Gettysburg PA - Sunset by 72nd PA Infantry Monument

pnomanikon

Senior Member
Greetings. I am a hobbyist photographer and retired from the US Air Force. I bought a D7200 two years ago and am just getting it out and learning all the functions and settings. (I spent last year taking care of my mother before she passed and didn't have much time to use it.)

My wife and I visited the Gettysburg Battlefield this week and I took the following photos of the 72nd PA Infantry monument at sunset. Link to more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/72nd_Pennsylvania_Infantry_Monument

It was interesting to see other photographers leave the moment the sun dipped below the horizon. "Too dark" they said. I found that the colors were changing every few minutes and lasted almost 20 minutes.

I'm not sure which is my favorite, and whether landscape or portrait is the best. I submit the following.

(BTW - using the kit Nikon 18x140 lens - handheld)


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This is a reference photo of the monument.


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(Photo #1) This was taken just moments after sunset.


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(Photo #2) This was taken about 15 minutes after sunset. I zoomed out to get more of the shafts of light in the sky.


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(Photo #3) This was also taken about 15 minutes after sunset.


I really like the sky better on #2-3 (except the clear area of the sky on the RH side of #3), but I'm not sure if I like the landscape or portrait mode.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

.
 
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Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Always wait twenty to thirty minutes after sunset. Many times the sky will light up like that even if you get a lousy sunset.
 

Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
As you haven't gotten any comment yet.
Like the concept of him out there against the setting sun, something kind of sad about it.
Number three would be my favorite except for the dark clouds to the left. I like him out there alone in the expanse. I don't mind the open blue sky. But remember this is all about your vision of what it should look like.


Number two my second favorite, some post processing could be done to bring out the blue.

Are you shooting in jpg or raw?
 

nikonpup

Senior Member
i like #1. It gives me an idea of what you where shooting. I might have shot him with the sun at my back as the light changed and maybe tried a flash shot. Sunset without the statue would have been nice.
 

pnomanikon

Senior Member
As you haven't gotten any comment yet.
Like the concept of him out there against the setting sun, something kind of sad about it.
Number three would be my favorite except for the dark clouds to the left. I like him out there alone in the expanse. I don't mind the open blue sky. But remember this is all about your vision of what it should look like.


Number two my second favorite, some post processing could be done to bring out the blue.

Are you shooting in jpg or raw?

Thank you. JPEG large format.

I tried moving around to a different angle, but then you could not tell what he was holding. One angle just looked like he was holding his arms up.
 
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