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Quintessence
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Quintessence

by Jim Greenwood

Gallery: LandscapePosted December 2, 2010388 views18 comments
This is one from Zion from last month that I've been working on and mulling over. I’m not sure if I’ve got it quite right yet. Maybe it's just my personal style and the all but exclusive amount of time I've spent in Zion over the past several years, but for me scenes like this one are as quintessentially Zion as those from any of the more commonly known iconic locations. I am so glad to have discovered this scene this year. Please view the larger photo.

Canon 5DII
Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II
16mm, f/16, 1 second, ISO 50

Comments

18 comments
Comment posted by Larry Reitz on December 2, 2010 at 8:02 PM
Excellent image, Jim. I think a lot of folks would be glad to see this hang on their wall.
Registered on September 7, 2007, 32 Posts, 335 Comments
Comment posted by Tom Haxby on December 2, 2010 at 8:48 PM
The little touch of blue is a nice complement to the other colors.
Registered on July 6, 2006, 126 Posts, 647 Comments
Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on December 2, 2010 at 9:19 PM
This is fantastic, Jim. The kaleidoscope of colors is very appealing and the wide-angle comp makes it work very nicely.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments
Comment posted by Luke Ormand on December 2, 2010 at 9:39 PM
A pleasing palette and friendly composition... compression has hurt this but I but the larger version is really nice.
Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments
Comment posted by Bruce King on December 2, 2010 at 9:53 PM
Beautiful, a veritable kaleidescope. Nice composition too.
Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments
Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on December 2, 2010 at 10:39 PM
One of these days I'll get to Zion, Jim. This is very nice, indeed. I love the composition and how the curving bare rock leads into the maple tree. You might consider adding a little black to the greens, and pulling back on the cyan just a bit. I like the leaf patterns on the smooth slab and the red of the rock on the right.

Nicely done!

--P
Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments
Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on December 2, 2010 at 11:31 PM
Although this is stunning as is, I find myself wanting to see more of the tree. The color range is astounding!!
Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments
Comment posted by Justin Reznick on December 3, 2010 at 12:34 AM
This is what comes to mind for me when thinking of Zion as well Jim! Great use of the wide angle lens and nice balance between the tree and the fallen leaves.
Registered on November 24, 2009, 79 Posts, 515 Comments
Comment posted by Julian Barkway on December 3, 2010 at 3:41 AM
A lovely quiet Zion image and unmistakeably from that location. My only slight concern is the red rock on the RHS which is a bit of an eye-magnet, I find.
Registered on January 18, 2007, 344 Posts, 1961 Comments
Comment posted by Jason Kim on December 3, 2010 at 11:13 AM
I think this is very nice, and agree that it is quintessentially Zion to me as well. Nice find.
Registered on July 1, 2006, 60 Posts, 1233 Comments
Comment posted by Bret Edge on December 3, 2010 at 12:00 PM
This is a fantastic image, Jim. Nice to see something unique from Zion in autumn. I bet the large file must be spectacular with all the foreground detail.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 711 Posts, 6363 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Richins on December 3, 2010 at 1:42 PM
You found a quintessentially Zion tree. Very beautiful scene. The rock on the right looks a bit oversaturated to me, but that may the browser/uncalibrated-monitor combination I'm using to view this.
Registered on March 6, 2008, 113 Posts, 1009 Comments
Comment posted by Kurt Budliger on December 3, 2010 at 5:01 PM
Beautiful comp, I love the mix of colors and the carpet of leaves on the ground is exquisite.
Registered on June 11, 2006, 113 Posts, 2116 Comments
Comment posted by Ben Horne on December 3, 2010 at 9:30 PM
This photo has a very calm, and simplistic feel. I just love those maple trees! The red rock on the right side is enough for most people to realize this is Zion. The wide angle lens really pulls me into the composition.
Registered on August 27, 2009, 51 Posts, 959 Comments
Comment posted by Vance Gese on December 3, 2010 at 9:33 PM
Beautiful image, Jim. The color palette and your composition are really outstanding. Really like how your composition emphasizes the shape of the main tree and the leaf covered ground.
Registered on November 13, 2008, 298 Posts, 6629 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on December 3, 2010 at 11:38 PM
Jim,

A beautiful scene and capture from Zion and what a great diversity of color. I think with all that color though, there are some that could use some adjustment. I would agree with Preston about the cyan and think you could pull back on that one; noticeable in the grasses as well as underneath/behind the tree. The greens in that same area are a little strong as well. Now it's not that either of these are bothersome per se, but I think compete and take away from what the main autumn colors should be. Of course, that's a personal outlook and your mileage may vary... :wink: This is a beautiful capture and most definitely slated for a nice print.

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on December 4, 2010 at 2:16 PM
Looks fantastic to my eyes. I guess Zion could be a favourite location of mine - if I just could go there as easily as I can visit my photo haunts in Austria ! :frown:
Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments
Comment posted by Gino Cortez on December 4, 2010 at 2:38 PM
Alluring vibrant colors, eye-catching wide perspective, and spacious contrasting foreground all come together nicely. A real attention-grabber! The dark greens in the tree, on my monitor, seem a tad bit over saturated, but not enough to distract from this radiant photo.
Registered on November 23, 2010, 57 Posts, 396 Comments