Volcanic Twilight

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 6, 2015194 views12 comments

Would really like your thoughts on this image. I took this at the end of last year, and boy was it difficult to shoot. The full moon illuminated the scene as the plume from the crater, which was just a wisp of smoke prior to sunset, turned orange and red after it. This is a stitch of 5 horizontal shots, each of which were blended for dynamic range (4 exposures per shot). The plume was extremely difficult to shoot as it was almost always blown out (pun unintended). The stitch was further complicated by the moving plume. In the end, I pulled it all together after quite some work in photoshop. These conditions lasted for about 10 minutes before the sky fogged up completely and made it impossible to shoot.

Appreciate your comments and feedback as always.

Thanks!

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on July 6, 2015 at 12:04 PM

All that comp work paid off. Killer shot

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Roel Wijtmans on July 6, 2015 at 2:42 PM

Lot's of work, but definitely worth it. It looks very natural to me, and I really like this one. Great job!

Registered on September 30, 2012, 116 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on July 6, 2015 at 9:52 PM

Definitely worth all that work. It is a beaut.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on July 6, 2015 at 10:44 PM

Sairam, The large version is a real treat to view. Certainly worth all of your effort to get this finished image. I like this one a lot!! devil

Nick Bristol Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on July 6, 2015 at 10:58 PM

Sometimes you get out what you put in and in this case, you got a ton of good stuff. Looks quite natural and that is certainly a testament to your processing skills. Excellent!!!!!!

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on July 7, 2015 at 2:40 PM

Sairam: truly impressive in all aspects. It's a beaut!! Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on July 7, 2015 at 8:50 PM

Very nicely done, Sairam. Your efforts really paid off. The power and drama is quite evident.

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Sairam Sundaresan on July 7, 2015 at 8:57 PM

Thanks everyone! Appreciate your kind comments very much!

Registered on March 14, 2013, 100 Posts, 643 Comments

Comment posted by Ryan Shain on July 10, 2015 at 2:57 AM

Hi Sairam,

The effort you have put into this image has paid of amazingly well. I really enjoy the framing of the crater. The color tones are wonderfully complimenting of each other. The stars above are sweet in providing the extra bit of depth that puts this image over the top for myself.

Wonderful Work

Registered on February 20, 2007, 226 Posts, 4571 Comments

Comment posted by Sairam Sundaresan on July 10, 2015 at 9:01 PM

Thanks Ryan! Appreciate the kind words!

Registered on March 14, 2013, 100 Posts, 643 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on July 11, 2015 at 1:42 AM

Well worth the effort Sairam. The elements come together nicely! I love the starry backdrop.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Joe James on July 18, 2015 at 2:35 PM

You pulled it off Sairam! I hadn't though about doing a blend like this from this spot; it really helped you capture the stars without blowing out the glow from the lava lake. That's what has been a struggle for me from this location; you expose long enough for the stars and you over-expose the glow and vice-versa. Well done!

Registered on November 20, 2009, 89 Posts, 808 Comments