Needles

[Michael Lloyd]

This is why they call the Canyonlands Needles district... the Canyonland Needles District. :)

I didn't crop this. I thought it would be nice to see what others could do with it. The light was harsh. The conditions were harsh... such is hiking in the desert.

I took this on the way back from a 5 mile hike (one way) out to the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers. I looked but I never did find a convenience store... :cool:

1DsMKII (manual)
24-70mm f2.8L

ISO 400
1/160@ f10

[Michael Pancier]

Michael did you only take one exposure of the scene? I try multiple exposures for HDR when faced with similar scenario. If you shot raw, and you have photomatix pro, trying doing the raw conversion in photomatix and then tone map and see what you come up with ....

[Paul Marcellini]

Beautiful scenery, just needs better light. I would crop to pano, the cloudless sky doesn't add to the scene. YOu'e got a pretty good comp with some decent separation of foreground, and the layers behind. Definitely worth a revisit in the golden hour.

[Michael Lloyd]

Thanks all.

Paul- I'm not sure if back country camping is allowed there. I don't recall seeing anything about permits. That would be about the only way to get a shot at the golden hour. The shot was taken about 4 miles into the 5 mile hike (actually at mile 6 on the way back). The terrain is pretty rough in places. With a 30-40 pound (give or take) pack it's probably a 4 or 5 hour hike in...

[Michael Lloyd]

I have a pano version, It's made up of the shot I posted above and one to the left. I think the one above is hurting due to my hurried processing...

Here's the pano. I doubt if it plays well since it's a 10 x 30 pano in the real world:

[Robert Amoruso]

Michael,

Do like the formations and composition as Paul mentions. A reverse s-curve can help you here and then add some POP back using Selective Color. See here for details on both http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=20434.

[Michael Lloyd]

Wow... That is a great tip (that I should have remembered). More proof that I rely too much on actions.

Here's the repost (the TIF file looks a lot better but this is still a big improvement. Thanks Robert)

Good grief... I processed the wrong image :-/ I'll correct it tomorrow...

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Michael,
Can't say I miss those days of hiking and carrying the gear! You can get a premit to 4 wheel and camp in the district..or you have to raft in?....not sure....but very remote and you can get in big trouble in a hurry......where's those darn convenience stores when you need them:D?
Very good points offered above and Roberts PP tweaks will definitely help. Try it on the Pano.....as that is my favorite comp......now if you had exciting sky??!!!.....different story. I remember hiking out the night b4 just so I could get the sunrise shots.......only to be greeted with mediocre skies!.......who says landscapes are easy?

[Michael Lloyd]

Hi Roman. Landscapes are easy if you want the same shot that everyone else gets :) That said, I'm finding out that being there doesn't necessarily make the shots you get good :D Since it was already past noon I asked the Park Ranger about the 4WD trail to the confluence. He said it was one of the most technical 4WD trails in Utah... That caused an immediate "ruh-roh Shaggy" reaction so, even though my '08 2500HD Crew cab is 4WD I opted to not destroy it :D and walk in.

To me, the biggest challenge for any desert hike is how to carry enough water followed by how to get the sky to cooperate in an arid climate :) Those two things are on almost equal footing :D At a little over 8# per gallon, having an adequate water supply can be a challenge. I think I have food under control now. Trail mix, jerky, and/or pemmican are light weight and will sustain a person for quite a while (it worked for the native Americans).

The last "night before" hike that I did was two years ago. 10 miles(and more than a few vertical feet) to the SW rim of Big Bend NP. I went in September so the park was relatively empty. There were no other campers at the SW camp sites. Just me. That sounded pretty inviting before I went up but I have to say that being 10 miles from anything... with nothing but a sleeping bag, a ground cloth, and some food and water... and of course a camera... was a little odd feeling at first. On the other hand, the peacefulness of sitting on the rim and looking out over who knows how many square miles of desert badlands into Mexico at sunrise and sunset was so worth the effort. I need to go back again sometime...

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Michael,
I know all to well about the 8lbs per gallon. That's why I tending to like mountain camping better!......always looked for a lake or stream so I didn't have to carry it. My wife knew I had gone over the deep end when on my last major hike, 8 years ago, food consisted of beef jerkey, cheese crackers, powdered ice tea mix, and whiskey! (i didn't have to carry much water it was a 20 miler over the divide in the Tetons...plenty of available water).....but she didn't think that was strange......I left the tent and only took a tarp for cover. It was the camera gear or the tent......not the 1st time I ditched the tent!
As for the 4 wheelin'......I have a 6" raised suburban with monster tires.....so no stranger to 4 wheelin'.....Utah is a whole other animal! You should see what I did to a rental truck on an easy trail! She got out and walked a few times........no, I didn't leave her:D.

[Morkel Erasmus]

interesting comp and discussion. I experienced similar light challenges when hiking the Fish River Canyon in Namibia recently. by the time the sun rose over the canyon walls the sweet light was gone, and all day the light was harsh. luckily there was actually water in the river as it can get rough carrying 5 days' water along. :)

like your comp, very interesting landscape. Robert's tricks help a lot :)