Pima Point

With the West Rim Drive being closed to private vehicles beginning March 1, I made the trip to catch a few comps I had in mind. I was really hoping for some snow, but Flagstaff has had only 1/2" of snow since the middle of December. I had hopes that the soft light would light up the ridges leading towards the river gorge. The sunrise looking west turned into a nice glow for only about 2 minutes. The wind was blowing about 30mph so there were worries about camera shake and blur. This is a slight double processing and blend from one original exposure. Feel free to pick nits and offer honest critique.

Several minutes later, the sun broke through a gap in the clouds and lit the temples and ridges along the north rim.

The shadows of these 800px images sure seem lighter in PS than on here when viewed either with IE or FF.

Hi Doug, hope all is well. These are both fantastic grand vistas. I need to make it out to the Grand Canyon some day and you're gonna be my guide right? Your first image seems a little heavy on the right, but overall I think the comp works; mostly due to the morning alpen glow lighting up the upper cliffs on the left which brings additional interest to that side of the image. As for processing, your pink clouds view on my monitor as blown out. As for your second post, I like the comp, in fact i think most would love this comp but I'm not a huge fan of foreground stuff in these kinds of huge grand scenics. Processing looks good, especially your upper third, with the lower two thirds possibly a little dark..not a deal breaker at all for me considering its such a contrasty scene.

A couple of fine GC images here, Doug. I like the composition and the nice side lighting of the second image. The first is my favorite for obvious reasons. When I viewed this on my home calibrated monitor (w/Chrome), the foreground did seem a bit dark, but not really overly so. More of like what we would see with our eye. Viewing in on my uncalibrated laptop (w/IE) in a motel room in Gallup, the foreground does seem to be lighter, revealing some nice subtle colors.
The skies in the first are magnificent, but there aren't any details in the lower central clouds. Almost like a blown out red channel? It's really obvious in the larger version and I hope you can fix it.
Anyway,

Kane and John, thanks for your feedback. I found another frame taken a few moments before without the clouds being really bright. It should print better.

Not really crazy about that sky Doug, looks kinda funky to me. I love #2 though, although i might crop out the bottom small tree.
Get ready, cause March is currently looking quite busy as the subtropical jet starts to get its act together

Is March a good time to shoot the Grand Canyon? I have some time off in the last half of the month.

Stan, I have noticed the NOAA forecast showing good stuff starting next weekend for AZ. Is the sky in #3 funky to you also? Brightness of the clouds was a little uneven and I suppose I could brush in different brightnesses.

Kane, the sun angle still favors lighting the north rim features some at sunset, and the sky is still generally clearer than in summer. If the spring winds arrive, there may be dust in the air though. The west rim drive to Hermits Rest will require you to use the shuttle however after March 1. There should still be fewer tourists than in summer. The north rim will still be closed.

Yeah, sorry, its just too gloomy looking for me even with the color. I much prefer the light in the second.
I love the Canyon in March (and April) thats my favorite time to visit--been down to the river twice in those months.

Hi, Doug. I was out shooting last week, so I'm late to the discussion. I think the third image gives you the best starting point. If it were up to me, I'd bring down the sky levels (particularly towards the top) and try to further balance the left/right density in the canyon. In particular I'd say that the ridgelines and the Redwall formation on the right hand side could be brought up some. As it stands, my eye wants to avoid the lower-right corner. Like I said, though, it's a great starting point.

From Flagstaff I wouldn't want to drive around to the North Rim, but a friend from Kanab (who has a serious Grand Canyon addiction) has been heading out to the dirt-road North Rim access points most of the winter, since it's been so dry...

Nice images Doug...very late to the discussion, but I agree the sec on post of the first comp looks much better to me as well.

Thanks Mark and Kurt. I'll adjust some brightnesses.