Fish River Canyon - Panorama (Main View Point)

[Morkel Erasmus]

http://i578.photobucket.com/albums/ss230/Lekrom777/canyon-mainviewpoint.jpg

Recently we hiked the Fish River Canyon in Namibia - it is the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. This is a stitching of 4 vertically composed photos taken from the main view point before we descended down the canyon for the hike.

This is my first landscape post on BPN and I am really an amateur in landscape, hoping to get valuable input from all you experts and semi-pro's to help me improve.

Taken with a Canon EOS 1000D and 18-55mm IS lens.
f11.0 - SS 1/250 - handheld - ISO 200

Thanks!!

[Ed Cordes]

Wonderful image. The detail is great. I wonder if a bit more saturation on the rocks would "pop" it more?

[Arthur Morris]

I love the detail down inside the canyon. The lower left foreground pales by comparision. Depending on the phsyical configuration it would have been great if you could have gotten right up to the edge and looked into the canyon. That said lightening the canyon and then increasing a the contrast a bit would improve it as presented.

[Morkel Erasmus]

thanks for the feedback Ed & Art! I will play around with the settings you suggested.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Morkel,
Welcome to the forum! Very good advice given above as i agree with lightening the canyon areas a bit and added contrast will provide a bit more impact also. The lower FG area would have been more effective if there was a bush or something in the area......but as presented it is a bit overpowering so Artie's suggestion for a different angle is the correct one. Pretty good for a first post and the tweaks suggested will only improve it further. Do also post the f-stop, SS, and ISO as this will further help us with recommendations. Nice first post and looking forward to more!

[Robert Amoruso]

Morkel,

I am guessing that moving forward would have lessened the FG some as suggested but it seems that the canyon composition required you to turn the camera left making some of the FG where your standing in the image a necessity.

I would agree with more contrast in the canyon and the lack of it could be atmospheric haze. One way to cut that and add contrast is by using local contrast enhancement. See my tutorial at for doing this: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=20434.

My two image tune-up tutorials are in a sticky here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=24075.

I would try the contrast boost first and then lighten it to your liking. The composition works well with good leading lines in the canyon moving from the FG to the BG - just what you want to allow the viewer's eye to flow through the image.

[Morkel Erasmus]

thanks very much for viewing and the constructive feedback, Robert & Roman! will dabble with it a bit as suggested and read the tutorials.

I could have climbed over the railing but my wife was begging me not to take risks hehe (little did she know we would be doing a very risky hike down there ;)) - I was literally standing on the handrailing to get these shots lined up like this as it is.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Morkel,
I had to laugh at the wife begging not to take the risk part! I found it is better to sometimes leave her home.........that way she can only be angry if you fall.....but at least you won't have to hear it while rail jumping! I'll have to show her this now. as she will understand. Maybe that's why she increased my life insurance.

[Dave Mills]

Hi Morkel, Just another option.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Roman - haha I'm actually trying to get her hooked on togging as well (a good excuse to buy more gear). ;)

Dave - thanks for the suggestion. I would be keen to know what you did re levels etc. I can see the parts that were cropped off thus removing some fo the foreground.

[Dave Mills]

Hi Morkel..Actually I didn't use levels...Put the image in Nik Color Efex Brilliance and Warmth and made a small adj using that filter.