Deadhorse point and Delicate arch

I'm finally getting around to posting some images after months off trying to learn lightroom and nik software.

A couple of my co-workers and I went to Utah about 3 weeks ago and I wanted to re-shoot Deadhorse Point with a juniper in the foreground. While the sunrise didn't totally cooperate, I think this works. I know you have all seen this location a thousand times but I'd like some feedback.

Also, we tried a night shot at Delicate arch. I'm a real newbie at night photography so go easy on me!

and delicate arch night shot

Wow, the sky is incredible in the first, well both for that matter. You got two excellent shots here Jack. I would like to see the shadow on the left hand side of the night shot brought up just a bit to blend in with the rest of the image or a crop. The blues are just a little strong in the first. I would be happy with both of these. Nice work!

The first one is fantastic! I think you got an idea sunrise. My lone visit was cloudless and I think clouds really are giving you nice light and some features to your sky.

Thumbs up!!!

I like the second, but I am not sure about the foreground light, I think it would work better just on the arch itself.

These are both very nice Jack, but the DHSP one is awesome!. The soft light and clouds really make that one special, only thing I may do is tone down the blues as Dean mentioned.
I think your night shot isn't bad either, expecially for a 1st attempt, but I would work on balancing the lit areas out a little more. Perhaps darken the brigher areas a little, like the near bottom side of the Arch.

Ditto on the first one being really nice. Not sure about the darkening midway up near the sides when the center is visible. Must be the shadows from the cloud bands. Maybe a little more fill to lighten the canyons along the sides?

The starts in #2 and the arch I like as well. The FG light is distracting to me as I want to see more of the arch and sky. Nick's suggestion of darkening could certainly help in this area. Maybe a tighter crop?

Well done on both.

Both of those are really excellent, Jack. I agree with the suggestions made, but these don't need much work to make them huge wall hangers. I think your first one is a unique take on this scene.

Well, I'd say you learned LR, OK. The processing on both images is nice - and so are the images themselves! The DHSP is a real beauty.

I wonder what the Delicate Arch shot would've looked like w/o the artificial lighting, just a silhouette against a field of stars. It's still cool. And that first one is a real show-stopper.

The sky in the first shot is awesome! Seems to be a bit of a magenta cast in the distance, but nothing major.

Both are great. I'd tone down the blues in the first one a bit.

These are fantastic Jack! I am still learning LR and just got NIK about a month ago. Trying something otheer than PS to streamline my workflow. I love your results. Did you teach yourself, or have help?

Both are nice. I really like the DHP shot, the wide angle is quite fantastic. The light on Delicate Arch appears slightly harsh and cold in color temperature for my taste, but it's not a deal-breaker.

Nice shots Jack. The first one is a great comp, I would just tone down the blues like others mentioned. The second one, I would crop out the foreground. I find it distracting and unnecessary. I might also take down the brightness of the arch itself a bit. Good first attempt though!

That first shot is stunning...love it. Love the night shot as well.

That DHP image looks great! Good job with the postprocessing. I especially like seeing the river way back there in the background. I might dial the saturation back on the blue in the skies as noted earlier.
And a fine job on the DA image, as well. Would love to know the camera settings you used here. I might burn down the very brightest part of the arch just above the base a bit.
I'd be thrilled to come away with fine quality work like this.

Thanks for the great feedback everyone. I didn't mention that the DHP image is a 3 shot composite using fusion in Photomatix. Then I used a series of adjustments in LR and PS3. I also used some plugins from NIK to increase contrast and a lighten center tool to guide the eye in. I have a friend who is very good at this who has been teaching me. Also Nat's Lightroom book has been good.

I will go back and drop the blue a little.

John .

Delicate Arch settings: 30 sec at f3.5 with Tokina 11-16mm set at13mm wide angle...Canon 50d ISO 800

DHP 17mm Canon 17-40L 2.0 sec at f16 ISO 200

Thanks, Jack!

Both of them are very strong images. Thanks for posting them.

- Dan.

Amazing images! The detail is incredible!

The first one is very, very well balanced overall. Great moment. Great comp. I'd be very pleased with that one. Saturation doesn't bother me, but I'd try reducing the impact of the shadows in the sky ... less contrast. I love strong contrast, but the cloud contrast doesn't jive with the land contrast - imo. Minor nit.