Teresa Hofer
April 2025 - Badlands Sunset 3932
About the Image(s)
I took this image of a sunset in Badlands National Park on March 16, 2025. I have a favorite spot to capture sunsets where there is a clear view to look down into the canyons as well as capture a decent amount of clear sky. The image was taken at around 6 p.m. during nautical twilight.
The photo was taken with Nikon D850; 70-200 f/2.8 lens at 92mm f/9; ISO 64; .3 sec
I first denoised it with Topaz Denoise AI, then used Adobe Camera Raw's auto settings to adjust the exposure. I also applied dehaze and adjusted the white balance. I have a favorite preset in Topaz Studio called "Basic" which is great for applying precision contrast. The automatic setting is always too much, but is a starting point. I also applied a Photoshop action by Jessica Drossin which increases warmth and can be painted into various parts of the image. Finally, I straightened the horizon and applied Photoshop's automatic curves adjustment.
Photoshop recommended a yellower white balance, but this magenta is what I saw with my eyes.
8 comments posted
Great landscape, and perfect timing for clicking this Twilight hues of magenta , though it seems overly done , but since you saw it with your own eyes and you say it was really this warmth. Amazing. Nature can really paint a masterpiece. I am wondering a few things here
1) did you click this handheld or tripod ( tripod seems more probable cause of 3s Shutter).
2) and why 3s exposure? or is it 0.3 seconds
3) also why the need to Denoise it ? was there noticeable noise at 64 ISO ? I have not yet seen any Nikon body so bad in noise, infact when it comes to Nikon, they are exceptional in handling noise.
I would love to see the out of the camera image. as I really feel you have over edited the image. ( I am not at saying the final result is bad or anything please dont get me wrong ) . but your settings and your editing workflow are a bit confusing to me .
That aside , it is an exceptional landscape image, one which you can proudly frame and hang on a wall. Posted: 04/10/2025 06:10:02
1) did you click this handheld or tripod ( tripod seems more probable cause of 3s Shutter).
2) and why 3s exposure? or is it 0.3 seconds
3) also why the need to Denoise it ? was there noticeable noise at 64 ISO ? I have not yet seen any Nikon body so bad in noise, infact when it comes to Nikon, they are exceptional in handling noise.
I would love to see the out of the camera image. as I really feel you have over edited the image. ( I am not at saying the final result is bad or anything please dont get me wrong ) . but your settings and your editing workflow are a bit confusing to me .
That aside , it is an exceptional landscape image, one which you can proudly frame and hang on a wall. Posted: 04/10/2025 06:10:02
Thank you for your comments Prasad. The exposure is .3 seconds. I shoot in manual mode 100% of the time. For this shot, I first choose the aperture, taking into account the ambient light and the depth of field I want. Choosing f/9, I then move to the ISO. Since this will be a long exposure on a tripod, I revert to native ISO for my camera of 64. I use the readout in my viewfinder to set the exposure at .3 seconds, about 2/3 EV below Optimum to avoid blowing out highlights since I am sure I can recover the shadows in post.
I analyze each image for noise with a blowup of 300% on a large monitor. I have found that you cannot rely on settings to tell you if there is noise. Topaz Denoise AI analyzes the image and recommends the amount of denoise and sharpen at the same time. Many times the amount of sharpening is more than the denoising. I have also found that this step works best to create a clean image if it is done prior to any additional editing, even ACR. I use a 3rd party print service and want to ensure that the image is as clean as possible for printing.
I edit my images for sale as wall hangings; accordingly I edit for drama and impact, while hopefully keeping the edits realistic. I use the SkyCandy app to predict colorful skies and went out on this evening specifically to capture a colorful sky.. which I witnessed. I respect your opinion for your aesthetic taste in editing. I have uploaded the original.
Posted: 04/17/2025 17:23:58
I analyze each image for noise with a blowup of 300% on a large monitor. I have found that you cannot rely on settings to tell you if there is noise. Topaz Denoise AI analyzes the image and recommends the amount of denoise and sharpen at the same time. Many times the amount of sharpening is more than the denoising. I have also found that this step works best to create a clean image if it is done prior to any additional editing, even ACR. I use a 3rd party print service and want to ensure that the image is as clean as possible for printing.
I edit my images for sale as wall hangings; accordingly I edit for drama and impact, while hopefully keeping the edits realistic. I use the SkyCandy app to predict colorful skies and went out on this evening specifically to capture a colorful sky.. which I witnessed. I respect your opinion for your aesthetic taste in editing. I have uploaded the original.
Posted: 04/17/2025 17:23:58
Laurie McShane
Teresa,
What a gorgeous image! The striations are the story here, but I am drawn to the beautiful formations and tones in the sky. Nice composition, and the highlights on the farthest mountains pull the eye to them. I am curious about denoising it as well, as it would seem unneeded, but regardless, it is an image to be proud of. Posted: 04/13/2025 14:47:29
What a gorgeous image! The striations are the story here, but I am drawn to the beautiful formations and tones in the sky. Nice composition, and the highlights on the farthest mountains pull the eye to them. I am curious about denoising it as well, as it would seem unneeded, but regardless, it is an image to be proud of. Posted: 04/13/2025 14:47:29
Thank you very much Laurie. I described my reason for using denoise in the reply to Prasad. I will try to upload a couple of screenshots to show the difference with denoising/sharpening. Posted: 04/17/2025 17:32:44
Laurie, This is the screenshot after denoising/sharpening. I use a 300% blowup to see the difference. Posted: 04/17/2025 17:34:18
What a beautiful image! Technically, it appears perfect - good exposure, deep Dof, and and excellent dynamic range. The composition is very good with sky occupying less that ½ of the image. I love the magenta in the image. What is the significance of the Badlands Observatory in the right lower corner?
Teresa, nicely done.
Posted: 04/13/2025 16:50:08
Teresa, nicely done.
Posted: 04/13/2025 16:50:08
Harrison, thank you so very much for your comments in support of the image.
Badlands Observatory is the business I own with my life partner. It is an astronomical observatory he built in the year 2000, including a large 26" Newtonian Reflector telescope he used to submit data on the astrometry of asteroids to NASA in their mapping operation of asteroids that might have Earth-crossing orbits.
I use the telescope to photograph deep sky objects and we live near the Badlands where I do a lot of terrestrial photography, hence the crossover with the name/photo-logo. Posted: 04/17/2025 17:40:53
Badlands Observatory is the business I own with my life partner. It is an astronomical observatory he built in the year 2000, including a large 26" Newtonian Reflector telescope he used to submit data on the astrometry of asteroids to NASA in their mapping operation of asteroids that might have Earth-crossing orbits.
I use the telescope to photograph deep sky objects and we live near the Badlands where I do a lot of terrestrial photography, hence the crossover with the name/photo-logo. Posted: 04/17/2025 17:40:53
Interesting. Thanks for the info. Posted: 04/17/2025 18:51:50