Devil's Canyon Mid-Morning

[churly]

Devil's Canyon in the Big Horn Recreation Area (Montana-Wyoming border).  This was shot in mid-July but I was the only one around.  The water is off color because of the runoff from melting snow in the mountains.

[Josh-H]

This is one of those photographs that has what I like to call 'two out of three'. You have a good subject and good composition (classical); which is great. But, the photograph is let down by very banal lighting. I would have loved to see the same shot with softer pastel light of dawn or sunset and perhaps some nice cloud in the sky. Not always possible of course depending on the access and timing you had available to you.

[francois]

This is one of those photographs that has what I like to call 'two out of three'. You have a good subject and good composition (classical); which is great. But, the photograph is let down by very banal lighting. I would have loved to see the same shot with softer pastel light of dawn or sunset and perhaps some nice cloud in the sky. Not always possible of course depending on the access and timing you had available to you.

I completely agree with Josh. This image is well composed, has great details and texture. The river leads the eyes through a colorful landscape. The only issue is the very common light. Return, pitch a tent and wait until the light or weather becomes "interesting"... I know, it's easier said that done!

[stamper]

Then it will be another cliche? 

[Justan]

It’s the kind of image you come to and want to wander around in it for a while.

The 3 dimensional look to the range on the foreground left is excellent. That is echoed in the range behind and in the immediate foreground. The color in the background water is one of the gems of the image.

The palisades on the right side is predominant. The light intensity reduces details and colors from about mid way to the right . You can see the oranges and yellows and many details but they are overwhelmed. Were it mine, I would mess with ways to enhance the details and add some color in that area, perhaps darken it a bit as well. I’d also darken the sky.

[stamper]

The vast majority of images you see of this kind of location are ones with deep shadows and underexposed areas of the scene. It is nice to see one without this kind of processing. That doesn't make it a great image however, just different. The other posters seem to want the clichéd look. 

[churly]

Thanks all for the constructive comments.  My main attraction to this image is the quality of the light reflected on the water in the upper left.  This is a pretty tough location as the canyon is predominantly N-S and has mountains on both sides so the sun is pretty high in the sky when the canyon walls start to get light.  It needs pretty special cloud conditions to get soft reflected light down into the canyon but that will make it a special catch when it happens.  Cliche? Well maybe so but  I suspect one has to indulge in some cliches in order to stimulate the search for something different.

[louoates]

This is a great shot that cries out for some creative PS work. If I wanted to turn this into a salable (art show) product I'd replace the sky, create bands of saturated color in the rock strata, adjust the overall light temperature, change the color of the "off color" water, etc., etc. Anything to add some drama that the mid-morning light lacks.

[HSway]

Hi,

seems the discussion has ended. I just wanted to say I like it. Flawless work overall makes the mid-morning lighting stand out. It’s not a spectacular image, it’s beautiful though. I tend to like them.
Thanks for posting,

Best,

Hynek

[stamper]

This is a great shot that cries out for some creative PS work. If I wanted to turn this into a salable (art show) product I'd replace the sky, create bands of saturated color in the rock strata, adjust the overall light temperature, change the color of the "off color" water, etc., etc. Anything to add some drama that the mid-morning light lacks.

That is you making it into something it wasn't. I am a believer in post processing but such radical advice is  - imo - too much.