I was all set for this challenge: peak color, a couple days of perfect weather, and lots of free time. I did a scouting run to a nearby waterfall, but the sun was already behind a tall hill, so the lighting was terrible and it was starting to get cloudy anyway. I took a different road on the way back and spotted this scene about 5 miles from my house. I barreled through the brush along the roadside (lots of thorns), and set up a tripod hanging over a boulder in the stream. I took dozens of shots to test different angles, and got a handful with the sun breaking through the clouds. This was going to be my spot for the week!
…and then I got called back into work long enough for a strong storm to come through and strip the leaves. There was nothing left when I went back. :-(
So I settled for the test shots. I did add some vibrance, but only a little. The color was already pretty intense. I was disappointed at the loss of detail in the reds, but there wasn't much I could do with it at this size. The original is quite sharp (f/14 on a tripod).
Processing: Convert multiple files from a single RAW frame with different exposure settings for a darker sky and lighter foreground, USM, Vibrance, Levels, Curves for contrast, a warming Photo Filter, lots of Dodge & Burn, and a little spot saturation and Noise Ninja on the water.
Statistics
Place: 2 out of 245 Avg (all users): 6.9091 Avg (commenters): 8.0000 Avg (participants): 6.8621 Avg (non-participants): 6.9821 Views since voting: 6339 Views during voting: 1702 Votes: 143 Comments: 34 Favorites: 16 (view)
The contrasts of the extreme red complementing the darker black & white of the nicely flowing creek are absolutely gorgeous in this photograph. I like how the stones on the right side of the creek echo the waterflow & enhance it.
Firewater
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
