James Troeger
October 2026 - Surf City Sunset Silhouette
Original
About the Image(s)
This image was captured on my iPhone this past Sunday evening, Sep. 20. While I was out shooting with my DSLR, I decided to try some photos on my iPhone 16 Pro shooting in RAW format at the full 48MP this camera will allow. I was manually playing with exposure reduction in order to get a very pronounced silhouette effect. This was one of my favorites from those that I captured so I decided to try and process it right in Lightroom Mobile, directly on my phone. Aside from the crop, numerous enhancements to color, contrast, etc. were completed.
8 comments posted
Whip out the camera this is a stunning sunset. I'm glad you shared the original image also. It shows that you really didn't over saturate the photo. I think I would have taken about 2 inches off the bottom of the photo...just about where the reflective light starts. Beautiful. Posted: 10/02/2026 22:44:00
Thank you, Lori, for your comments on the photo w/edits and also for your recommendations. Cropping off some of the marshy weeds toward the foreground of the image made it such that I found I liked a square 1x1 crop the best. The updated crop, with a few minor additional edits to remove some light flares and the annoying bridge camera on the left-hand side is included below. Is this more representative of the crop you were describing? Posted: 10/25/2026 00:34:50
This is such a lovely image of a sunset. I just love the way the clouds are hanging like a blanket in the sky, and the sun is coming through just under the bridge as it sets. The oranges of the sunset are lovely. I agree with Lori that you could remove a little of the image from the bottom because it doesn't add anything to what you are trying to say.
Great job. Posted: 10/06/2026 20:03:26
Great job. Posted: 10/06/2026 20:03:26
Thanks to all for your comments and the suggestions on the crop. I'm continually amazed at what our phones are capable of capturing (for image quality)... and with Lightroom Mobile and even Apple's native Photos/Camera apps, we have quite a powerful set of tools right at our fingertips! Posted: 10/25/2026 00:41:40
You captured this beautiful sunset just right! Waiting for the sun to be perfectly positioned in the bridge made it. The clouds are dramatic and were not overdone in post. Definitely one to hang on the wall. Posted: 10/17/2026 19:19:22
James, what a fantastic sunset shot, and iPhones are amazing when you take the time to work the shot. Composition is great, with the darkened foreground grasses that take the eye back to the bridge and sky. The sky is perfectly edited, you really brought out the colors. You put a lot of thought into making and editing this excellent shot and it shows. Posted: 10/19/2026 01:41:52
Nice capture & the processing has really improved the image. Possibly remove some of the bottom of the image to sit the bridge on the lower third line to bring out the main focus - the sunset. Posted: 10/26/2026 20:34:33
Charles, while I had consciously tried to place the sunset along the left-hand third line, I had not considered also placing it along the lower third line.
This second redo attached herein includes both. I definitely do like it. Thank you for your added comments to spur on additional thoughts. Posted: 10/27/2026 00:31:35
This second redo attached herein includes both. I definitely do like it. Thank you for your added comments to spur on additional thoughts. Posted: 10/27/2026 00:31:35