Rays Of Light In The Southwest

[Wolfman]

Cruising the southwest last summer shooting landscapes I explored this canyon during monsoon season.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Very nice.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

A good shot betrayed by HDR treatment.

[Wolfman]

When you say betrayed by HDR treatment are you referring to multiple exposure blending? If so it's not what I did. It's one single exposure worked on in camera raw and photoshop. By HDR treatment are you referring to opening up the shadow area as much as I did? Either way, I like it and yes , maybe I should have made it look more realistic as far as dynamic range but I wanted to show the foreground in more detail.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

When you say betrayed by HDR treatment are you referring to multiple exposure blending? If so it's not what I did. It's one single exposure worked on in camera raw and photoshop. By HDR treatment are you referring to opening up the shadow area as much as I did? Either way, I like it and yes , maybe I should have made it look more realistic as far as dynamic range but I wanted to show the foreground in more detail.

However you arrived to it, it has that dreaded HDR look. Shadows opened too much, highlights killed to a muddy gray. Good thing you have raw. Salvation from an HDR Hell is just a few clicks away

[Smoothjazz]

I like it Wolfman! The post-processing path is very subjective; if you like it, keep doing it!!

[Wolfman]

Thanks Smoothjazz. I admit that I opened the shadows more than usual and toned down the highlights in the sky in the left side  so you could see more details in the clouds in that section.

[Paulo Bizarro]

Great scene, but to my taste it looks too bland, with the tonal range suffering a bit.

[thierrylegros396]

Great scene, but to my taste it looks too bland, with the tonal range suffering a bit.

Same for me.

Keep more shadows and contrast and it'll be good.

Thierry

[francois]

Same for me.

Keep more shadows and contrast and it'll be good.

Thierry

Same here too. I'd like more contrast (but it's an easy fix and keep in mind that it's only a personal preference).

[stamper]

Great scene, but to my taste it looks too bland, with the tonal range suffering a bit.

Agreed.

[Wolfman]

Ok gentelmen......I went back to the original raw and did a quick re-processing and backed off opening the darker foreground as much as I did previously.
Kept the saturation down a little more. The foreground in the original raw is naturally flat with no real deep shadows except in the rock crevasses.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Much better.

[Wolfman]

One more for good measure.

[Jeremy Roussak]

One more for good measure.

Yes.

Jeremy

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Yes.

Jeremy

+1.

[LesPalenik]

the 3rd image looks great.

[sdwilsonsct]

the 3rd image looks great.

Yes. Very strong, and naturalistic.

[stamper]

Getting there!

[francois]

Yes, back on Earth. I prefer the "natural" version…