I recently returned from yet another tour of southeast Utah in search of indian ruins, flower blooms and other such desert scenery. I wanted to get opinions on which of these two iconic springtime images of the Organ (at Arches NP) is preferred. The first shot was taken in the early evening which is not considered to be the optimal time for this shot. However, the beautiful sky and the nice filtered light lured me into shooting the scene anyway.
The second shot was taken in the first light of morning. Unfortunately, mother nature never blessed me with interesting morning skies so I had to settle for this. I realized shortly before posting that this one is not quite level so ignore that for now.
As Guy said, this is tough. Both have great qualities. Like the clouds in the first. But the second has the interesting morning light on the subject. Since they are both wonderful, it probably depends on what mood you
are in as to which one you choose.
As the others said, tough choice. I love the sky in the first one, the clouds are definitely the highlight there. However, in the second shot, The Organ and the flowers in the foreground are both getting really nice light and I think it highlights the intended subject better. That said, there is a lot to like in the first one. One thing you might want to think about doing, is maybe converting the first to B&W. I think in B&W the clouds and the unique highlights created by the afternoon light could look pretty sweet. Plus it would differentiate the two images, which would look great right next to each other. Nice work, Guy!
Thanks to those that have weighed in so far. I think I expected most people to choose the second image and I agree with that choice.
Paul - I played a bit with a straight b&w after I read your suggestion, but it deemphasized the flowers too much. So I took it one step farther as you see in the image above by adding a little selective coloring on the flowers. It's not an effect that I like to use often, but I think I like how it works here as an alternative to the other images. Of course, I understand its something that many probably won't like and that's ok.
John - we definitely need to hook up again in the near future. Thanks for playing tour guide. It was fun - despite the hurricane force winds!!
Not bad, Guy.
Using the new B&W adjustment in CS3, you might want to darken the blue in the skies a bit more to put more emphasis on the wispy clouds at the top.
Then desaturate the flowers some and see what you think.
Discussion
14 repliesGuy
are in as to which one you choose.
Glad to see you made it home safely. I enjoyed our day together very much!
Let's do 'er again some time.
My thoughts are the same as most of the others...the morning light is much better in the second, and edges that one to a win.
Well done in either case....
Paul - I played a bit with a straight b&w after I read your suggestion, but it deemphasized the flowers too much. So I took it one step farther as you see in the image above by adding a little selective coloring on the flowers. It's not an effect that I like to use often, but I think I like how it works here as an alternative to the other images. Of course, I understand its something that many probably won't like and that's ok.
John - we definitely need to hook up again in the near future. Thanks for playing tour guide. It was fun - despite the hurricane force winds!!
Using the new B&W adjustment in CS3, you might want to darken the blue in the skies a bit more to put more emphasis on the wispy clouds at the top.
Then desaturate the flowers some and see what you think.