I finally got some time to do some shooting yesterday morning. The forecast was for 50-60% clouds at sunrise at Calhan, but there was only probably 10-15% at that time. No great sky color, but the formations at the Paint Mines are so fascinating, the sky is really second fiddle to them as subjects. Oddly enough, the clouds did begin forming just an hour after sunrise. Here are a few I thought show just some of the variations of possibilities for subjects and comps. I would love to hear your thoughts on these, so thanks for looking and your comments.
Hi Morris, it's nice to see you beginning to post again. I'll go with your first post as my favorite. From a lighting and composition perspective, it's a little better than the others in my opinion. I find that my eye is drawn to the interesting upper half of the comp due to the cool cyan colors in the background. I also consider #3 interesting, but the extreme foreground dried mud has its appeal limitations.
I suppose when it comes down to the set, I can appreciate the Prarie foreground elements in most of the posted images but find them not truely nessecary.
Posted by Doug Koepsel on June 27, 2013 at 10:34 AM
Morris, I like the second with the blooming prickly pear in the foreground, #3 with the colors and vertical lines, and the fifth with its diagonal lines. I could see a very slight crop of the foreground in both 2&3.
Thanks, Kane. I included the cactus and the dried mud in my shots to tell some of the story of this place. How the fascinating formations came to be from the erosion of the prairie around them. Giving the formations a sense of context. And, also how in the Spring life blooms all around this lower wasteland still. They also add depth to the image as they give another visual layer. A minimum of 3 layers are needed to impart depth with 5 being optimum for the maximum effect for the eye viewing a 2 dimensional image.
I think that cloudy skies produce a better and more even light in this place. I also think that this area has a wonderland of smaller and more intimate compositions as we begin to see in the last two images. Looking forward to seeing more from you from this fascinating place!
Discussion
9 repliesMorris
I suppose when it comes down to the set, I can appreciate the Prarie foreground elements in most of the posted images but find them not truely nessecary.
Thanks, Kane. I included the cactus and the dried mud in my shots to tell some of the story of this place. How the fascinating formations came to be from the erosion of the prairie around them. Giving the formations a sense of context. And, also how in the Spring life blooms all around this lower wasteland still. They also add depth to the image as they give another visual layer. A minimum of 3 layers are needed to impart depth with 5 being optimum for the maximum effect for the eye viewing a 2 dimensional image.
Thanks, Doug.