It was a terrific week of photography, some long hikes, great conversations and sharing on the Colorado Plateau. CAZ, we missed you---so sorry you had to bail on the trip after organizing it. John Mumaw was wonderful in sharing some of his out-of-the-way places with us and Jim Talaric could always be counted on for maps, gps coordinates, and prior research done for the trip. Wild weather including high winds, a sandstorm in Monument Valley, followed by 4-6 inches of snow when we got up in Kayenta the next morning. Following are a few different looks at some of the sites...
Wow. This is one trip I'm sorry I missed. I'd definitely be up to go if John wanted some company again to explore the ruins around Bluff.
Nice collection of locations Rod. There appears to be some HDR or shadow/highlight work done on these. It's on the border of being a little heavy for me, but I do know how contrasty these types of locations can be!
Joshua - yes, one of my favorite adjustments in Photoshop is the shadow/highlight adjustment. I do have a problem with posting images on the forum as I normally work in Adobe RGB (1998) and saving a file to post for the forum requires a switch to sRGB, which looks a little duller to me, thus I try to compensate. Having said that, the bottom line is that I try to follow the Ansel Adams dictum - "this is what I saw and felt."
Very nice series of images, I really like the two from the ruins!. For my personal tastes the first two images I would agree with Joshua, and say they are a little heavy with the shadow/highlight tool.
Posted by Bob Falcone on April 5, 2009 at 10:13 PM
I have had the good fortune of having John as a guide, and I recognize some of those places. Your photos do them very good justice...
I especially like the Corona Arch photo. My only visit there so far didn't yield anything that nice!
Posted by Kalin Wilson on April 5, 2009 at 10:24 PM
Hey Rod,
Did you guys end up taking the Snow Flat Road into Cedar Mesa on Sunday?
I see you solved the missing head issue in #1
Great stuff, I'm glad you guys continued to have a great trip!
No, after we finished at Fallen Roof the wind was howling and a full-on sandstorm was blowing in, so we headed down the Dugway for a late lunch at Mexican Hat at that place on the river and then on to Kayenta. As to the missing head, I've got it both ways...
Some nice shots! I like the first and last best. I stopped using shadow/highlight a couple of years ago, since it creates halos like the ones in Corona Arch and 17 rooms. Instead, I'd recommend using luminosity masks (to learn how, visit http://www.goodlight.us/writing/luminositymasks/luminositymasks-1.html). The recovery and fill light sliders in Lightroom or Bridge are also useful.
Discussion
13 repliesRod
Nice collection of locations Rod. There appears to be some HDR or shadow/highlight work done on these. It's on the border of being a little heavy for me, but I do know how contrasty these types of locations can be!
I especially like the Corona Arch photo. My only visit there so far didn't yield anything that nice!
Did you guys end up taking the Snow Flat Road into Cedar Mesa on Sunday?
I see you solved the missing head issue in #1
Great stuff, I'm glad you guys continued to have a great trip!
No, after we finished at Fallen Roof the wind was howling and a full-on sandstorm was blowing in, so we headed down the Dugway for a late lunch at Mexican Hat at that place on the river and then on to Kayenta. As to the missing head, I've got it both ways...
Glad to see you made it home safely!
Love that shot of Corona Arch with the exquisite sunstar. I can never get one that looks that elegant.
River House ruin looks great, too.
The last one is a good capture of a view that is quite unique. Glad you thought about shooting it.
I had a great time with y'all! Let's do it again in September.