The Grandstand

Gallery: LandscapePosted June 16, 2011304 views28 comments

Late afternoon at the Racetrack in Death Valley. The Grandstand formation of rocks is at the northwest end of the Racetrack's playa and is quite an oddity (like most everything in Death Valley!).

I emphasized the shadows to highlight the contrast in the scene. I am interested to hear if anyone thinks I went too far and need to lighten up the shadows. Any other comments or critiques are sincerely appreciated, as well.

5D2, 17-40 lens @ 17mm, 1/160 sec, f/16. b+w adjustments in CS4.

Thanks for looking and commenting.

Comments

28 comments

Comment posted by Jeffrey Sipress on June 16, 2011 at 2:54 PM

Sarah, I like everything about this image. You framed the grandstands well which is not always easy to do. Minimal elements make this a pleasure to view.

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

Comment posted by Phillip Noll on June 16, 2011 at 2:57 PM

Looks hot!

I really like your composition here! Nice sharp focus and DOF and the B&W treatment is perfect! Even though the sky is featureless, I like how it is lighter just above the rocks and becomes darker towards the top of the image. Very strong image! Well done!

Registered on November 17, 2003, 207 Posts, 1083 Comments

Comment posted by Koveh Tavakkol on June 16, 2011 at 3:08 PM

A beautiful composition Sarah. The B&W works quite well on this shot also. As you mentioned, take a look and see if you can pull a bit more detail in the dark shadows of the rocks in the background, but otherwise this is great.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 41 Posts, 608 Comments

Comment posted by Danny Laureys on June 16, 2011 at 3:09 PM

Excellent B&W Conversion, Great comp, featureless sky is a good thing here. Very well done.

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

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on June 16, 2011 at 3:19 PM

Very nice Sarah. I like this comp and I also like how you processed this. Great b/w image! The sharpness and detail look wonderful.

Nick Bristol
lone Rock, WI

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

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on June 16, 2011 at 3:40 PM

Excellent shot, Sarah. The shadows work ok for me and I certainly like the B&W conversion. The gradient of tones in the sky is a perfect substitute for the absence of clouds. Very well done.

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

Comment posted by Yiming Hu on June 16, 2011 at 4:56 PM

A unique image. Nice comp. Great B/W conversion. The shadow looks just right on my monitor --- contrasty with a hint of details. In fact I expect such kind of dark shadows under such light conditions.

Registered on April 28, 2011, 38 Posts, 733 Comments

Comment posted by John Mumaw on June 16, 2011 at 5:25 PM

A Racetrack image without the moving rocks?

So good to see something different from here. Excellent composition and b&w 'development'!
I really like the subtle (and beautiful) haloing around the rock. Outstanding work, Sarah!

Registered on September 9, 2005, 62 Posts, 2289 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on June 16, 2011 at 5:49 PM

This is really nice Sarah! I thinke the clear skies causes one to focus on the details of the floor. Maybe just a little more shadow detail in teh formation, but not to get rid of the blacks that enhance the image starkness. The slight amount of vignetting you have is nice.

Registered on April 1, 2010, 196 Posts, 1592 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on June 16, 2011 at 6:16 PM

Really nice take on the Racetrack, Sarah. I like the showcase of the Grandstand and the foreground leading in. Fine job on the conversion, too. Well done!

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Jason Woerly on June 16, 2011 at 6:26 PM

Outstanding textures and forms. A perfect candidate for B&W and you nailed it.

Registered on May 4, 2006, 8 Posts, 101 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on June 16, 2011 at 6:54 PM

gorgeous tones and textures indeed!!

to my eyes the gradient in the sky is bordering on a halo since the gradient seems to follow the rocky outcrop's outlining instead of being evenly dispersed along a straight line?

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by Sarah Marino on June 16, 2011 at 8:56 PM

Thanks for your comments, everyone. I really appreciate it!

Morkel, I added a fairly strong vignette and then went in and adjusted it so that it follows the shape of the rocks. I may have went a little overboard since it is obvious and there would be no natural light source that would be creating that type of glow. Thanks for the feedback.

Registered on November 10, 2008, 23 Posts, 393 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on June 16, 2011 at 10:00 PM

This is perfect in every way, Sarah. I like the textured highlights and shadows you've achieved here without too much grayness.

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

Comment posted by Jeff Hackett on June 16, 2011 at 10:15 PM

A fan here! I like dark shadows in b&w's.

Registered on March 13, 2006, 65 Posts, 1119 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on June 16, 2011 at 10:44 PM

I've photographed at the Racetrack once but did not come away with something of this
quality. I like the FG texture and patterns. The contrast works fine for me. Well done,
Sarah!

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

Comment posted by Anne K. Rusk on June 16, 2011 at 10:52 PM

I really like this as posted. It is very zen to me. The tones and simplicity of the presentation is very inviting and calming.

Registered on October 10, 2010, 65 Posts, 904 Comments

Comment posted by Barry Ashenhurst on June 16, 2011 at 11:49 PM

Damn nice Sarah, and well processed too. No, you haven't gone too far but I might crop a tad off the top to add weight.
Jeez I loved that place!

Registered on August 4, 2009, 253 Posts, 455 Comments

Comment posted by Jared Atencio on June 17, 2011 at 12:11 AM

I'm fascinated with dry cracked lakebeds and the RT has some of the best lines and textures I've seen. I really like the diagonal lines in the rock in the BG and how the lines all seem to flow the same way. The shadows and contrast looks fine to me as is, nice simple work and like the restraint shown in processing on this.

Registered on June 23, 2009, 21 Posts, 422 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on June 17, 2011 at 1:44 AM

Sarah,

I've only been there once, but I certainly won't forget the Grandstand. Never did capture anything worth while though. But this one is excellent! I recall the formation being long, but I really like how you've simplified the rock formations and composted them with the playa. Excellent - including the processing.

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Andreas Resch on June 17, 2011 at 1:59 AM

Splendid - it doesn't always need the obvious race tracks to get a great shot of this place. The static center composition suits the rocks very well and the foreground pattern nicely leads the eye into the shot. Great job, Sarah.

Registered on November 14, 2007, 322 Posts, 6101 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on June 17, 2011 at 9:45 AM

I like this a lot as is Sarah - no suggestions for improvement. Works very nicely as B&W - excellent processing.

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

Comment posted by Jesse Estes on June 17, 2011 at 12:54 PM

Very nice Sarah. The ground sort of looks wet in this image.

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

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on June 17, 2011 at 10:15 PM

I am really enjoying the quality of light you captured here Sarah. Magnificent B&W.

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

Comment posted by Shane McDermott on June 18, 2011 at 1:02 AM

Hi Sarah

This is really cool, I thought the whole B&W portfolio you sent me was great, so many strong comps. Beautiful work, beautifully finished.

Shanee

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

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on June 19, 2011 at 5:42 AM

sarah - this is simple and darned elegant. wonderful!

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

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on June 19, 2011 at 7:47 PM

Excellent!

I'd maybe (maybe) crop down a hair taking out the gap on the right.

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by James Fougère on June 23, 2011 at 1:08 PM

This is a very nice image! I agree, it is nice to see a different "take" on this place. I like the choice of the B&W conversion. The foreground texture is very cool. This is a very clean and striking image

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