Shiprock and Storm Clouds

[JeffKohn]

Taken on the last morning of a recent visit to northwest New Mexico. We got up early for sunrise, only to find it cold, rainy, and windy with heavy clouds. We missed the sunrise, but stayed and waited in hopes conditions would improve. Eventually the sun started peaking through the clouds for a few moments at a time, though it never did illuminate Shiprock as fully as I'd have liked.

C&C welcome. You can click here or on the image below for a larger version, as well as EXIF and shooting info.

[John R]

It's a great shot. I always feel cheated when the weather turns nasty. But the rewards are immense if you happen to be there when the weather changes and you are there to capture something in the most unusual and fleeting conditions. The moving clouds and unsettled weather make this image what it is- excellent.

JMR

[Bill Caulfeild-Browne]

Taken on the last morning of a recent visit to northwest New Mexico. We got up early for sunrise, only to find it cold, rainy, and windy with heavy clouds. We missed the sunrise, but stayed and waited in hopes conditions would improve. Eventually the sun started peaking through the clouds for a few moments at a time, though it never did illuminate Shiprock as fully as I'd have liked.

C&C welcome. You can click here or on the image below for a larger version, as well as EXIF and shooting info.

Dynamite - I love  (and envy!) it.
Bill

[jasonrandolph]

Dynamite - I love  (and envy!) it.
Bill

Beautiful tones and it's tack-sharp where it should be.  I would crop out the far right outcropping, which draws my eyes away from Shiprock.  The second from the right outcropping is fine, but with two, you've got a repeating pattern which is distracting.  otherwise, this is a really beautiful image!

[wolfnowl]

Hmmm... I agree that little hummock is distracting, but the current crop of the photo provides a wonderful balance with the placement of the main monument where it is, and the lighter clouds on the left offset by the shorter span of 'heavier' darker clouds on the right.  Rather than cropping I might be tempted to clone it out instead.

All in all, a great image.

Mike.

[francois]

Stunning! Those clouds were really what Shiprock needs to "shine". The B/W treatment is well done. I agree with other comments that the little outcrop on the right could be cloned out or cropped.

[JeffKohn]

Thanks to everybody for the comments and feedback, I really appreicate it. I hadn't really considered that the right-most rock outcropping could be a distraction, but now I see your point, particularly given its proximity to the edge of the frame. Cloning out a permanent feature of the landscape such as that isn't something I'd do, but I'll have to go back to the original stitch and see if I have room to crop it out or at least get it away from the edge of the frame without throwing off the balance of the image.

I do have another shot that's framed more loosely, and I think it's less of an issue here; but the light wasn't as good on this image IMHO, also from this vantage point the mounts aren't visible behind Shiprock (once again, click on the image for a larger version):

[RSL]

Hmmm... I agree that little hummock is distracting, but the current crop of the photo provides a wonderful balance with the placement of the main monument where it is, and the lighter clouds on the left offset by the shorter span of 'heavier' darker clouds on the right.  Rather than cropping I might be tempted to clone it out instead.

All in all, a great image.

Mike.

Jeff, I almost agree with Mike, except I wouldn't remove the little hummock by cropping or cloning. When you look at the picture your eye starts at Shiprock and moves left to the bright clouds -- then it moves right to the little hump. One thing I've learned over a lot of years is that when you shoot something like this your first exposure almost always is the right one. It's the one that stopped you and made you shoot the picture. I think the little hummock belongs right where it is. It offsets and emphasizes the flatness and emptyness of the space on the right.

[JeffKohn]

Thanks Russ, I appreciate the feedback. I may go back and see if I can loosen the crop on the side just a bit to at least get the outcropping a little farther from the edge of the frame.

[kaelaria]

I love it as-is!  Every time I'm out there I get nothing but bland white skies

[Hans Kruse]

Taken on the last morning of a recent visit to northwest New Mexico. We got up early for sunrise, only to find it cold, rainy, and windy with heavy clouds. We missed the sunrise, but stayed and waited in hopes conditions would improve. Eventually the sun started peaking through the clouds for a few moments at a time, though it never did illuminate Shiprock as fully as I'd have liked.

C&C welcome. You can click here or on the image below for a larger version, as well as EXIF and shooting info.

Hi Jeff,

It think it is a wonderfull image. Despite what has been said about the cropping, I would not change it. The sky and the dimensionality that it gives is the reason I would give for not cropping.