Sun and Composition....

[rajbinnor]

Just two quick questions: Is the Sun too overwhelming/sky blown out in this image and should I try to edit the purple fringing around the trees out?
Thanks!

Nikon D7000
50mm 1.8 @ f2.8
1/8000 s
ISO 320

[Doug Sundseth]

With the right post software, getting rid of the color aberration (the colored fringing) is pretty much just moving a slider, so yes, you should get rid of that.

The problem with the exposure isn't just the sky brightness, the trees are underexposed as well. You have a dynamic range problem here that needs either shooting at a different time of day or HDR.

[crockny]

Did you really shoot at 1/8000 ss? You could have gone down to the optimum ISO (which I believe on Nikon is 200) and used a slower shutter speed. You also could have used a smaller aperture for more DOF and still have had plenty of room to play with the shutter speed ... I'm not a techie but maybe that would help with fringing?

[rajbinnor]

@Doug Sundseth - No, the trees are supposed to be underexposed, but thanks anyway.

@crockny - Yes, I did. It's actually ISO 100 on my model and I think I've heard ISO 50 on the D4.

[Krusty79]

Unfortunately, the eye is naturally drawn to the lightest part of an image, which is the blown out sky. So yes, I think it is overwhelming the rest of the image. If you look at a histogram of your image, I think you'll find clipping at both the light and dark ends. The bright sky has also caused some flare to appear on the path. Normally, I would recommend bracketing your shots so you can make an exposure blend, but the intricate pattern of the tree branches would make that a major PITA. I think you'd have a very good shot if you could even out the exposure.

[Hazy67]

I wouldnt change it - I think it looks good. A great contrast of light & dark.

[danbaileyphoto]

I actually think that this is a pretty cool image. Sure, you could bring the highlights under control and fix that lens flare, but those elements make the picture feel "real."

Sometimes that goes a long way. You wouldn't want to do this all the time, but occasionally, you need to break the rules and go for something a little different and authentic.

Nice job.

[Barry Jackson]

I think a neutral density filter in the vertical position might have helped.

The scene seems too heavy to the left for me.

[armis]

How would it look in black and white? The color doesn't seem to bring much and the high contrast would lend itself to B&W nicely. Plus the purple fringe wouldn't be as much of a problem.