Twilight Beauty

PLEASE VIEW LARGE IMAGE FOR MORE DETAIL

As photographers we are often drawn to bold dramatic magic hour light.  In that pursuit, however, I think we often overlook the beauty of more subtle light.  Such was the case this evening when another photographer was at this location and expressed how disappointed she was in the light (Clouds covered most of the horizon where the sun was setting so the sunset color was very limited).  She took a few images and moved on.  I decided to stick around to see if I could catch some twilight glow and was rewarded with this.  While I witnessed some incredible light earlier in my trip as is evidenced by my previous post, in some ways I find this more rewarding because it is evidence that I have learned to appreciate the beauty that comes with more subtle light. 

This image was taken along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  In this image it is easy to see where the Blue Ridge name comes from.  My interest in photography came about in part because of my love for the Rocky Mountains. However, since moving to Tennessee for work, I have come to appreciate the more subtle beauty of the Appalachians.  The two mountain ranges offer something unique.  The Rockies offer towering rugged peaks, while the Appalachian mountains are more graceful and elegant.  In this particular image, the layering of the hillsides really stands out to me.

As always all comments and critiques are welcome!

Capture Info:
70 mm
f/13 @ 30 sec ISO 100

Processing Info:
Cloning to clean up dust spots and some distant lights, towers
Contrast and saturation adjustments using TK's luminosity and vibrance masks
Color balance adjustment to bring out more of the greens in the foreground and to dial back on the blues after adjusting contrast and saturation
A little bit of TK's "Make it Glow" limited to the pinks in the sky at reduced opacity.