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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 133 - Distance >> Challenge 133 - Eligible > Purple Mountain v.2 *
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13-MAY-2007 Michael Shealy

Purple Mountain v.2 *

Black Forest, CO

Canon EOS 20D ,Tamron SP AF17-50mm f/2.8 XR DiII

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Guest 23-May-2007 02:09
Beautiful! & I love the cows!
Tomd.
ctfchallenge21-May-2007 20:57
Thanks, Lee. Gave it a smidge more. -mikey
ctfchallenge20-May-2007 02:16
great one.
could use a little more contrast. Just a thought.
theFly
Brent 18-May-2007 02:57
Beautiful setting Mikey. I remember seeing your first post of this when I didn't have much time for commenting. I think this version looks loads better- well done!
ctfchallenge17-May-2007 04:11
Yup, its probably PP alright (Pike's Peak, that is). I googled your distance from it and I got 53 miles. We're practically neighbors. I googled my location from the spot where I took this pic and I was 24 miles out. We ought to get together for a shoot sometime. Cheers, -mikey
ctfchallenge17-May-2007 03:10
Mikey, I'm in the extreme SE corner of the Denver metro area. I'm actually in Centennial. One of the first things I see when I leave each morning and look to the south is this (I think) mountain in the distance. -Doug
ctfchallenge17-May-2007 01:36
Thanks again for the continued interest and comments, guys.
Tom - Glad it was just a minor misunderstanding. The sky colors weren't artifacts as much as a little noise. The color was "real" and not the result of PP, IMhO. If you look for the violet and blue you'll find them, just in smaller quantities now. Have you a noise reduction program? They smooth out those edges pretty well. I use Noiseware and they have a free version that works well.
Doug - Glad you appreciate this picy. I sure appreciate being able to drive a few miles and take it ":^) We must almost be neighbors, eh? Where do you live, Doug?
Rod - Haha, its a really skinny one, with a propeller on top. They probably don't have lighthouses with props on top in OZ, do they? Yah, the fire's in me gut...habanero peppers are my favorite!!

Thanks again and cheers, -mikey
Rod 15-May-2007 08:07
Geez you call that a lighthouse I should send you my man sized lighthouse action. Tell you wot, I will swap you me lighthouse action for your mountain action:-) The second shot you uploaded did look too much as Tommy said, must have been due to the noise which you have now fixed & this version looks really good now. Thanks for firing up (grumpy sod) as it does make the reading more interesting:-) Good onya mate:-)
ctfchallenge15-May-2007 01:43
I get to look at that same mountain from a bit further out everyday. I really apreciate this picture as I enjoy the point of view. Wonderful shot. -COAmature
ctfchallenge15-May-2007 01:09
I forgot to say I really like the shot especially now that I can see those Colorado skies, compared with the unprocessed image. My concern was primarily with processing artifacts in teh dark clouds. So don't be gun-shy. The written word frequently sounds harsher than intended. -tv
ctfchallenge15-May-2007 00:43
Heavy handed!? Boy, I can't win. No wonder I'm "gun-shy". I did forget to Noiseware it, so did smooth it a bit with that. Otherwise, this is Colorado, guys!! Skies are like this. When I came here from CA, whenever I walked around outside I was looking up and going "wow, look at that!!" I did Photoshop-in that lighthouse over on the right horizon, tho ";^) Cheers, -mikey
ctfchallenge14-May-2007 21:28
A bit heavy handed on the pp, but it certainly has snap now. I see a particular problem in the clouds' blue & violet areas accentuated by edges not blending well. I was contending with the same problem this weekend: how to pp a specific area without leaving hard edged evidence. I gave up without a solution. Maybe try again without local selections, e.g. select all, then try the same pp. -tv
ctfchallenge14-May-2007 20:35
Thanks for the comments, y'all. I took this picy yesterday afternoon, facing "into" the sun and the clouds are quite heavy so the lighting is quite subdued. My original posting was only resized cuz I was in a hurry (had some visitors) and wasn't PPed at all (maybe I'm getting a little "gun-shy"). In this one I've added a bit of sat, greened-up the grass a smidge, contrasted the clouds a bit and did give it a dash of USM. BTW this is thee Purple Mountain (the one with the majesty ":^) again, Pike's Peak, from closer in (about 30 miles) and a different angle.
tv - There are a lot of advantages, as well as disadvantages, esp. when a Challenge calls for ppl and city-type stuff like your puddle reflection (very cool, BTW). I have to drive for an hour to see a building like that in a puddle. Plenty of barns and mud puddles, tho.
Alex - Did both. Thanks. What do you think?
Rod - Thanks, mate. Does it have some "pop" now?

Cheers and thanks again, -mikey
Rod 14-May-2007 20:01
Maybe some snap crackle & pop could be added but I would just try a bit more sharpening (USM) first as it may keep the really natural look. Plus the sharpening sort of increases the contrast too. This topic is right up your ally living in the mountains, This shot looks really good. Well done mate:-)
alexeig14-May-2007 18:48
I think that this picture has a lot of potential, but I would add a bit of punch to it. More specifically, the grass does seem to be washed out, but maybe the sky would benefit too from a bit of contrast adjustment. It conveys the sense of immensity very nicely. Where is it?
ctfchallenge14-May-2007 14:47
Your taking advantage, Mikey. Who else can step out their door on any given day and find these dramatic storm clouds. I hope doesn't get boring. It's almost hard to believe this was taken with the same camera as "Distant Thunder". Maybe it was different quality settings? I haven't seen this on my home monitor, but at work, it seems totally unprocessed in or out of camera. This time I think it could use some pp to add "snap" as Rod says ( I think it was Rod...) - maybe a dash of lightening, a shot of contrast and a pinch of sat. -tv