This is the first image that I took at the main overlook at Dead Horse Point State Park last September. This was my first trip to the park and the timing could not have been better. I captured this image on the same morning and I would take this image that same evening. Overall, it was the most productive day of photography that I have had.
This was captured at twilight as the first hint of light was coming onto the scene. The canyon was barely visible. Coincidentally as a result of the long exposure I got lucky and captured some lightning in a bottle (or at least on the far horizon).
I enjoyed a quiet morning at the overlook for a couple of hours I was one of only a couple of people here on a Sunday morning with the rumblings of distant thunder being the only sound.
PLEASE VIEW LARGE - there is much more detail.
Specs:
21mm
ISO 100
f8 @ 61 sec
Processing inlcuded TK's luminosity masks to increase mid-tone contrast as well as luminosity painting and vibrance / saturation masks. My intent was to capture a natural appearance (although if it were really natural you wouldn't be able to see much since it was virtually still dark. )
You've got a really nice image here. Crazy catch on that lightning bolt! You might want to try selectively lightening the dominate east facing walls and adding some clarity to the overall photo to give the image a feeling of more intermediate depth.
Brian, I really love the cool color balance here. Color Balance or White Balance in my opinion are under appreciated processing factors theses days. I think you've nailed it! And I can really appreciate the slight pano format as well. Regardless if this image is a truly exposed to the actual scene, I think its too dark. There's a lot to work with here, especially that alpen glow on the canyon walls. Then again, you have to ask yourself that question about what you want to be known for, true scenes, artistry, or a combo of both. Might be worth looking into isolating the bottom 2/3rds bringing out the shadows and glow on those walls, and adding contrast without touching that nice sky. Just a thought.
Thanks for the great feedback, Kane. I appreciate the suggestions. I will experiment with opening up the shadows (or maybe just midtones and highlights to maintain contrast) in the canyon a little with some luminosity masks and painting.
My perspective on presentation is that I want to maintain a believably natural look to my images. At the same time, I realize that the camera doesn't capture reality and there is room for creative expression in processing. I probably tend to be a bit conservative when processing my images, and always appreciate the feedback!!
Discussion
5 repliesThis was captured at twilight as the first hint of light was coming onto the scene. The canyon was barely visible. Coincidentally as a result of the long exposure I got lucky and captured some lightning in a bottle (or at least on the far horizon).
I enjoyed a quiet morning at the overlook for a couple of hours I was one of only a couple of people here on a Sunday morning with the rumblings of distant thunder being the only sound.
PLEASE VIEW LARGE - there is much more detail.
Specs:
21mm
ISO 100
f8 @ 61 sec
Processing inlcuded TK's luminosity masks to increase mid-tone contrast as well as luminosity painting and vibrance / saturation masks. My intent was to capture a natural appearance (although if it were really natural you wouldn't be able to see much since it was virtually still dark.
All honest comments and critiques are welcome.
My perspective on presentation is that I want to maintain a believably natural look to my images. At the same time, I realize that the camera doesn't capture reality and there is room for creative expression in processing. I probably tend to be a bit conservative when processing my images, and always appreciate the feedback!!