Lightcatchers

Gallery: LandscapePosted April 15, 20112,673 views63 comments

Hi everyone, I just got back last night from two months or so of traveling around the deserts of Arizona, Utah and California, home to some places I've always wanted to have a closer look at.

I usually do my processing in roughly chronological order, so this one I'm sharing with you today is from the start of my trip.

Cholla Cactus are famous for their glow, and Teddy Bear Cholla (these guys) glow more than any, especially when backlit by sunset. To show them off I compressed the scene with a 200mm lens and blended five images together for maximum DOF.

With quality enlargements in mind, the blending is not easy. It took about 3 hours to complete and I then made other blends for exposure and flare control. All of this has to be visualized and executed in the field first, which is another challenge given the fleeting nature of good light.

Dust was kicking up in the valleys distant, adding to the atmosphere.

Hopefully this reduces for web well enough. Tech stuff was 1Ds III, 70-200 at 200mm, no filters, 1/8 and 1/80 second exposures all at f/13, ISO 100.

Many, many more coming as time allows.

Thanks for comments.

Comments

63 comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on April 15, 2011 at 4:19 PM

The glow looks great Marc - beautiful mood and color.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Jeffrey Sipress on April 15, 2011 at 4:22 PM

Good to see you in the desert this time, Marc. Looks like the place is in fire! Well worth the time spent on it.

Actually, your chosen lens did not compress anything. The perspective effect you are referring to is due only to camera to subject distance.

Registered on February 17, 2004, 236 Posts, 1197 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on April 15, 2011 at 4:24 PM

Wow, This is incredible. Beautiful comp, light and color. The backlit Teddy Bear Cholla are wonderful to look at, and the blowing dust added such a nice misty type overall feel. Fantastic image Marc.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Crabbe on April 15, 2011 at 4:40 PM

Great Image, Marc. Love the color and backlit Cholla. The warmth of the image really makes this appear like a cool 95 degree AZ morning. Only nit I might have is wanting to see a bit more detail in the dark area mid frame right edge, and a tiny bit lighter in the same area opposite left edge. Can't wait to see the rest of what you came home with. No doubt more stunners to follow...

Registered on November 1, 2003, 182 Posts, 1840 Comments

Comment posted by Luis Argerich on April 15, 2011 at 4:41 PM

Sorry bu you have many halos in this photo Marc...

Ok just kidding

I love it, it's like a 3D photo and I feel I'm there, the combination of dust, dew and light is impossible to reproduce so it's a good thing that this scene met you with the right set of tools and ideas to show it in it's best shape.

I wrote too much nonsense already, fantastic!

Registered on December 22, 2009, 91 Posts, 1349 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on April 15, 2011 at 5:11 PM

Wonderful depth and atmosphere! I love the distant mountains too.

How did you do the blending? Are you doing it by hand? I've had pretty good luck with Helicon Focus, though for really busy scenes I've needed to do some manual corrections.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on April 15, 2011 at 5:15 PM

Marc - simply beautiful. I grew up in the greater Phoenix area and later photographed there extensively, so this brings back all kinds of great memories and wistfulness of capturing desert life and light once again.

Clearly, the techs are outstanding here. Outstanding job blending for DOF and overall exposure.

The mood and composition are also wonderful...glow is perfect, somehow not too subtle nor intense. I also like the slight vignette effect.

There's really not much to say other than WELL DONE!

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Adamus on April 15, 2011 at 5:17 PM

Floris, I have my own version of manual blending that's difficult to explain in short, but basically I can bend and shape while I paint. Manual touch-ups for some edges had to be made, but they were minor and limited mainly to high-detail scenes like this one. I'll have to look at Helicon Focus too at some point too, as I think it might expedite the process in some cases.

Registered on September 17, 2005, 780 Posts, 8091 Comments

Comment posted by Art Escobado on April 15, 2011 at 5:31 PM

This is one sweet desert shot!!!! Love the layering and the sense of depth.

Registered on January 7, 2007, 0 Posts, 775 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on April 15, 2011 at 6:23 PM

The mood creating by the lighting is soothing to the eyes. The busy comp was handled very well, as I'm sure finding the right camera position was a bit of a challenge. The right branch poking above the mnts disrupts the even flow of the right side, but probably unavoidable. The rim lighting doesn't get any better.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Tal on April 15, 2011 at 6:26 PM

You are a true master of light, Marc. Absolutely amazing and well worth the effort.

Guy

Registered on November 1, 2003, 566 Posts, 15507 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on April 15, 2011 at 6:45 PM

Alright, this gets me excited to see more from your trip. It's a very nice shot and your control of the dynamic range is particularly superb . . . everything else works just fine for me as well. So much of interest in this scene.

Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by David Edwards on April 15, 2011 at 6:46 PM

A beautiful image, Marc. I love the warm backlighting and the limited color palette. The blend is invisible to my eye. It sounds like you've invested a lot of time in this image to achieve your vision of the scene, which is an inspiration to read. The misty/dusty atmosphere creates a wonderful mood and your comp is very well balanced. I think this is one of my favorites of yours. A really fabulous image!

Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on April 15, 2011 at 7:37 PM

Spectacular light and color Marc. I especially like how the Teddy Bear Cholla are all aglow. The sky and back lit dust is also gorgeous.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by David Chauvin on April 15, 2011 at 7:40 PM

Jeez Marc,,,,,both technically and aesthetically this is awesome. Every element is perfectly placed in the frame and the light in the blend looks very natural.

Looks like a dangerous place for a casual stroll.

Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments

Comment posted by Kory Lidstrom on April 15, 2011 at 7:43 PM

Wow, this is awesome. It's also quite different from anything I've seen from you, so it scores in the originality department. I love everything about this one, save one thing: those two branches in the URC. But, those can be easily cloned, so I'm wondering if you left them in on purpose...?

Registered on November 19, 2008, 49 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by Shane McDermott on April 15, 2011 at 7:43 PM

Hi Marc

I love this one! There are so many layers of interest to the comp. which creates immense depth to the image and a tendency to take it all in very slowly. For me this image seems unique for you. A strong characteristic of your usual work are the powerful leading lines that pull the viewer through the scene, often times quickly and dramatically. This image however compels me to linger about, slow down and really take in all the subtleties.

Three hours to blend, I can't imagine why it would take so long.

Well done Marc

Registered on November 12, 2007, 49 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Lundh on April 15, 2011 at 7:47 PM

The dust being lit the way it is really brings the fg and the sky together very well. Beautiful image, Marc! Id like to see that stick crossing the horizon on the right be cloned down some, if I had a nit...

Registered on April 28, 2004, 774 Posts, 4351 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Adamus on April 15, 2011 at 7:49 PM

David, I can tell you they are the most painful of all Cactus I have encountered to be stuck by. I slammed my leg right into one over in the Superstitions and found they have these one-way barbs that take tremendous effort to pull back out, like a Porcupine quill. I had 20 or more of them stuck in my leg and winced at pulling out each one and was bruised for over a week afterward. Beautiful though...

Kory, yes, I thought they balanced the image but it's all subjective of course.

Shane, blending high detail on top of high detail is difficult, even with the best techniques. Thanks for the comments.

Registered on September 17, 2005, 780 Posts, 8091 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on April 15, 2011 at 7:54 PM

Marc, you make the best of longish lens use for landscape work. Very effective in this image. There are so many elements at play here that I can't stop looking into the image. Love the layering.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Danny Laureys on April 15, 2011 at 8:18 PM

Excellent!!!

Registered on January 5, 2008, 590 Posts, 1261 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Hartmann on April 15, 2011 at 8:24 PM

All rise, the great one is in the house. Just kidding

Five image bled for DOF? I’m guessing four for the foreground and one for the sky?

I especially like the branch protruding over the mountain top. I think it adds to the alien element of this strange and wonderful landscape.

Registered on January 15, 2009, 13 Posts, 772 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Dobrzanski on April 15, 2011 at 8:31 PM

You can't say much critique about such photo :) Amazing!!

Registered on September 27, 2010, 17 Posts, 164 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on April 15, 2011 at 9:53 PM

Absolutely spectacular. The glow of the cholla, some medium size saguaros and the receding mountain and valley formations just scream Arizona. The depth just goes on forever.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Gabi Lach on April 15, 2011 at 10:26 PM

What a pleasure to look at! Very beautiful. Awesome work, Mister.

Registered on May 1, 2007, 101 Posts, 3187 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Pelton on April 15, 2011 at 10:42 PM

Gorgeous spectacle of light and forms. I've never seen the desert with that much warmness to the light, but it sure is beautiful in this photo.

Registered on November 25, 2003, 380 Posts, 4647 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on April 15, 2011 at 11:11 PM

I'm impressed at the amount with the light control here and the degree of backlight you pulled with the sun this high. Very nice scene.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Justin Reznick on April 15, 2011 at 11:22 PM

I'm a huge fan of glowing Cholla Cactus and I love the compression you achieved here Marc. Stunning image, can't wait to see the rest!

Registered on November 24, 2009, 79 Posts, 515 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on April 15, 2011 at 11:26 PM

You continue to push the boundaries with this one! I've seen backlit cholla before, as we all have. But the overall look of this along with the exceptional comp, and mood is something I have not seen from a desert shot before. Really an amazing shot loaded with mood, and visually stunning in my opinion.

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Nicolaus Wegner on April 15, 2011 at 11:35 PM

Pretty cool looking Marc. DOF blending can be a biznatch as everything shifts a bit. Looks like you handled it well.

Registered on February 21, 2010, 133 Posts, 1509 Comments

Comment posted by Shane McDermott on April 16, 2011 at 12:34 AM

Marc I was joking about the blending. It would have taken me three days!

Registered on November 12, 2007, 49 Posts, 1074 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on April 16, 2011 at 2:29 AM

Fantastic Marc! Seeing this really makes me wanna be there and enjoy that sunset. Excellent work on the blend too (at least as far as can be judged from this small sized image).

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Hamed Musharbak on April 16, 2011 at 5:28 AM

wow Marc Adamus here

welcome back Bro

wonderful light

Registered on June 1, 2009, 372 Posts, 2282 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on April 16, 2011 at 5:51 AM

spectacular - love the teddies. lovely light and forms.

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on April 16, 2011 at 6:37 AM

i'm impressed. The processing is great.

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on April 16, 2011 at 6:39 AM

Silly good. That light is out of control. Compositionally I feel a slight step to the right would have done it for me but could just be personal. Feels that the right corner cactus and sun would balance slightly better. The blend sounds uber complicated. I assume 5 images each bracketed? Yikes. Killer work

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Cameron on April 16, 2011 at 7:17 AM

Gorgeous Marc, undetectable blending and real atmosphere one of your finest.

Registered on August 6, 2004, 1125 Posts, 3318 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Smith on April 16, 2011 at 10:07 AM

Marc, the colors and composition are stunning. Great vision followed up w/technical expertise both in field and on the computer to achieve the vision. Super shot! My only very minor nit...if you can have such in a photo as sweet as this...is the brighter light over the horizon on left side which quickly drops off to a darker cloud layer....almost too much as it follows the same shape of mtns. I am trying not to say halo of light that gives contrast to that section of mtns. Regardless, a personal pref...this is a real winner...!!

Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on April 16, 2011 at 10:41 AM

Lovely, Marc! I tried to capture backlit Cholla in Joshua Tree NP but have never been
successful.

Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Adamus on April 16, 2011 at 10:56 AM

Ken, thanks for your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback. For me, the brighter light accomplishes two things I thought were worth having a significant light/dark transition in the sky. One, is that it helps the darker mountains show up better and two is that it creates more depth sensation. Had the horizon area been dark like the top of the sky (or much darker than it is) the eye wouldn't flow as easily toward the background IMO. Dark/light transition through and image is just another type of leading line when it comes to depth creation. The extra dark top works together with the brightness to keep the eye off that blinding sun and onto the mountains in addition to showing better cloud texture.

Registered on September 17, 2005, 780 Posts, 8091 Comments

Comment posted by Arild Heitmann on April 16, 2011 at 11:11 AM

Amazing glow! And excellent job on the blending, my head hurts only by the thought of blending for 3 hours :-)

Registered on October 13, 2010, 27 Posts, 378 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Baumbach on April 16, 2011 at 11:17 AM

Very beautiful, Marc.

- Dan.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 473 Posts, 7980 Comments

Comment posted by Jesse Estes on April 16, 2011 at 12:37 PM

Top work as always. You always seem to find the full scene from front to back. My only suggestion is the one branch that is reaching into the sky. My eye keeps going back there, but I doubt it would bother non-photographers. It's just a personal thing, and I'm sure you left it for your own reason.

Registered on April 13, 2011, 20 Posts, 174 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on April 16, 2011 at 3:50 PM

Wow!

What an enchanted and magically delicious backlit scene. Masterful processing job, you've managed to turn a 4 O'clock afternoon duldrum shot into a 7 O'clock sunset master piece!

I like the ocotillos just the way they are, they grow wild and crazy out in the desert and help give the desert that feel of desolation. My only tic is I'd pull out the magenta in the shadows it's doesn't go with the early sunset colors but you know that's a me thing. The yellow color band on top of the horizon seems painted, I'd soften that effect and make it less noticeable. Anyhow, the comp is fabulous

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Marcellini on April 16, 2011 at 4:51 PM

Glad to see some new stuff from you Marc. This does not disappoint. may be the web version but just right of the tip of the tall center cactus, those oranges look a bit nuclear.

Registered on November 27, 2007, 250 Posts, 2468 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Adamus on April 16, 2011 at 4:57 PM

Steve, thanks. Just FYI, this was taken only 20 minutes before the sun disappeared under the horizon. It's the long focal length that makes the sun look higher in the sky than it is. I can't find anything but the slightest possible amount of magenta in the shadows on this screen, so it must just be a difference in monitors.

Registered on September 17, 2005, 780 Posts, 8091 Comments

Comment posted by Arnab Banerjee on April 16, 2011 at 8:12 PM

Looks more like a painting than photograph, but an eye candy for sure

Registered on January 3, 2007, 313 Posts, 2270 Comments

Comment posted by Justin Peterson on April 16, 2011 at 8:36 PM

Really about as perfect a shot as you can get. Great stuff, Marc!

Registered on January 20, 2008, 33 Posts, 298 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Cowan on April 16, 2011 at 10:03 PM

Marc,
Great depth and the backlighting is well captured.

Registered on September 22, 2010, 8 Posts, 165 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Goldwasser on April 17, 2011 at 12:50 AM

Gorgeous! I've visualized a shot with chollas like this for years - it hasn't made it from my brain to a print yet. This is the best glowing cholla shot I've seen.

Registered on May 10, 2009, 127 Posts, 970 Comments

Comment posted by Andrius Pašukonis on April 17, 2011 at 12:57 AM

This is absolutely fantastic! Even on my useless old laptop monitor and with this small version I still feel completely submerged by this glow.

Registered on July 23, 2005, 111 Posts, 408 Comments

Comment posted by Neil Paskin on April 17, 2011 at 2:13 AM

Awesome image Marc. The exposure is unbelievably good and the depth is of the image is incredible, I feel like I could walk right in.

Registered on May 30, 2008, 7 Posts, 39 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on April 17, 2011 at 5:07 AM

Welcome back, Marc. Cool shot, the bg is absolutely stunning! I agree with Arnab that it looks more painting than photo, but i dont necessarily have a problem with that. The key is whether it retains detail at full scale, whcih is impossible to say from the jpeg. The light is fantastic. Compwise, the fg feels a tad busy to me but the mood compensates for that. Nice!

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Marc Adamus on April 17, 2011 at 10:02 AM

I this case the "painting" feel is certainly due to lighting and atmosphere rather than processing. Adjustments were very minimal outside of the blending for technical issues. There wasn't any 'glow' added or anything like that.

Registered on September 17, 2005, 780 Posts, 8091 Comments

Comment posted by Kevin Trinkner on April 17, 2011 at 10:06 AM

Killer shot Marc, love the cholla glow, and the distance dust adds some nice atmosphere. Great job blending everything.

Registered on June 30, 2008, 203 Posts, 2641 Comments

Comment posted by Tyson Fisher on April 17, 2011 at 1:09 PM

Very nice Marc. Great use of the telephoto for added impact. The compressed nature of the scene adds a little something different to your portfolio (i'm so used to your wide angle work). I love the back lighting. Great job managing the light - a real masterpiece!

Registered on September 17, 2008, 44 Posts, 623 Comments

Comment posted by Jeremy Kessler on April 17, 2011 at 3:22 PM

Beautiful Image Marc, for some reason the corners of the sky feel a bit dark to me, just a personal preference or monitor thing perhaps. Great work regardless. Looking forward to more.

Registered on September 13, 2007, 36 Posts, 1283 Comments

Comment posted by Abdullaziz Bin Ali on April 18, 2011 at 1:55 PM

Wow

Registered on May 31, 2009, 112 Posts, 1590 Comments

Comment posted by Jimmy Gekas on April 18, 2011 at 2:32 PM

Loving the glow in this one, Marc.

Registered on July 26, 2007, 244 Posts, 2807 Comments

Comment posted by James Fougère on April 18, 2011 at 8:47 PM

Exceptional

Registered on October 25, 2010, 41 Posts, 831 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Pederson on April 19, 2011 at 7:59 AM

WOW, well done. The foreground is really special and the lighting is great. I think I find the sky where the sun is just a bit over the top, but that's a subjective thing I suppose. Nice treatment and great job with the blending.

Registered on October 19, 2010, 95 Posts, 470 Comments

Comment posted by Gary McGhee on April 19, 2011 at 8:03 AM

I can't add anything to the comments that haven't already been said Marc, this is just stunning. I always look forward to seeing your new images.

Gary.

Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on April 19, 2011 at 10:10 AM

Spectacular shot Marc, love everything from the glow to the distant mountain layers.

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments