You will probably recognize this location from my previous posts. I am determined to find a composition that captures the essence of this location. I'm not sure that I am there yet, but I am getting closer I think.
I took this on New Year's Eve. You would never believe it judging by the blue skies but just a few hours earlier it had been snowing. Just a few days earlier we had a snowstorm come through and as it cleared there was spectacular color in the sky as the storm clouds broke and the sun was setting. No such luck on this night. As quickly as the storm came and gave us a few inches of wet snow that quickly melted once the sun came out the storm cleared and left no clouds behind. Such is my luck. I decided to go ahead and go down to Palo Duro Canyon to see if maybe I could photograph it in snow. This is what remained.
This image is a significant crop from a vertical composition. I took some more abstract close-ups from this area that I posted on ESS. I cropped this image from the bottom to show as a reference for one of the posts and found that I liked this comp much more because it placed more emphasis on the foreground rock formations. Otherwise, the only other significant adjustment I made in processing the image was to increase saturation.
I appreciate any comments / critique that you can offer. Specifically, I would like to know 1) if the composition works, and 2) does it look over-saturated?
D700
Zeiss 21
f16, 1/10 sec.
Posted by Scott Bean on January 16, 2010 at 8:27 PM
Brian,
The color looks good to me. I like how the snow in the foreground leads into the frame. There is something about the rocks on the right side that pulls my eye over that way. I wonder if cropping some off the right would help showcase the center rock?
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on January 17, 2010 at 9:32 AM
This looks pretty good to me Brian. I think the square crop works here because of the careful placement of individual elements in the frame. The negative space at top helps to focus attention on the fine detail throughout. Well done in my book.
Posted by John Moore on January 18, 2010 at 4:57 PM
Brian, the color looks quite natural to me. This is a pleasing image. It seems to me though that there is an abrupt change in the composition from foreground elements to distance elements, with no transition between. This seems to diminish the scale of the distant mountains. I'm guessing that they're probably huge and far away, but in this image they appear to be small and just over the rise.
Posted by Bill Dark on January 19, 2010 at 10:21 AM
Great color, sharpness, and detail, but, as John mentioned the midground seems to be missing, which reduces the depth. Very nice overall though Brian.
Posted by Darren Huski on January 20, 2010 at 5:59 AM
Brian, I recognize this one, but somehow how missed it earlier this week. This is a great image on the technical front. The plants have texture and did not drop to shadows. The sky is not blown the last light on the rock is nice. Nice details and texture. That D700 is really giving you some good pixels to work with
If only there had been more snow and clouds you would have really found the perfect conditions, but you have to work with what conditions you find.
what really draws my eye here are the rocks on the right, Did you or could you make them your foreground? I think it would give you a solid foreground that would balance the peak, altough that small ledge may block too much of your midground. Hmmmn. Keep working Palo Duro, lots of stuff there.
BTW- Have you driven down through Tule Canyon toward Silverton and then over to Caprock Canyons? Caprock is nice as it gets great morning light. I have not been through Tule, but hear nice things about it.
Thanks, Darren. I am enjoying the D700. I have been to Caprock Canyon. I actually enjoy it a little more than Palo Duro mainly because in the spring and summer it receives a little more rainfall and the vegetation is usually more lush. I usually spend more time in Palo Duro, though, since it is close to home.
Discussion
6 repliesI took this on New Year's Eve. You would never believe it judging by the blue skies but just a few hours earlier it had been snowing. Just a few days earlier we had a snowstorm come through and as it cleared there was spectacular color in the sky as the storm clouds broke and the sun was setting. No such luck on this night. As quickly as the storm came and gave us a few inches of wet snow that quickly melted once the sun came out the storm cleared and left no clouds behind. Such is my luck. I decided to go ahead and go down to Palo Duro Canyon to see if maybe I could photograph it in snow. This is what remained.
This image is a significant crop from a vertical composition. I took some more abstract close-ups from this area that I posted on ESS. I cropped this image from the bottom to show as a reference for one of the posts and found that I liked this comp much more because it placed more emphasis on the foreground rock formations. Otherwise, the only other significant adjustment I made in processing the image was to increase saturation.
I appreciate any comments / critique that you can offer. Specifically, I would like to know 1) if the composition works, and 2) does it look over-saturated?
D700
Zeiss 21
f16, 1/10 sec.
The color looks good to me. I like how the snow in the foreground leads into the frame. There is something about the rocks on the right side that pulls my eye over that way. I wonder if cropping some off the right would help showcase the center rock?
If only there had been more snow and clouds you would have really found the perfect conditions, but you have to work with what conditions you find.
what really draws my eye here are the rocks on the right, Did you or could you make them your foreground? I think it would give you a solid foreground that would balance the peak, altough that small ledge may block too much of your midground. Hmmmn. Keep working Palo Duro, lots of stuff there.
BTW- Have you driven down through Tule Canyon toward Silverton and then over to Caprock Canyons? Caprock is nice as it gets great morning light. I have not been through Tule, but hear nice things about it.