That's a "God Ray" by definition.

I've had good luck with KEH. Sometimes on their incoming uses lenses, some fancy filters are attached. I've gotten B+W And Heliopan filters and ultra thin sizes, too for 15-24% of retail in perfect condition.

God luck, Buy big and adapt down to keep filter count to a minimum.
C

I like what you have here. Rather than cropping the sky, I suggest a very mild burning to aa slightly gradual darkened border might work.
A part of the image that I find slightly distracting is the thin triangle of light on the right side projecting from the edge to the middle of the bright square opening. Exploring some edits on this right side may yield a slightly more pleasing (balanced?) image. I'd suggest experimenting with ways to eliminate the distracting "eye detour" the squares and the horizontal wedge seem to set up (at least for me) on that right side. Also, you might be able to take down the brightness of the light coming though the "wedge" shaped triangle and square opening over there. Perhaps matching one of the lighter gray tonal values of the concrete shadows. The same holds for that small white "hot" spot of sunlight at the middle bottom and that tiny wedge on the left middle space. I'd also try to rescue any texture on the very bright sunlit vertical structure. Just enough to show us it isn't some bumps and slightly reduce the contrast.

If you're using Lightroom, you will use the benefits a non destructive editor gives you.

I really like the image. The geometry of the manmade sets beautifully with the natural. And you avoided the cars that makes this an epic Southern California parking lot look alike traffic bottleneck.

And bravo The B&W Processing!
C

Uhhhh, huuuuhhhh. Especially the Nikonists and the Canonista's! and the Mirror haves and the Mirror LESStas.

But where the the Expose to the lefters? And teh Raw vs JPEG--ers?

I miss Sharpie's Composition treatises. If it was Milnor, he's be sure to emphasize telling a story, and printing your work.
C

Echoing the visibility of the skiers, What time is the parade? How much ambient light is available. the snow will reflect the reddish light, but be sure to expose enough to see the skiers, and hope for a few faces. Will the Parade Slope slope be one that is already lit? The streams of the torches, frequently they use road flares, put out enough light to reflect, at least shapes, of the skiers.

I'd be sure to get before and after parade close ups using flash to capture the skiers and the slopes and their fellow skiers. Inquire about Flash. Perhaps you cold put the camera on the tripod, open of "B" and ski down and flash sections of teh snaking parade as it descends. Terrain is usually a beginner hill visible from the resort base, so not a big skiing challenge for the photographer, just flashing a manual flash freezing action in the pen frame. This will work only if it is pitch black dark.

C

I just watched Tim Gray's "Avoiding a mess in Lightroom Classic" on You Tube. It is a long tutorial/promo of his for $$ classes. BUT it is informative enough to give a LR user a good start. Free on You Tube--search "Tim Gray avoiding a mess."

He has some nice tips about folders, Key wording and grading. Interestingly, he marks every image on import with a red marker. That signifies it hasn't been reviewed. After review, he key words, and stars them as best of shoot, best of Year, and best ever.

Bravo, Action Camera! I'm a customer of the Action Reno Store. The arrived after the long time Pro-level retailer retired and closed his stores. They picked up the manager and one of the best reps, and really serve us well. hey do teh classes, outings and "Rep Talks" from teh major vendors. I've done my share of purchases from teh big boys, but local Bricks and Mortar support so much more. I'm really glad they came to Reno!

I purchased a lens back in the 90's and they quickly sent a receipt copy and assisted in a warranty claim (even though I dropped the lens) through Cannon. First rate pre-sales help on the purchase and post sales on the warranty. I always check their prices before I purchase anything. You have a thread full of encouragement--live with your GAS no longer.....................

Au Contraire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Choosing to fill an under served niche is a very valid business approach. At toady's Real Estate and used car prices, the photography is usually abominable! Note: Real Estate work take a lot of skill. Start slow and small.

My thought is to pick under served but deserving markets, like High School and Community College Senior Portraits for those kids who can't afford them. The extra ones showing them as individuals, not the yearbook specialty work. Events like fund raisers for worthy causes. Senior Center Events. Mini reunions for your old office and others, etc. To start with, bring a Photo frame and load the SD cards (small ones) as you shoot them. Have a small sign nearby with your sale offer of shots, and a sign up sheet. You should sell a few and provide the organizer plenty for their newsletter, Maybe even a photo news release to the local paper reporting on the event insisting on your photo credit. Sell a few prints, get your card in circulation and make people happy.

Business cards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
C

My reaction, after about 65 years of serious photography, is that the auto-MAGIC features usually add a convenience or speed to an already proven process on basic manual, but fully featured gear. They start with eliminating the basic failures, over/under exposure, subject blur (took a while for that), and improper shutter speed selection.

It is nice to choose a "mode" that allows me to concentrate on composing and remaining aware of action developing rather than fiddling with DOF Preview, pre-focusing (although it still applied and improves my hit ration for AF). The extent of photo-automation on cameras, today go so far beyond capture aids and seem to seamlessly move into pre-processing. I haven't wrapped my photo mind around that yet, beyond the established thinking required for appropriate media (film/filtration/developing/printing) material selection.

The biggest thing for me was, and still is (even after Cataract and more eye surgery) is auto focus. I was shooting a top compact manual focus camera with a "publishable" keeper rate of about 15%. I had a chance to buy an automatic top line 35mm used SLR "on approval." I took it to one of the best urban parks you never heard of, and set the two cameras on separate tripods. Essentially capturing nearly identical scenes, including many shore birds. I used my best lens on the manual camera, and the provided, out of date "kit" lens on the Automatic SLR.

BINGO!!!! I justified the (well priced) purchase, not on saved processing costs, but just on the saved "keeper" processing and film costs. Growing that system with better lenses etc. brings me to today. A happy Digital photographer, happy to be processing in a computer instead of a smelly darkroom, and ever looking for ways to use the extra enhanced capabilities of the newer cameras to help me get done what I know I need to get the shots, and to compensate for some of my diminished abilities by executing what I once did---automagically.

If a mechanical "rote" process is done for you by an instrument, it takes out the opportunity for YOU to introduce human error. Add to that the marvelous auto focus systems in cameras today, improved in camera metering, ease of shifting from spot to partials to whole frame and center view, etc. The dramatic improvement of digital screens for compositions, exposure selections and focus point selections, gives me the full visibility of a 20+ pound View Camera in my hand (less the rise and fall and left and right perspective shifts). Because we are able to build a special purpose computer into our camera, we can make it do what we want it to do, conveniently, and correctly every time.

Put me down for an "Emeritus-Priced" EOS R1!
C

And very nice, diligent, independent well educated and National Defense trained people they are!

C

It is really interesting how much positive sentiment a token $28 payment for the value of 2 batteries can make. That's the kind of treatment I like "expect" from my vendors.Nice to know,
C

Hi John,
To be accurate, Astoria is within Long Island City, controversial parlance as that is. They share the same sequence of ZIP codes, etc. They are in Queens, which is the county on t'other side of the East River, which, shown so ably here, on the Long Island Land Mass. The Long Island counties or NYC, boroughs after the 1890's consolidation, are Queens and Brooklyn. Populations of about 3Million each--larger than all of just a few US or in fact world cities on their own. Remaining on Long Island are the suburban counties of Nassau and Suffolk. is Long Island as a whole, does not have an official Political designation within NY State. It is however a very significant land mass, and does supply an important agricultural and sea food portion of NY's daily consumption and beyond. There is also significant light manufacturing throughout the island, and a heavy electronics and Aerospace industry. The Grumman Co. was a major contractor producing the Apollo Lunar Lander, alongwith many of tus US Navy's airplanes that won WWII.

I was born there, lived there and sold Computers there from the 1940's through the 1960's.

Great photos and a great example of using shadows and contrast to reveal and conceal. There's need for plenty of both in NY.

C

If there ever was a product for the 89D or if an ever existing product worked on the 80D, I suggest KEH. They have, as do many other large Used Stores a large amount of miscellaneous products, like these that they would love to sell. The reason is htey will buy an complete outfit, including the rre gadgets to make the whole deal, nd leave a happy customer. Call them and TALK to someone. Express the personal need, and I found they go way beyond to help a fellow photographer. Same is true with Adorama and B&H, but you need to crack through the NY shell, first.

As Emeril says, call them and make some friends,
C