"Sunset over the Bend"
The last rays of light shone over Horseshoe Bend while the river continued its lazy path. Spring had come to the southwest as the fringes of shoreline shown vibrant green in the surrounding desert. This day of color was almost over but another would begin soon again.
This was taken on my fast paced, 5 day trip around the southwest. I shot Bryce Canyon for sunrise, Antelope Canyon for midday, and Horseshoe Bend for Sunset; I then immediately left for Sedona. It was my first visit to Horseshoe bend with a camera; I really wanted to shoot it after seeing all the great shots on here. I'm happy with the way it turned out, especially with the patch of flowers I was able to include in the comp.
I like the inclusion of more of the foreground rocks and brush than the usual photographs taken here and also how the sun is central in this composition. The sky is a little blown out for my taste too, but those were the conditions you had to work with. I like the touch of sunstar that is visible.
This is a really nice comp and the light conditions you caught are stunning! I did a quick re-do of it and I will absolutely remove it if you give the word. I put a gradient layer on it with the black half on the upper half of the image, added a mask and painted the outer edges of the sky back in so it wasn't so dark, used the shadow/highlight tool to bring down the sky where the sun is, then sharpened. What I absolutely love about your shot is how you got such terrific light on the FG rim rock.
@Kathryn Not really as I make it point to sit on the edge of any major cliff I visit, but I was worried about a gust of wind blowing my gear over. The wind was super intense but luckily it was mostly blowing towards me. The last time I was scared on a cliff was Palouse Falls; it was windy, dark, I had never been there, the edge of the cliff was soil and rock (not the most stable), and I had been driving all night so I wasn't very alert.
@Pam Thanks for the insight, I took a few of your suggestions although I didn't go as far because the image is too dark and contrasty for my tastes. I added another Graduated Filter to the sky on top of the other one I already had. I find adding another one as apposed to just adjusting the exposure on the first sometimes works best. I also use the paintbrush to darken around the sun a little more. Your repost also gave me the confidence to add a little more color to the image.
Discussion
8 repliesThe last rays of light shone over Horseshoe Bend while the river continued its lazy path. Spring had come to the southwest as the fringes of shoreline shown vibrant green in the surrounding desert. This day of color was almost over but another would begin soon again.
This was taken on my fast paced, 5 day trip around the southwest. I shot Bryce Canyon for sunrise, Antelope Canyon for midday, and Horseshoe Bend for Sunset; I then immediately left for Sedona. It was my first visit to Horseshoe bend with a camera; I really wanted to shoot it after seeing all the great shots on here. I'm happy with the way it turned out, especially with the patch of flowers I was able to include in the comp.
@Pam Thanks for the insight, I took a few of your suggestions although I didn't go as far because the image is too dark and contrasty for my tastes. I added another Graduated Filter to the sky on top of the other one I already had. I find adding another one as apposed to just adjusting the exposure on the first sometimes works best. I also use the paintbrush to darken around the sun a little more. Your repost also gave me the confidence to add a little more color to the image.