Posted by Doug Andrews on June 24, 2010 at 11:54 PM
Badlands National Park - South Dakota
One day during our Memorial Day weekend trip to the Black Hills region, the wife and I visited Badlands NP. It had been 17 years since the last time we were there and on that visit I wasn't into photography at all. The weather was crystal clear all day long and that harsh flat light just kills most all decent photography. As the sun began to set, things got interesting. We were on our way to my chosen spot to capture the park at sunset, when we pulled over for me to take a few snaps of these formations. It was at this point, that the battery in our car died and I spent the rest of the sunset and a little while after waving down traffic and trying to get it jump started. So I missed out on the sunset. Guess I'll have to go back again sometime.
This is one of the first images I processed in Lightroom 3. I was using LR 1.4, so this upgrade has some significant improvements and additions that I'm still learning to use. Thanks for looking.
Nikon D200, 28-105mm lens @ 28mm
Posted by Erik Aagaard on June 25, 2010 at 11:10 AM
Nice evening light, and vibrant colors! What a neat area. I like the color contrasts, both between the green grass the the cliffs, and also the cool sky against the warm cliffs. My only wish is that there was a little separation between the formation in the foreground and those in the background.
Cool area that we rarely see presented here.
Erik's comments reflect my own. I also like the shadows here.
This might make a superb b&w if you like that medium.
Posted by Howard Cihak on June 25, 2010 at 1:00 PM
Doug, that's an excellent image and, while many might prefer clouds to make the sky more interesting, I think the clear bright blue is an interesting visual counterpoint to the bright green grass in the foreground. The shadows are what really make this shot work.
Oh, and if that clear blue sky remained through sunset, then I doubt you missed much.
Discussion
4 repliesOne day during our Memorial Day weekend trip to the Black Hills region, the wife and I visited Badlands NP. It had been 17 years since the last time we were there and on that visit I wasn't into photography at all. The weather was crystal clear all day long and that harsh flat light just kills most all decent photography. As the sun began to set, things got interesting. We were on our way to my chosen spot to capture the park at sunset, when we pulled over for me to take a few snaps of these formations. It was at this point, that the battery in our car died and I spent the rest of the sunset and a little while after waving down traffic and trying to get it jump started. So I missed out on the sunset. Guess I'll have to go back again sometime.
This is one of the first images I processed in Lightroom 3. I was using LR 1.4, so this upgrade has some significant improvements and additions that I'm still learning to use. Thanks for looking.
Nikon D200, 28-105mm lens @ 28mm
Erik's comments reflect my own. I also like the shadows here.
This might make a superb b&w if you like that medium.
Oh, and if that clear blue sky remained through sunset, then I doubt you missed much.