No Way Out

Hi All,

It's been a while...at least...ok, maybe I've never posted an image over here. I've got a few coming for you these next couple weeks though. Southern Utah stuff mostly. The stuff I don't have time to get into ESS or elsewhere. I wouldn't want to mess with the PNWNP folks by posting all this desert stuff over there.

I'd appreciate any C&C you have on this one. This was captured in Utah's escalante using a 16mm pointed up at an overhanging curvature in a deep stream canyon. The image is a blend from 3 exposures to handle the extreme dynamic exposure range.

Marc

Your usual excellent light control. The title certainly matches the unique perspective you've captured; my first thought was of the potholes in Neon Canyon - just a bore through solid rock.

Very nice image. I like everything about it!

Beautiful image!

Marc,

Welcome to our little piece of the internet!

I really like the shot. Especially the ring highlight in the middle. I really like the lines along the rock circumference. The only thing off to me is it looks a little off color wise, maybe the HDR.

Keep em coming!!

RichieV

Just to clarify, Richard, this is not HDR. It's a manual blend. Anything specific about the color? Thanks for the comment.

Cool, Marc! Composition and exposure are great! Very unique capture. Color of the red rock is just perfect! Love it.
I am glad you will be passing Utah photos to this forum. We need them here badly!
I look forward to see more from your trip.

It might not be the colors as much as it looks just on the edge between being believable and not believable range wise. It is really close to that edge on my monitor. Something is triggering me to think it isnt a natural zone range.

BTW - I really like the comp!!

RV

Marc, I like how you kept the sky and some of the highlights bright. I really like the superwide perspective and how it transforms those lines of desert varnish into radial spokes.

Marc,
Good to have you over here for a change.
Overall, this has a very natural feel for me. It's as if I am standing there viewing this. It is what I imagine my eyes would pick up for the range of light. That being said, it is a departure from the drama of most of your images, but that's all right. I think with the 51 days out without any precipitation, as you mentioned in one of your posts over in PNWNP, you experienced the harsher light we have most of the time on the Colorado Plateau, and in the Rocky Mountains.
Makes it difficult to get detail in all of a photo. You did extremely well with this shot.
Looking forward to more of your posts.
Morris McClung

This is an excellent job of processing! Looks as natural as if I were standing there looking at it.

Beautiful, Marc! I hope you enjoyed the hike. It's a feeling hard to describe in words or images.

Guy

Absolutely beautiful image. Love the composition of this. My only nit would be in the sky color. It seems a bit funky to my eye. There are places where there's a greenish tint and others where it's more magenta.

Excellent image. I think I'd be tempted to dodge the midtones in the sunlight area of the rim at left - to "even out" the intensity balance from shadow to light along the harsh edge. And only slightly. May or may not be an improvement. So hard to tell with a small JPEG (where CA and other aberrations might show up only in the small presentation). I see nothing else that might hint at a blend. The rendering of the sky looks great - given the time of day. And if you brought out the highlights in the foliage a bit, it really adds a lot. Regardless, excellent choice of perspective in creating that glow down there. Your vignette really enhances this image. Great vision.

Guy S. - I noticed that too. It was fine until I decided to dodge the web version just a hint more. Sloppy presentation. I'll correct that minor inbalance. Thanks to all for the comments!

Guy - I totally agree. The magnitude of this place isn't well conveyed in photographs or anything else. You really just have to see it! We camped very near here.

There isn't anything I can add beyond my appreciation for the attention to detail and I love your choice of perspective.

"WOW!" should just about cover it. Keep 'em coming.

Beautiful composition and light. I would be interested to know what lens you used.

It is good to see you over here, especially since we lost our moderator to the PNW.

Thanks for posting.

- Derek

There isn't anything I can add beyond my appreciation for the attention to detail and I love your choice of perspective.

Marc, excellent image. Love the blend work other than the weird coloring in the sky and perhaps just a bit more opening of the shadows. Would you care to share the 3 images you blended so we could learn from you work here?

One for the sky and cliff highlights plus a double RAW file to handle the tonal range throughout the shadow areas. The foreground was really, really deep in shadow and I couldn't just dodge out some detail without damaging it so I had to expand the range of the RAW file. To be accurate, it was more like 2.5 images combined.

Marc, beautiful image as always. The dynamic range in this is quite amazing. I like what you've managed to do with some very skilled PS blending! The composition is really intriguing as well. I would love to visit this place someday. Glad to have you posting over here!

Awesome shot--particularly like the fg trees/light. I agree with Jesse's suggestions.

Very impressive image overall! I definitely do not have the post processing talent to do something like this (nor the pre-processing talent to even plan it). Well done!