Posted by Mel Ladewig on September 26, 2007 at 11:58 AM
After the short stop in Wire Pass (posted in ESS) we continued to Zion. We only had a couple days here so we didn't venture out to the Kolob area. We'll be back though with much more time. For now, a common sampling of the Virgin River Narrows, and the main canyon follows.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on September 26, 2007 at 12:14 PM
Orderville Canyon junction. Again having some problems with the extreme contrast. This is a blend of 2 exposures. 0EC and -2EC, but still the highlights were blown, even in .
I should mention that these shots are straight from the camera's jpeg. ACR 3.X is having trouble matching the orange and red tones and I just haven't mastered the conversion in DPP yet.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on September 26, 2007 at 12:16 PM
A little further up the main canyon. Certainly not the best I've seen from the spot, but I'm still happy with the glow I caught. I had a heck of a time with people walking through here. There was a group of about 15 Japanese tourists who inexplicably just stopped in the middle of this frame, for about 15 minutes.
Posted by Lance Warley on September 26, 2007 at 12:29 PM
Great sequence, Mel. I like 3 the most...the light.
We were there in April, just in time for the first Claret Cup blooms, and just after the cottonwoods turned green.
I hope you also went to Bryce, because I'd luv to see the pics you made there.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on September 26, 2007 at 12:34 PM
One thing that surprised me in the main canyon outside the narrows was the extreme contrast range between shadowed and lighted areas of the canyon. Shooting down the valley, I would often need 5 stops of GND to get some detail on both the valley floor and the lit walls above, but then the shadowed sections of the walls that were covered by the ND part of the filter would go completely black. I definitely plan on going back to Zion in the next year or two for at least a week, so I'll have another opportunity to get it right.
Mel-
Posted by Mel Ladewig on September 26, 2007 at 12:36 PM
Lance, I did make it tho Bryce, but only for a few minutes and on an overcast cold and windy day. We stayed in Capitol Reef our last night. I'll post those in a few days.
Mel-
Posted by Kalin Wilson on September 26, 2007 at 12:49 PM
I like #3 too. Good job with the canyon dynamic range. Its a tough problem, like you said.
Its been a LONG time since I've been through Zion -before they stopped letting you drive through. I'm thinking about trying to get over there for a long weekend for the fall colors if they hold. It would be great to be able to take a week or so.
Posted by Momo Vuyisich on September 26, 2007 at 7:46 PM
The third photo is amazingly beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Posted by Scott Fricke on September 26, 2007 at 9:13 PM
The third is my favorite too...it must be the rest stop for tourists, this summer I was there near the same spot and sat there for probably 20 minutes waiting for it to clear, never did.
Posted by Paul Beiser on September 26, 2007 at 10:25 PM
Thanks, Mel for the postings and great shots, keep 'em coming!
Posted by Don Grall on September 26, 2007 at 11:41 PM
That 3rd shot is wonderful, Mel! Glad to see your visit did not coincide with the inch of rainfall the St George area got on Sunday. The Narrows would have been a dicey place to be with that much rain.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on September 27, 2007 at 12:10 PM
Scott,
The funny part is that there is a nice sand beach right around the corner. I have no idea why the spot in #3 is the popular stop (maybe they like the glow too).
Kalin,
The bus was actually pretty nice. It didn't run early enough for me to climb Angels Landing for sunrise, but you could at least get into the valley and choose a spot (I went to court of the Patriarchs one morning). It does stop running in a month or so though (check nps.gov). At that point you can drive your own car.
Discussion
11 repliesI should mention that these shots are straight from the camera's jpeg. ACR 3.X is having trouble matching the orange and red tones and I just haven't mastered the conversion in DPP yet.
We were there in April, just in time for the first Claret Cup blooms, and just after the cottonwoods turned green.
I hope you also went to Bryce, because I'd luv to see the pics you made there.
Mel-
Mel-
Its been a LONG time since I've been through Zion -before they stopped letting you drive through. I'm thinking about trying to get over there for a long weekend for the fall colors if they hold. It would be great to be able to take a week or so.
The funny part is that there is a nice sand beach right around the corner. I have no idea why the spot in #3 is the popular stop (maybe they like the glow too).
Kalin,
The bus was actually pretty nice. It didn't run early enough for me to climb Angels Landing for sunrise, but you could at least get into the valley and choose a spot (I went to court of the Patriarchs one morning). It does stop running in a month or so though (check nps.gov). At that point you can drive your own car.
Mel-