Edge of a Marble (+ repost of #5)

Over Memorial Day weekend, I spent the weekend with Shane M and hit various spots on the edge overlooking the Colorado river. The low pressure brought plenty of clouds and enticed with sunset possibilities, but the skies never lit with vibrant color. The smoke from the Slide fire near Sedona also added to the summer haze. Still, it was an enjoyable weekend with great views and solitude.

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

Really like #5, Doug! Glad you had a fun trip.

Doug,

You've become the Master of the Canyon - I always enjoy your views of Northern Arizona, an area with special meaning to me - especially Lee's Ferry.

Any update on the Oak Creek Canyon fire?

Doug Beezley
Snellville, GA

Nice set of GC shots, Doug. I've been kayaking in Idaho (Middle Fork of the Salmon and Main Salmon) the past 12 days so have been without news during that time. I hope your house escaped the Oak Creek Fire?

By the way I'll be kayaking the Grand Canyon again in late Oct/early Nov. this year so I'll try to look up and smile for you!

These are fantastic, Doug. The first one is a masterpiece. I also really enjoy the pano with the lonely road leading to nowhere. Nice, nice work, my friend.

Stan, I think #5 needs some help still. Less blue? More Saturation? More contrast? I'm open to your suggestions.
Doug, I would still like to photograph the reflections in the canyon above Lee's Ferry, at least between casts. The Slide fire is controlled and just a few interior spots. Smoke is very minimal: maybe the most might be in OCC at night. I have not seen or smelled any here at the house in a few days. The condition of West Fork above the first pool is still uncertain.
Don, I have been on the MF twice. What a treat. Hopefully the GC too in the future.
Bret, with the building clouds, I originally thought the road pano would be good in B&W, but the color version actually looked better to us.

Hi Doug, nice to see a set come through of your recent work. Are all these from the Tatahatso area? I like #2 the best. I love the well placed Yucca plant foreground and the clouds are superb. I'm typically not a fan of foreground plant life placed in these huge grand scenic's but this one works for me. #1 is excellent as well. Great comp and lighting. The pano effort is a cool idea but falls a little short of your first two, mostly due to lighting. #4 is nice but it really doesn't appear too much different vs typical Grand Canyon images, it just sort of gets lost after I see it once. I agree with Stan, #5 is top notch stuff. The composition is stellar. I'm thinking some precise Curve action to the entire scene minus only the river and immediate darker slopes from the river, might give you additional emotion with this grand scene. Overall I think your missing optimal light. #6 reminds me of #4; it gets lost in the other four.

Hope all is well.

Here is a rework of #5, with a tweak to mid-point in levels, some added contrast and saturation, and a slight touch of warming to WB. Thanks all for your comments and feedback.

Repost looks a lot better!

#5 was my favorite and the repost looks great, you gave it some good pop. Glad to hear the fire is under control and you had an enjoyable trip out here.