Posted by Doug Koepsel on March 4, 2014 at 11:25 AM
I had first gone to Lower Antelope Canyon in 2010 shortly after I got my D90. I have wanted to go back now with the ff D600 and better lenses, so I made a quick jaunt to Page last Sunday. Prices are now $46 for 2 hours for a photographer's pass. Another 2 hours is an extra $20.
The first two images are of a common feature. I had not shot it in 2010 from the perspective in the first. This was taken at 12:45when the sun left the rear wall. No purples, so wonder what time of year and day is best for that? I think #1 could use some purple towards the bottom.
Feel free to give honest and even brutal critique.
#1 is 3 images stacked in Zerene for dof.
Posted by Doug Koepsel on March 4, 2014 at 11:32 AM
# 2
Posted by Doug Koepsel on March 4, 2014 at 11:35 AM
#3 I had not seen this on my first visit. Focal stack of 2 images. I did not focus on the back wall as I wanted the flame like peak to stand apart. Is the oof sand in the lrc bothersome?
Posted by Doug Koepsel on March 4, 2014 at 11:35 AM
#4
Posted by Doug Koepsel on March 4, 2014 at 11:37 AM
#5 focal blend in Zerene of 4 images
All of the images #1-5 were taken with the Tamron 24-70 and a CPL
Posted by Karl Buiter on March 4, 2014 at 11:59 AM
Page abstracts are always interesting.
For me, #3 is the stand-out - just love the close detail and overall shape and flow. The OOF area probably keeps the eye where it should be; but there are schools of thought on that. #5 not too far behind for the change in rock layers.
As a whole, I have been wondering about how Lower Antelope looks in the winter sun. More than a few times I have wanted to hit it at or near the Winter Solstice. How was the CPL impacting?
My favorite is #2 due to its greater simplicity and as a result bigger visual impact. $46.00 for 2 hours in Feb/Mar seems a bit high since your best window of opportunity at this time of year is probably about 1 hour tops. I've been there in April and had a great time. Very few people yet but a greater window. First half of May gets more crowded but still doable. June through August is not recommended.
Wonderful set with # 5 is my favorite probably because of the depth it protrays for me. Nice use of stacking and well executed.
Posted by Scott Fricke on March 5, 2014 at 11:01 PM
Great set Doug, I always love seeing some of the endless perspectives you get there. Number two is my favorite, just a great sculptural image. #1 is a close second. I'm not sure the area in #1 ever gets too much purple as it is in a more open area and gets more sun and the purples are in the more shadowed areas. So winter and early or late in the day would probably give you the best opportunity. In #3 the oof sand is a bit distracting, with texture so prominent here it is more pronounced than in some other situations
Posted by Doug Koepsel on March 6, 2014 at 9:45 AM
Thanks all for your feedback. Looks like I needed one more exposure focused closer for the stack of #3.
Don, when I went in 2010, I saw maybe 5 people in the canyon. Guess the word is out.
Karl, one can see a slight amount of glare reduction by rotating the CPL, so I figured using it would help with the colors on some surfaces, even though it is just a small amount.
#2 is my favorite of the group and the one that would fit into your portfolio the best, Doug.
The OOF sand in #3 wasn't too noticeable until you pointed it out.
My only nit is the relative uniformity of the color spectrum. I think you may feel the same.
What were your shutter speeds? My experience is that longer shutter speeds tend to tease out more from the color spectrum, although it may be that this time of year is less conducive to bounce light with the low sun angle.
Posted by Doug Koepsel on March 10, 2014 at 7:40 PM
Thanks Soubhik and John. I think it may need some more (healthy dose?) contrast in luminosity mode to overcome the uniformity/flatness. I tried the auto-color-correct, but that just wiped out most color. The exposures for #1 were 1/3sec, ISO 100, f/5.6
Doug, number two wins the contest here hands down. I love the tighter composition which allows you to maximize the awesome light throughout the entire frame.
Discussion
13 repliesThe first two images are of a common feature. I had not shot it in 2010 from the perspective in the first. This was taken at 12:45when the sun left the rear wall. No purples, so wonder what time of year and day is best for that? I think #1 could use some purple towards the bottom.
Feel free to give honest and even brutal critique.
#1 is 3 images stacked in Zerene for dof.
All of the images #1-5 were taken with the Tamron 24-70 and a CPL
Page abstracts are always interesting.
For me, #3 is the stand-out - just love the close detail and overall shape and flow. The OOF area probably keeps the eye where it should be; but there are schools of thought on that. #5 not too far behind for the change in rock layers.
As a whole, I have been wondering about how Lower Antelope looks in the winter sun. More than a few times I have wanted to hit it at or near the Winter Solstice. How was the CPL impacting?
Don, when I went in 2010, I saw maybe 5 people in the canyon. Guess the word is out.
Karl, one can see a slight amount of glare reduction by rotating the CPL, so I figured using it would help with the colors on some surfaces, even though it is just a small amount.
The OOF sand in #3 wasn't too noticeable until you pointed it out.
My only nit is the relative uniformity of the color spectrum. I think you may feel the same.
What were your shutter speeds? My experience is that longer shutter speeds tend to tease out more from the color spectrum, although it may be that this time of year is less conducive to bounce light with the low sun angle.