Porphyry Paintbrush

Porphyry Basin

Wista DX, 135mm, Velvia 100F

I'm finally getting to the 4x5 scanning from my July San Juan trip. I'd appreciate some comments on this one. I'm not crazy about the dark shadow in the upper-left, but just don't have detail there on the tranny and don't really have room to crop. Is it too distracting? Thoughts? Ideas? Thanks for looking.

(Edit: I remember Grant posting a very similar shot not too long ago... )

Hi Scott,

Overall this is a great image. Beautiful colors and nice waterfall.

For some crazy reason something just seems a little off and I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it is the angle of the rocks and falls in relation to level or the dark area. I don't really know. Sorry I couldn't be more specific.

But either way I would be very happy to add this image to my collection. Shooting waterfalls in bright sun can be a real challenge. Great job.

- Derek

Composition looks good but the light looks a little harsh too me.

The great flower color leads the eye well away from that shadow, so I wouldn't worry about it. The two things I noticed have already been mentioned. First, the light is less than ideal than if a fortuitous cloud had passed overhead. Second, every shot I've seen of this scene looks like it's severely tilted. Even though that's due to the lay of the land and elements, perception is often reality. I'd give it a little CW turn to make the waterfall look like it's dropping straight down. Everything else will then fall into place around that false reality.

TC: "Everything else will then fall into place around that false reality." LOL....

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. It is kind of like correcting the white balance for GoG shots because everything just looks too darn red/orange.

Scott: I had a little better luck with the clouds when I photographed these falls. Despite the less than ideal light I really enjoy the photo. I agree with Todd that the colorful widlflowers do a good enough job of diverting my attention from the shadow.

Looking forward to seeing more from your trip!

I like the composition. I don't think it's too much like mine. The paintbrush in the foreground and falls in the background are such a classic composition that about 1/2 the shots in the area are like that. I do agree that overcast conditions would have been ideal.

I'll reluctantly reveal my "secret" to getting good light. I got a flat tire shortly after Pucker Point and given my poor skills as a car mechanic, it took me a long time to change it. By the time I got the spare on, clouds had rolled in and I had nice soft light .

Or, you could just get up earlier since this whole scene is in the shade for a good 1/2 hour after sunrise

Scott - Very cool shot! I don't think the shadow is too bad at all. Like others have said, the strong FG leading to the falls really draw the eye. Other than getting lucky with some clouds, I think you pretty much nailed it.

Tony wrote:
Or, you could just get up earlier since this whole scene is in the shade for a good 1/2 hour after sunrise

Oooooh, I sooooo deserve that one!

Thanks for the comments and suggestions everyone!

I like it, Scott. I have a similar response to it as the others - great comp, lots of strong elements to hold the eye (and mitigate the shadow area) and I'm sure the detail with the 4x5 is fantastic. If there's anything you can do to reduce the contrast and bump up the saturation, that might soften things up a little. I don't have much experience trying to reduce contrast, so I don't know how effective it might be here. I've started shooting Astia recently, and this scene looks like a perfect candidate for it. It's kind of like shooting digital in RAW - the tranny won't look as beautiful on the light table, but there would probably be detail in the shadow area and less contrast for an already contrasty scene.