoos filling the frame and the ones in the background in the shade, which helps my eye stay on the ones in the foreground. I perceive the focus and depth of field being spot on.
Great job Michael. Posted: 04/21/2021 17:48:44
Great job Michael. Posted: 04/21/2021 17:48:44