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Grand Pastels
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Grand Pastels

by Brian Schrayer

Gallery: LandscapePosted December 31, 20163,563 views9 comments
Here's another image from the Grand Canyon from the same location and morning as the Light & Shadow images that I previously posted.  This was early morning as the sun was rising on the opposite horizon.  I have some shots of the actual sunrise, but I like the composition here a lot better. 

Surprisingly, I don't recall having seen many images from this spot, but there are a lot of interesting compositional elements including the natural s-curve created by the Colorado River Gorge.

Thank you for your comments on my previous posts, and as always all comments and critiques are welcome.  Happy New Year!  crying

Capture Info:
50 mm
f/16 @ 2 sec
ISO 100

Processing Info:
TK's luminosity masks, focused vibrance masks and cloud sharpening tool (low pass filter - more to bring out the texture in the landscape than the clouds).

Comments

9 comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on January 1, 2017 at 4:11 PM
An awe inspiring landscape. I wonder how this would look as a sunset picture.
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on January 1, 2017 at 6:56 PM
Brian, this is a nice viewpoint with the river making gentle curves in the center.  Maybe select the land and increase the brightness just a very tiny bit.  I was looking at the webcam during today's storm and was noticing some low clouds and diffused sunlight in the canyon.
Registered on April 1, 2010, 196 Posts, 1592 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on January 1, 2017 at 7:43 PM
Brian,

Beautiful landscape image of the canyon.  Love that sky and almost wish for more of it, but honestly there's just enough to top the scene off and still let the canyon show it's beauty.

Very small suggestions.  There's a whitish dot along the river, mid-way; probably a large boulder or something. No biggie, but I'd clone it out.

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on January 1, 2017 at 10:16 PM
Excellent GC image, Brian. Nice color, and very impressive detail throughout the canyon, especially in the large view.
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Igor Doncov on January 2, 2017 at 5:07 PM
The S shaped canyon does work well and the ridges do give a sense of space. My suggestion would be to create greater tonal separation in the land by raising the higher tones. It might also be interesting in seeing the land exposed just a tad more. 
Registered on November 22, 2014, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments
Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on January 2, 2017 at 8:25 PM
This image captures the quiet beauty I felt standing on the rim at sunrise - lots of delicate details you brought out with the processing.  The water seems pretty dark- which it may well have been-but I might try brightening it a bit to make it more obvious in the scene. It seems that you wanted to make it an area of interest, so making it more of a focal point might improve the overall shot.  Colors are very realistic from my memory in the pre-sunrise lighting.  Excellent detail and color in the clouds - lot of differentiation in the tones.
Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments
Comment posted by Genny K. on January 3, 2017 at 1:30 AM
I like the depth and the wide range of colors in this.  I have never been there, but I sure like all the nooks and crannies in this. Oh yeah, I like the sky!
Registered on June 5, 2006, 132 Posts, 2001 Comments
Comment posted by Dave Dillemuth on January 3, 2017 at 12:51 PM
Awesome, Brian. The soft light and colors are beautiful. I agree with the comments to nudge up the brightness of the land and maybe add a slight boost in clarity. This is an excellent image and worth the time to optimize the file.
Registered on December 10, 2015, 104 Posts, 1112 Comments
Comment posted by gary phillips on January 3, 2017 at 10:23 PM
Beautiful canyon view, Brian.  I agree with the other comments about slightly increasing the brightness of the canyon.  Additionally, I would clone the bright spot on the canyon wall middle left.  It sorta grabs my eye but is very minor.
Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments