Posted by John Mumaw on October 20, 2012 at 4:16 PM
A heavy work schedule caused me to miss attending the great Grand Canyon rendezvous organized by Doug K.and meant that I missed an outstanding autumn photo trip in the mountains not 100 miles from my doorstep.
Rather than keep kicking myself after seeing the great work posted here from those events, I decided to just drive south on my free weekend instead.
Posted by John Mumaw on October 20, 2012 at 4:21 PM
'Sunset at Death Pockets'
Undoubtedly named by a rancher, that's what the map calls this rugged area punctuated by sporadic water 'pockets'.
A pretty difficult place to access, but all of you who have photographed Horseshoe Bend have sorta seen it. It lies just behind the massive mesa that appears above the river bend. While awaiting sunset, I walked out to that edge and saw the usual lineup of photographers across the river. They must have been ecstatic when this sunset occurred!
Posted by John Mumaw on October 20, 2012 at 4:25 PM
'Angle of Repose'
Located in a very remote slot canyon, this sculpted piece of sandstone immediately caught my eye. For some reason, it reminded me of a 1936 Cadillac hood ornament. What do you see?
Posted by John Mumaw on October 20, 2012 at 4:27 PM
'The Bridge'
In that same canyon, a small natural bridge was carved out by eons of erosion
Posted by John Mumaw on October 20, 2012 at 4:29 PM
'The Bridge (B&W)'
Couldn't resist checking this scene out in b&w. Does it work for you?
Any suggestions greatly appreciated as always.
Posted by Scott Bideau on October 20, 2012 at 4:51 PM
I love them all!
Posted by Pam Colander on October 20, 2012 at 5:04 PM
Outstanding! Purely and simply breath-taking. I love them all but "Angel" is my favorite.
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on October 20, 2012 at 5:20 PM
I do prefer the B&W version of "The Bridge".
The bright window in the upper right sets off the dark foreground nicely in the B&W version, but the washed out colors don't work for me in color.
Hi John, as always, thanks for bringing us these unique images from such remote places. I think I'll go with your first post as my fav of the overall excellent set. I love the symmetry that reflection brings to the overall comp. Bridge (color) is a close second.
Here's my nitpicks. I'm curious if #1 is a tad too dark? My monitor may need calibration. Bridge has a substantial dynamic range which brings in a slightly harsh contrast. Paired with the dark shadows, the highlighted upper portion seems too bright. I have no doubt that your image represents the scene well so maybe its just my own processing style that's distracting me.
Posted by Tom Kennon on October 20, 2012 at 6:51 PM
Great work, it is hard to pick a favorite!
Posted by John Mumaw on October 20, 2012 at 6:55 PM
Thanks for the comments!
#1 appears a bit too dark with the white background that we deal with here. Looks much better against a dark background.
As far as the Bridge, I wasn't too thrilled with the color version myself. I think I'm going to return with a wider lens and better lighting.
Posted by Joe Rogers on October 20, 2012 at 6:59 PM
BW is an exceptionally strong image, John...really like it.
Joe Rogers
John, I agree, better light on Bridge would do the trick considering the comp is stellar.
Posted by Tom Stermitz on October 20, 2012 at 9:51 PM
Very cool images.
I think the B&W could be cropped as I find it a bit busy. I don't know whether the color version would benefit. Maybe get rid of busy-stuff on the right and a little on the left?
Posted by Bob Falcone on October 20, 2012 at 9:57 PM
As always John, a VERY nice collection! Well done!
Just more brilliant work from an outstanding artist. Not a slacker in the bunch. Great comps, exposures, and development.
The first one undoubtedly looks better in a dark background. I feel your pain there as much of my work looks better in black. I wish we had that feature here on the regional forum.
#2 is superb in highlighting the sculptured human-like form.
#3 is just as good in bringing an abstract beauty, both in color and b&w. As I always say, the color is organic, and the B&W is a study in just line, light, form, shadow, and shape.
Love them all, and you can take much consolation in the fact that although you may have missed other opportunities, you made the most of this. One for each of the above.
Posted by Howard Cihak on October 22, 2012 at 1:59 AM
John, they're all very impressive. You find the most incredible locations, amigo.
Posted by Stan Rose on October 22, 2012 at 12:33 PM
Yeah, what the others said--nice work with the slot stuff, John!
Posted by Grant Collier on October 22, 2012 at 11:11 PM
Nice shots John!
Posted by Paul Wegemann on October 23, 2012 at 8:52 AM
This is some really wonderful work, John. I love the B&W treatment of "The Bridge". I'd love to see that applied to my favorite of the group, "Angle of Repose". You're right on about that looking like an old hood ornament.
Posted by John Mumaw on October 23, 2012 at 9:38 AM
Thanks for the kind words and suggestions, folks!
Posted by Doug Koepsel on October 23, 2012 at 10:25 AM
What a great weekend for you. Angle of Repose is excellent and I like your development. Some may not like square crops, but I think here it would provide focus on the ornmanent and eliminate the brighter URC that may tend to pull one's eyes.
Great shots. That first one is a puzzle for someone not familiar with the area. At first I thought it was an arch, then and arch over water, then....it keeps evolving. Nice job!
Discussion
24 repliesRather than keep kicking myself after seeing the great work posted here from those events, I decided to just drive south on my free weekend instead.
Undoubtedly named by a rancher, that's what the map calls this rugged area punctuated by sporadic water 'pockets'.
A pretty difficult place to access, but all of you who have photographed Horseshoe Bend have sorta seen it. It lies just behind the massive mesa that appears above the river bend. While awaiting sunset, I walked out to that edge and saw the usual lineup of photographers across the river. They must have been ecstatic when this sunset occurred!
Located in a very remote slot canyon, this sculpted piece of sandstone immediately caught my eye. For some reason, it reminded me of a 1936 Cadillac hood ornament. What do you see?
In that same canyon, a small natural bridge was carved out by eons of erosion
Couldn't resist checking this scene out in b&w. Does it work for you?
Any suggestions greatly appreciated as always.
The bright window in the upper right sets off the dark foreground nicely in the B&W version, but the washed out colors don't work for me in color.
Great work, as always.
Here's my nitpicks. I'm curious if #1 is a tad too dark? My monitor may need calibration. Bridge has a substantial dynamic range which brings in a slightly harsh contrast. Paired with the dark shadows, the highlighted upper portion seems too bright. I have no doubt that your image represents the scene well so maybe its just my own processing style that's distracting me.
#1 appears a bit too dark with the white background that we deal with here. Looks much better against a dark background.
As far as the Bridge, I wasn't too thrilled with the color version myself. I think I'm going to return with a wider lens and better lighting.
Joe Rogers
I think the B&W could be cropped as I find it a bit busy. I don't know whether the color version would benefit. Maybe get rid of busy-stuff on the right and a little on the left?
The first one undoubtedly looks better in a dark background. I feel your pain there as much of my work looks better in black. I wish we had that feature here on the regional forum.
#2 is superb in highlighting the sculptured human-like form.
#3 is just as good in bringing an abstract beauty, both in color and b&w. As I always say, the color is organic, and the B&W is a study in just line, light, form, shadow, and shape.
Love them all, and you can take much consolation in the fact that although you may have missed other opportunities, you made the most of this.
I like the bridge in B&W versus the color.