Monument Valley

[Ian Cassell]

Canon 30D
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ 17mm
1/200sec @ f/9
ISO 100

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ian,
In this image, the shadow area is too dominant/over powering. Yes it does make a nice keyhole frame but the light creeping in from the right is too out of place with the rest and the large area of black is also too overpowering. As the sun was just rising....the long shadow in the MG and the light not quite yet hitting some of the other buttes....just isn't giving the image much depth. Having been here, you had a few options; 1....used your flash to pop some light into the darker areas....tough yes, but it would help. slap on the polariser....go to f22-32...giving a very long exposure...and try painting with a flahlight/headlamp....my preference....going tighter on the keyhole and trying the flash. Another option is HDR.....but the range may have to be huge. This is a tough one to get!

[Dave Mills]

Ian, warm early light but agree with Roman's points. I would get rid of the lit area on the lower rt since it is distracting and doesn't add much to the image. Interesting how the play on shad and light give the illusion that the backround isn't level. Not sure if flashing the sides would of helped due to the area that is visible being very busy.

[David Kennedy]

Hi, Ian,
I like your positioning within the "key hole"--how you framed the buttes within the frame--but I agree with Roman and Dave that the light that was available to you is overpowered by the blackness that surrounds. I pulled up my own photo from this location (I've attached it below) not to say "this is how it's done" because it's not that great. I include it to illustrate what Roman and Dave mean by the negative space working against you as opposed to working for you.

It may be possible to boost the image a bit with curves and get the illuminated landscape to overpower the black frame.

http://davidkennedy.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v1/p500907147-4.jpg

[Robert Amoruso]

Thanks for posting David. Your image illustrates the points made above.

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks for the tips, all! I have to get back up there sometime soon. For those of you who have never been -- run, don't walk! The whole place is amazing.

[Roger Clark]

Ian, David,

While I agree with the idea of a slightly tighter crop, I like your image a lot. I don't like the large flat hill in sunlight that dominates the center of David's image. In your, the shadow hides that boring hill. It also seems I can see some detail in the framing rocks. Perhaps some dodging and burning could reduce the extremes in this image and bring out some detail in the framing rocks, and in the distant scene.

While I've been to monument valley many times (mostly passing through--did camp there once), I've never been to this location. Where is it and do you need to hire a guide to go there?

Roger

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, Roger. I'll give that a try. I've only been there once (last year) and honestly couldn't tell you where this keyhole was located (I had a Native American Guide). Perhaps David knows.


Ian