The Hermitage

Marc I feel totally unqualified to critique your photo but here goes. The light on the foreground is awesome, its delicate and not over bearing. The tree I think is over dodged but I understand why. I would like to see the surrounding area maybe a touch darker. Overall another great photo where the sky complaints the the ground something I try to do also. Cheers

Probably the thing I struggled with most in the processing here Ray, because there was no right answer. I knew no matter what I did with the tree, some would find it too dark and others too bright. The tree is very light in color and the stone down there is quite dark. When I look at the bottom half of the image only, the light levels look pretty natural to my eye.

I appreciate your comment!

Just in case you prefer it darker.....

Beautiful scene Marc, the colors, lines, and subject material are wonderful. Awesome you guys were rewarded with such an incredible sunrise on your return shoot. Great work.

Gorgeous lighting and a most unique composition. Stellar Marc in every regard. Thanks for sharing this beauty.

Marc, It seems like I like my photo's a little on the darker side. Some of my favorite photos of yours are the ones that are darker. I find my eyes try harder to find the details and I spend a longer time looking at the photo's. Hope that all makes sense. Another reason why I might be having trouble with the hole and tree is the brightest spot is just over top of it.Cheers

Great job in photographing this Marc, the two cracks in the foreground sandstone channel my eye straight to the tree. Gorgeous sky.

Gary.

Version 1 (slight dodge on the tree) looks just about perfect to me on my monitor. Even calibrated monitors vary, so its hard to really get too picky about the minutia. IMO the main subject matter should be drawn out a tad, as the brain and eye adjusts to situations like this (when seeing them in person) and make you see things more clearly when looking at them directly.

Also love its strong red color theme.

Can't wait to get my chance at this spot soon. I'm hoping for two double rainbows in the background!

Very nice, Marc. I prefer the darker version slightly. Cheers

Mark, you'll definitely find that it's not just one spot. There's lots of holes like this around the area, several of which have trees and other foliage. Unique compositions can be found all around, which is nice.

The foreground works really well here - the 14 must help a lot with that as at 16mm the evening before I just couldn't get those lines to do quite that. Got my adaptor yesterday, woo! You did a great job at controlling the insane colors on the slickrock too, it looks perfect. Of course, as I mentioned on the rocks, the fiery sky goes against the peace and quiet the trees exude, making the image less effective overall from an emotional standpoint IMO. But.. many people will love it

Your motion blur looks great too - don't see them with lighting that nicely very much. Might be a cliche concept, but the lighting makes it stand out for me.

Sublime rendition of an otherworldly place.

I dunno, Floris. In both Guy's and your rendition, the sky was as dramatic as possible, although not firey. I think it's that contrast between the 'sheltered' tree and the intense surroundings that gives it exactly the emotional content I was after.

Loving this Marc and your image in PA is right up my alley as well. Fantastic work man!!

I remember Guys image well, such a unique and characteristic place. The overall red tone in this image works really well. I also like the fg lines and the curves you used to get the viewer into the scene. Interesting to see the darker version. I think I prefer the darker version actually - Raymond has a point with the "dodged" look of the tree. Anyway, the image is quite amazing Marc.

The "realism" of a photo like this is of no concern. Heck,I'd like to see that tree glowing from within! Nicely done Marc.

Version B for me Marc, beautiful shot and spot.

Sky, blend, and foreground all look fabulous to me, Man, that 14mm sure opens up some foreground real estate!

I think this rocks! Aside from subject matter or conditions, its a strong comp; just perfect how all the lines lead to the tree, including the fortuitous sun pillar in the sky. Exposure looks as good as you can get. Variety is great, but quality is more important--and this is quality (not-so-subtle dig to Floris )

This rocks! I love the wide, wide, wide angle here. What I also love is the color in the water below. I prefer the darker version, too.

This is a very powerful image that really conveys the essence of this location in the same way as Guy Tal's classic from a while back. The lighter version works better for me. I'd put this near the top of my favorites of yours.

Very nice, Marc. I prefer the darker version slightly. Cheers

Great colors, lighting, and well composed, Marc! It's simple
but elegant.

This is a wonderful compliment to Guy's version. Beautiful.

- Dan.

This is a great sunrise and an excellent image, as usual! The lines leading in from the bottom take this over the top for me. The exposure looks very natural and what I would see if I were standing there.

Great use of lines in the sandstone to help draw the eye in. Amazing !!!!!

nothing to say really....the whole scene is on fire. I know within the first second i look at an image if i like it or not...and i liked this one almost before i saw it :-)

Near perfection Marc. Power, grace, simplicity. My only visual distraction, and a very minor point, is the really bright spot at the horizon but I don't have any suggestions. Can't stop the sun.

Sean, thanks. Interesting to note. I have the information in my files to eliminate that, so it would be good to see if anyone else finds it distracting. I thought it helped draw the eye through the scene by adding some depth/luminosity that was missing without it.

Thanks Marc, I really meant the general area. The barren reddish rock is to die for even without the tree in the holes I think...

Question: why not just use the new Canon 14mm LII? I have been LOVING that lens BTW!

Beautiful, Marc. The positioning of the lines in the rock relative to the tree is perfect. I prefer the lighter tree.

Lori

Mark, it's simple. I don't carry primes. In this day and age of lens technology, TSE's and ultra-big aperture telephotos aside, I don't have a reason to limit myself to a fixed focal length. The combination of what I do and what I carry is already enough. If I had the 14mm II, I'd still want the 14-24 or 16-35. I don't want to carry both.

BTW, I'm hearing good things about a filter system for the 14-24 now.

Marc, all I can say is; "I wish I was there"! What are the chances of a tree growing in that spot! The lines in the stone, the color, light etc are incredible! Another home run

I love the camera angle, how it focus in the tree but giving a lot of detail about the surroundings. That is the cherry on a picture that as usual is excellent.

James, thanks. And hurry up and post something already! Can't wait to see some of your work on here!

Well done Marc another winner for sure.

Marc,

I really like the balance stricken between the sky and lower section of the bowl; this allows the tree to remain a strong focal point - even despite the glory of the sky.

I prefer the second version, it seems closer to your typical processing and presentation. and the sliver of light on the horizon is to be expected, not a nit for me.

Pretty soon someone is going to have to rope this area off for protection.... the new Subway?

Lon

Wow, awesome. 'Nuff said.

One thing though: where the hell was that kind of cloud action when we where there?

Lon, I have never before in my several nights out here seen another person I didn't know. I hope it stays that way but it likely won't. The road (nearby), at least, is working to keep it that way right now though I can tell you.

Kory, I forgot to order the clouds and they showed up late. Sorry.

Stunning image Marc! I love the colors in the rock and the strong circular motion. I echo Sean's note about the horizon.

Ya these are cool areas from the others I have seen. Its crazy that it only took 2 exposures but not being there its hard to interpret the light. I don't tackle scenes like this cause I need some work on my ps blending so I have a few ques. for ya.

Just beyond the tree the dark shadows are they clipped or extremely close? Also the bright sun area as well, clipped? I can see how everything else can fall into the DR though. I surprised you didn't opt for a sunstar but actually like this better as the main element here is the tree.

Nice work and amazing getting all that color out the sky. Makes me want to stick to intimates

Unique image and great light. I have not nearly arrived at this level in photography yet.

This image is right up there with your best work from the Colorado Plateau. You really do this region justice in your work.
I prefer the lighter version as the tree appears to be a bit more 'haunted'.
The bright spot on the horizon does catch my eye every time I view this one. I feel that a slight burning of that one spot would lessen a distraction while still adhering to your vision.

Marc, I like the dark rich imaging, it just hits a chord. I'm still amazed at the detail in and around the tree, it really speaks of the effort to get the image you were after. I'll be revisiting this one and staring for a while!

Hey, I'm getting a bit frustrated by the soft edges on my 16-35 (also shoot a 5D2). Is the Nikon 14-24 better, and are there any oddities using the adapter? I haven't researched it all yet, I'd just like better edges!

Tony, there's plenty of detail to be had in those shadows mainly because they are all taken from a much brighter exposure and blended in, reducing potential noise issues. They are close to black in this rendition though. There is a tiny sliver of total white in the sky, but that's intentional. My feeling is that a sun star would have caused threefold the number of DR problems and probably distracted/overpowered the tree. Thanks for the comment.

Paul, I made an evaluation of the 14-24 in the Photo Gear Reviews forum here. I think the 14-24 will solve your problems.

Hi Marc - This is my favorite of your recent images. Powerful and striking in so many ways. I prefer the first version with the lighter tree and agree with a few comments that the bright spot is a bit distracting. Really beautiful.

Comp, colors, everything looks great on this one Marc. I do agree on the bright spot on the horizon though, as it distracts slightly from the rest of the scene.

Marc, I have always loved Guy's famous image from here and I think I like this one equally as well. Both are spectacular in their own way. This appeals to me so much partly because my favorite thing in the world is to enjoy solitude in the beauty of nature. Bear with me for a second, but the lone tree out there, surrounded by beauty, sort of speaks to me in that way. I don't know if that makes sense, but those are my thoughts

This is amazing Marc. I prefer the first version with the lighter tree. I really like those lead in lines on the foreground rock. Every time I look at this one my eye gets pulled to that bright spot on the horizon. I'd be interested in seeing a version with the sky toned down in that area. I think this might bring the focus back to the tree.

Definitely prefer the second version, looks more natural. As far as the sliver of bright light on the horizon goes it doesn't bother me that much. Nice work as always Marc. Checked out your post in the PA gallery, love it.

Another sweet shot, Marc. Love the lead in lines and the incredible colors in the sky. The patch of blue sky on the right side is looking a little funky to me on my monitor. I don't know if it's from the conversion, blending.... Aside from that little detail this is an awesome shot!

Neat all around. The 14 mm makes for a wild comp.

Tyson, the blue is just strait out of the RAW file. I could warm/brighten it up maybe? I think it looks a little flat and cool personally.

Thanks Marc. Read your review and visited the 16-9.net site. They need a little administration, says the V3's won't ship until July 2010, lol! But I saw the side-by-side image samples, WOW, that 14-24mm is the way to go. Sorry, don't mean to distract the thread with gear talk, but I appreciate the info.

No problem, Paul. I forgot to mention, they just got listed on B&H as well. Novoflex is the company making these for 16.9 now, and apparently B&H got a stock of them too. I'd probably trust the B&H route to avoid shipping delays, of which there has been many.

I'll echo what most have said - this is an absolutely gorgeous image. The composition is perfect with the clouds complemeting the landscape extremely well. I do have a couple of minor nits, though.
First, and this is very minor, I don't mind a bit of pure white around the sun as that looks quite natural, but I find the blown out area in this particular rendition a little too large, and thus slightly distracting. If you have the information, I'd love to see this with a little more color filling in around a much smaller "white" area.
Secondly - and this is more bothersome for me personally - the sandstone slopes right at the horizon, especially around the sun, look a bit brighter than they should. Considering the terrain is sloping away from the sun (although rather slightly), I would expect those areas to be a bit darker and also reflecting a little less red. IMO, a little burning of those areas would make this look more natural. In contrast, the immediate FG slope facing the sun looks perfect.
I should add that I can't see what's above you, so there may be additional light reflection going on that I can't deduce from the image.

Man, my eyes must just be off from most, because I much prefer the lighter tree version. It makes it pop more to my eye, and since its what is so unique about this location, that makes sense to my pea brain.

I don't think I've ever critiqued an image of yours in my life, because I figure that everything you've done you have done for a reason, so it would all be personal preference anyway. I read below and saw a few people mention the bright section of the sunrise. I'd love to see this processed with that darkened down more in line with the rest of the horizon for comparison. I think it would allow more attention to fall to the fact that the clouds overhead mimic the sandstone hole.. which is just unbelievably cool. Those lines in the FG rock are EVERYTHING in my opinion. Perfectly placed.

Just saw that you can get the 14-24 for around $1400 Of course... you have to buy a camera to go with it in order to get the rebate.

You're right, B&H and Adorama both stock them now, that's the way to go. Bye bye cruddy edges finally... thanks again.

This is a truly difficult scene to shoot, and you've done a great job keeping it very natural looking. The glow off the foreground sandstone really makes this special, and I like the careful placement of the fracture that radiates from the lower right corner. Perhaps the most compelling part of this image is the feeling that we are on the verge of seeing the sun peer over the distant horizon. I feel that if I stare at thie photo long enough, a glimmer of a sun star will appear.

Oh My GOD

Congratulations on scoring the 'Earth Shot of the Day' with your aurora image.
Can you please point the way to your lens review? Thanks!

Marc - In regards to the blue sky, it seems a little darker and less contrasty than it should be, especially around the edges. Warming it up might help as well. Again, awesome work here!

John, Marc's review is here, and Richard Peters did one last week also, right here.

What can I say that hasn't already been said. Wonderful stuff! Looking forward to more!

Yeah!!!!

Chris

Beautiful light and flawless composition. Very eye catching.