Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: Roman Racela on September 11, 2014, 12:22:07 am

Title: Grand Canyon
Post by: Roman Racela on September 11, 2014, 12:22:07 am
I haven't posted here in a while...

Here's a pic taken a couple of months ago at Grand Canyon National Park at sunset right before it started to rain. The clouds were rolling in and getting dark quickly. I wanted the brighten the exposure and pull details from the shadows but then it would take away from the mood of what the monsoon season was brewing.

(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h88/romanwarrior/_DSC0765_zps28f7fd7d.jpg) (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/romanwarrior/media/_DSC0765_zps28f7fd7d.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: Paulo Bizarro on September 11, 2014, 04:17:00 am
Lovely photo, the composition is very good to me, with the tree in the foreground, and of course the clouds, light rays, and rain, in the background.

If anything, I would make the greens in the tree and grass a bit more vivid?
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: Roman Racela on September 11, 2014, 11:04:29 am
Thanks man. I agree with making the green more vivid and a bit brighter. I'll make that color pop a bit more. :)

Lovely photo, the composition is very good to me, with the tree in the foreground, and of course the clouds, light rays, and rain, in the background.

If anything, I would make the greens in the tree and grass a bit more vivid?
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: maddogmurph on September 11, 2014, 03:21:39 pm
I love it.
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: luxborealis on September 11, 2014, 05:40:11 pm
A wonderful moment captured beautifully. I wouldn't recommend bringing the greens up. They are already in stark contrast to the rest of the photo, so hardly need accentuating. Brining them up may make them more immediately obvious, but this photo does not need anything to draw the viewer it - it's all there already! I'm either maddog - I love it!
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: Roman Racela on September 11, 2014, 05:48:56 pm
Thank you for the kind words. I did apply a little bit of global contrast and lightly dodged the greens. Although I was happy the way the photo appears in this version. The 2nd version does pop a bit more without the green annoying. Thanks again and I'm glad you like it.

A wonderful moment captured beautifully. I wouldn't recommend bringing the greens up. They are already in stark contrast to the rest of the photo, so hardly need accentuating. Brining them up may make them more immediately obvious, but this photo does not need anything to draw the viewer it - it's all there already! I'm either maddog - I love it!
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: Roman Racela on September 11, 2014, 07:59:32 pm
Here's a version with a big more global contrast and dodging the green on the base of the tree.

I'm leaning more towards this version, but I am not 100% sure. lol

(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h88/romanwarrior/GCNP_zpsffd4be9b.jpg) (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/romanwarrior/media/GCNP_zpsffd4be9b.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: stamper on September 12, 2014, 03:29:58 am
First version for me. It was "perfect" as it was. Well processed and worth the time to post it.
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: melchiorpavone on September 12, 2014, 09:58:37 am
It is difficult to pull off a shot with two main centres of interest such as we have here (i.e., the bright area near the top and the tree in the foreground). For me, this doesn't work. The two things compete for attention. This is the typical American aesthetic, trying to put more and more into the shot (for this reason Americans tend to use wide-angle lenses more than Europeans). It takes discipline to say 'no', and to focus the viewers attention on one prime area.
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: Roman Racela on September 12, 2014, 10:26:33 am
I am American. Thank God I'm not European.
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: melchiorpavone on September 12, 2014, 11:30:50 am
I am American. Thank God I'm not European.

I am American as well. I just have observed these tendencies. American photographers simply tend to try to pack more into their photographs, and this is easily observed if you look at work from other countries.

Look here:
http://www.onevisionphoto.org/index.php
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: Les Sparks on September 12, 2014, 11:38:06 am
I like the first version. In the second version the bright green pulls my eye away from the rest of the photo. I think that the subject is the canyon and sky not the bright patch of green.
I attended an Art Wolfe seminar and he emphasized the need to find the subject and concentrate attention to it. Think that the first version does this wonderfully.
Lovely photo.
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: melchiorpavone on September 12, 2014, 11:51:16 am
I like the first version. In the second version the bright green pulls my eye away from the rest of the photo. I think that the subject is the canyon and sky not the bright patch of green.
I attended an Art Wolfe seminar and he emphasized the need to find the subject and concentrate attention to it. Think that the first version does this wonderfully.
Lovely photo.


I agree with you, that the eye should be drawn to the top of this image. That was my point.
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: mkihne on September 12, 2014, 02:45:19 pm
Might as well cover the waterfront with diverse opinions.  I like the increased detail in the second with respect to the canyon. I don't think it detracts from the mood intended. But I would desaturate the greens to where they were in the original. By being brighter they beg for attention while the mid and background is what makes the image. Nice image tho......right spot at the right time.
Title: Re: Grand Canyon
Post by: luxborealis on September 12, 2014, 08:16:43 pm
First version for me. It was "perfect" as it was. Well processed and worth the time to post it.

+1