Death Valley Salt

[susanschermer]

Badwater Salt Flats at Death Valley this past November.
Canon 7D (jpeg) I didn't have the new Adobe Camera Raw when I processed this image
10-22mm lens @ 14mm 3 stop hard line graduated ND filter
f/16 1/15 sec
The foreground was in shade and the mountains in sun so the result was a blue tint in the foreground. I did a Robert O Toole Average Blur Color Balance to achieve a more natural look to the FG.

[Julie Brown]

Nice image Susan. The foreground detail is really interesting. As I understand from reading the 7D camera reviews, the jpegs coming from the camera are a bit soft, but you can get great results from RAW files?

[Dave Mills]

Hi Susan, Been there a number of times and you handled the exposure well using the GND. You picked out a nice clean foreground pattern and pulled out the detail. I also like how you minimalised the sky. The warm light in the backround adds a nice contrast....

[Robert Amoruso]

Susan,

The patterns in the FG well chosen for this composition. I suggest local contrast enhancement to bring out all the detail. Go to http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=20434 for my tutorial on LCE if needed.

[David Thomasson]

Very intriguing details in the salt formations. Looks like a microscopic view of the inside of an arterial wall. :eek:

This would be a good image to try the free trial of Topaz Detail. I use it to gently tweak fine details as in this image (and also feathers).
I find it generally does a better job than any of the standard sharpening and contrast-enhancement tricks.

[Charles Glatzer]

Susan,

Sweet Image, well seena and taken!

Average Blur Color Correction... never heard of it :D

Best,

Chas

[susanschermer]

In response to Chaz:
This technique is outlined in detail in Robert's APATS 2 to correct a color cast. It involves opening the image and duplicating it then doing a filter-blur-average blur on the dupe, using the middle eyedropper in the curves window to click there, and then clicking that onto a bg copy of the original image. I recommend ordering Robert's CD. He has lots of great tricks on it and I apologize to him if I gave away his secret weapon.

[Morkel Erasmus]

this is a great perspective Susan...love the intricate detail in the cracked salts and the distant mountain textures. well done overall!

[Kobus Tollig]

Ditto Morkel here. You did well here. Good comp in a not so easy place

[Dan Wolin]

I like this Susan - great perspective and use of your grad. I wish there was a little more detail on the right side of the mountains but that is being nit picky.

[Gerald_Gilligan]

Susan,
I like your image and have this location on the to do list...I can see that this is a tricky exposure and the grads really helped the foreground...I agree with Dan that the right mountain needs more detail or darkened as my eye goes to this spot.

Jerry