View from Mesa Arch, Canyonlands NP

[Ian Cassell]

Canon 7D
Sigma 10-20 mm @ 20 mm
1/80 sec f/10 ISO 200

Curves, slight crop for composition, warming filter, B/W conversion in CS6



115975

[Morkel Erasmus]

I really like the view here Ian, lovely depth. Great tonal range too - the hazy/smoky skies added a lot of mood. Overall the fine details just seem too smooth to me - were you aggressive with noise reduction? I would expect better fine texture in the foreground rocks and even in the midground too.

[Robert Amoruso]

Ian,

Compositionally, I am enjoying this one. Nice flow into to the image and I think the placement of the "V" int he rocks perfect. Atmospheric affects that create a sense of depth used well here. I am not to crazy about the bright sky. HDR or exposure-blending a good choice here.

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, folks. No, Morkel, I didn't add any NR, but may not have sharpened enough either. Maybe I can play with the sky a bit, Robert. I never seem to remember to bracket to play with HDR.

[Jay Gould]

Ian, I like the composition and what you are intending to present. There is a significant halo around the midground spires etc that I find distracting.

[Roger Clark]

Hi Ian,

Very nice image. I agree with the other comments about the sky. It should not take much to reduce the intensity bringing the overall image into balance. I would have moved to the left a couple feet so that the far canyon pointed into the V of the foreground rocks rather than going into the rock on the right. That would give a leading line from foreground to the distance.

Too bad about the haze. Unfortunately that is common these days. 20+ years ago, we would have haze in the Moab region only when the wind was from LA. Winds from the west or northwest brought in wonderfully clean air with 100 to 200 mile visibility. Now it matters little with wind direction. The west and northwest winds bring in haze from China, as well as from the Sal Lake City region which has grown a lot (as have all the others west coast cities).

Roger

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, Roger. I tried one with the washer woman formation in the "V" but found it too-centered for my taste. I actually liked the look of the haze, but would like to see it without as well.

[Roger Clark]

Thanks, Roger. I tried one with the washer woman formation in the "V" but found it too-centered for my taste. I actually liked the look of the haze, but would like to see it without as well.


I didn't mean the "washer woman." I would keep that formation in the same relative location in the image. I was referring to the canyon down at the river level.