Photo of the Month 6/12

Gallery: LandscapePosted May 31, 20121,844 views47 comments

Eternal Curves

Sandstone slot canyons are such an iconic symbol of American southwest. However, every photographer can still have his/her own unique vision and personal interpretation of the beauty of this wonderful landscape.

Please view LARGE version.

Canon 5D Mark II, 16-35mm F2.8L @ 28mm, ISO 100, f11

Two exposures blended together. One @ 0.5sec, the other 1/50sec.

This photo is selected by Apple to showcase the incredible details and vibrant colors of the Retina display of the new Macbook Pro laptop computer they have just announced.

http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/design/
http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/

Comments

47 comments

Comment posted by Navin Sarma on May 31, 2012 at 12:51 PM

awesome, yiming. love the echoing shapes and contrasts in color, from purple, orange, blue and white. well done.

Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on May 31, 2012 at 1:00 PM

Stunning and quite unique. Beautifully composed and processed. This one is a standout

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Nicolaus Wegner on May 31, 2012 at 1:24 PM

Very well done.

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

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on May 31, 2012 at 3:15 PM

I'm sure this blend was really tough...great great work. Awesome

af

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

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on May 31, 2012 at 3:17 PM

This is just beautiful. Perfectly composed and balanced. I like the blue sky in particular...wonderful work.

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

Comment posted by Jeremy Cram on May 31, 2012 at 3:56 PM

Wow...very cool! Great job on the processing!

Registered on June 4, 2006, 204 Posts, 818 Comments

Comment posted by Alex Noriega on May 31, 2012 at 4:02 PM

This is really, really nice, Yiming. I don't believe I've ever seen a slot canyon shot with a properly-handled sky visible. Really gives me a new perspective on these places that no one else has cared to show me yet. Additionally, you still got some of the nice warm/cool color balance that makes these shots attractive in the first place. Great composition too. The sharpening on the larger version seems a bit crunchy/coarse to me, but that's a very, very minor nit.

Registered on May 19, 2012, 80 Posts, 195 Comments

Comment posted by John Fan on May 31, 2012 at 5:02 PM

Excellent job incorporating sky in this high contrast scene.

Registered on August 24, 2010, 135 Posts, 489 Comments

Comment posted by Nathan Apodaca on May 31, 2012 at 5:34 PM

Very unique. I haven't seen anything like it! Excellent processing, BTW.

Registered on November 16, 2011, 67 Posts, 1127 Comments

Comment posted by Jeffrey Sipress on May 31, 2012 at 5:55 PM

A tough exposure challenge, very well handled. Nice!

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

Comment posted by Verdon on May 31, 2012 at 6:00 PM

wow, vibrant, crisp, creative, even composition is stunning, would be good to know what settings on camera you had...
S T U N N I N G!!!

Registered on June 10, 2011, 147 Posts, 1444 Comments

Comment posted by David Edwards on May 31, 2012 at 6:57 PM

Magnificent image Yiming! The red/blue combination is very striking, and the detail you have blended is exceptional. A fabulous comp as well really makes this one stand out as unique. Excellent work.

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

Comment posted by Dennis Harding on May 31, 2012 at 7:38 PM

I really like the blue sky. This is a very nicely composed image Yimimg.

Registered on January 19, 2011, 33 Posts, 408 Comments

Comment posted by Yiming Hu on May 31, 2012 at 7:54 PM

Thanks everyone!

af: yes, blending was a challenge, mainly due to highlight "seeping" to the dark area.

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

Comment posted by Yiming Hu on May 31, 2012 at 7:59 PM

Verdon: Thanks. I added tech info.

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

Comment posted by Yiming Hu on May 31, 2012 at 8:00 PM

Alex: Thanks. Yes, it seems that I applied a little too much web-sharpening on the larger version. Thanks for pointing it out!

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

Comment posted by John Williams on May 31, 2012 at 10:47 PM

Awesome! Love the clarity and the sky.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on June 1, 2012 at 12:11 AM

Yiming, This has to be the best slot canyon shot / showing the sky photo I have ever seen. It looks completely realistic as I would have expected it to look like had I looked up. Well done.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on June 1, 2012 at 4:09 AM

very compelling composition with all manner of flows. there are sharpening artifacts creeping in that distract somewhat. nice work overall.

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

Comment posted by Andreas Resch on June 1, 2012 at 4:30 AM

A nice different approach on the slot canyons and a great job with the blending.

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

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on June 1, 2012 at 6:36 AM

Absolutely fabulous, Yiming!

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Soubhik Patranabis on June 1, 2012 at 9:33 AM

Awesome !!

Registered on January 25, 2010, 54 Posts, 610 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on June 1, 2012 at 10:14 AM

Nice perspective. The color contrast between the blue and reds is impactful, and the thin clouds add a lot.

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

Comment posted by Wayne Rhodus on June 1, 2012 at 3:09 PM

Yiming ... I just wanted to let you know that I'm enjoying this image a lot. Wonderful vision and execution.

Registered on November 16, 2003, 157 Posts, 3326 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on June 1, 2012 at 4:51 PM

Nice take on Antelope!

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

Comment posted by Yiming Hu on June 1, 2012 at 7:28 PM

Thanks again everyone!

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

Comment posted by Richard Hartmann on June 1, 2012 at 7:48 PM

This has to be one of my all time favorite slot canyon shots. Love the sky and lines. Nice job bringing something new to the table!

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

Comment posted by Scott Smorra on June 2, 2012 at 12:46 AM

Amazing image Yiming. Nice job with the blending here. This one looks great with the dark background.

Registered on November 2, 2009, 161 Posts, 2143 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Lundh on June 2, 2012 at 1:17 AM

Great image Yiming! Too bad it's not all that original... I think I've seen this particular comp about 7 or 8 times, including my own. Still...you captured this beautifully!

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

Comment posted by Abdulmajeed Aljuha on June 2, 2012 at 8:21 AM

you can't get enough just looking for this amazing picture

Registered on December 4, 2010, 77 Posts, 149 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Miller on June 2, 2012 at 6:07 PM

Love this one, the blend for the exposures is handled quite well. Well done

Registered on May 9, 2011, 23 Posts, 322 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on June 2, 2012 at 8:34 PM

The inclusion of sky is quite unusual in a slot canyon shot. Works great.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Yiming Hu on June 3, 2012 at 1:26 PM

Thanks everyone!

Rick: I've seen a similar comp myself before, but I would not be surprise at all that this POV has been taken many times over --- it's such a small place and there are hundreds of people go to there each and every day.

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

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on June 3, 2012 at 6:55 PM

This is stunning, Yiming. Impossible with most cameras, but you make it look totally real. Very nicely done!

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

Comment posted by Wick Smith on June 4, 2012 at 3:26 PM

Good to see a different perspective from the slot canyons. Well done.

Registered on June 12, 2009, 91 Posts, 379 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on June 4, 2012 at 5:03 PM

A real stunner.. Great work!

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

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on June 6, 2012 at 12:51 PM

Amazing image with superb lines and perspective.
Congrats on the WP!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Allen Brooks on June 6, 2012 at 2:31 PM

Congratulations on well deserved weekly pick. From what I've seen before this does seem to be a unique perspective of the slot canyons. Wonderful geometric patterns and color and the sky really came out well.

Registered on July 27, 2011, 262 Posts, 2597 Comments

Comment posted by Yiming Hu on June 7, 2012 at 3:53 PM

Thanks!

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

Comment posted by Grant Collier on June 8, 2012 at 2:24 PM

I think the different approach to shooting the canyon here. The exposure blend looks really good and natural. There might be a slight halo towards the top, between the light, orange colored sandstone and the sky.

Registered on July 29, 2005, 73 Posts, 430 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on June 8, 2012 at 2:44 PM

I've seen lots of slot images, but this one is definitely unique.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Yiming Hu on June 14, 2012 at 7:45 PM

Thanks again for your comments.

This photo is selected by Apple to showcase the incredible details and vibrant colors of the Retina display of the new Macbook Pro laptop computer they have just announced.

http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/design/

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

Comment posted by Ron Pullen on July 7, 2012 at 1:15 PM

Stunning and perfect!

Ron

Registered on December 18, 2005, 74 Posts, 1413 Comments

Comment posted by Hali Sowle on July 7, 2012 at 3:10 PM

This is just exquisite Yiming, congratulations on the NPN Cover photo and the Apple selection.

Registered on January 9, 2008, 36 Posts, 582 Comments

Comment posted by Murali Santhanam on July 7, 2012 at 8:14 PM

Congratulations and thank you for the superb composition

Registered on July 31, 2008, 43 Posts, 331 Comments

Comment posted by Jenaya Launstein on July 8, 2012 at 12:28 AM

This is so awesomely epic it's crazy! Seriously, some seriously impressive work! Congrats on photo of the month...you deserved it!

Registered on February 8, 2011, 254 Posts, 1302 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on July 10, 2012 at 10:31 AM

Congrats Yiming! You handled the blend of sky and canyon very well. Normally not a great mix but well done here. I think the slight texture of clouds in the sky helps. I could see darkening the RUC slightly, but otherwise magnificent!

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