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Thread: Mesa Arch

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    Default Mesa Arch

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    This is a western icon in Canyonlands in Utah. I definitely haven't pushed photography forward with my composition here as it is an extremely common shot of this arch, but I was dying to see the underside of the arch light up as the sun came up. I waited until the forecast seemed favorable for a colorful sunrise, and I got my wife and myself up at around 04:30 in order to make it here for sunrise. I know this is a shot that everyone that goes out west has in their portfolio, but it was personally a morning well spent and now I have my shot of Mesa Arch. I blended two shots together using Mark Metternich's process which I have had much more luck with than using luminosity masks. I'm sure that has more to do with my poor post-processing skills than anything else, but I just can't seem to get those luminosity masks to turn out like I want them to. All C&C welcome.

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  2. #2
    Roman Kurywczak
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    Hey Lyle,
    Personally....I could stand there 1000 times and not get tired of the view.....and I'm getting close! A classic and well done in the PP'ing too! Have you considered a crop that eliminates the sky in the ULC? I like it as presented but could also see that pano version. Great job all around!

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    BPN Member dankearl's Avatar
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    Great view Lyle, and your PP work does look very good in this one.
    I screen scrolled and I agree with Roman about the pano comp suggestion.
    Dan Kearl

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Lyle - a classic but really well done. Love the sunburst. Oh, and a third vote for a pano crop.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    I've shot this, too, and love the sunburst you got. Wonderful as it is, I feel the FG rocks and the reflected light under the arch are a little flat. Could you give more info about your PP, and a reference to the Metternisch process?

    I'd wonder if you should be able to pull more detail out of the raw file before resorting to luminosity masks, especially if you are using a recent version of LR / ACR with ACR 7.x (PS 6 or LR 4 or later).

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    OK -- just checked his web site and I see he's using Blend if... to do a two-image HDR. In this case I wonder if the two source images (especially the one for the higher exposure of the darker tones) may not have the optimum contrast.

    Since Process 2012 came out I have been astonished at how much shadow and highlight detail I can recover without resorting to multiple exposure HDR processing.

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    Hi Lyle,

    Very well done and another vote for the pano. I think many other posts have used stronger colours than you have here, i guess we post as we like to see it... The rocks look worn smooth, so i am guessing that people have been sucking in that view for thousands of years...

    DON

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    Hello Lyle,

    I agree with the above comments. You must have made this image within a month or so of summer solstice as the sun is rising pretty far north. The problem with that time of year is that the sun is rising behind the ridge and that blocks light from illuminating the rocks below the arch. When the sun is on the south side of the La Sal mountains, it illuminates the rocks below the arch, which then reflects up illuminating the under side of the arch. That double reflection enhances the color, making it very red. October through March work better for that effect, and one does not have to get up as early (but then it is colder and less crowded).

    Roger

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    Nice solid composition Lyle. Processing wise it can do with more midtone and overall tonal contrast as it feels a bit flat to me. I know Mark Metternich's work but I'm not sure how he blends - does he use gradient mask blending or something similar?

    Having seen a recent photo showing photographers line up at this spot that resembles some of the "horror" Masai Mara pictures sent around, I wonder how many folks were with you this morning?
    Morkel Erasmus

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    Quote Originally Posted by Morkel Erasmus View Post
    Nice solid composition Lyle. Processing wise it can do with more midtone and overall tonal contrast as it feels a bit flat to me. I know Mark Metternich's work but I'm not sure how he blends - does he use gradient mask blending or something similar?

    Having seen a recent photo showing photographers line up at this spot that resembles some of the "horror" Masai Mara pictures sent around, I wonder how many folks were with you this morning?
    Hi Morkel,
    I too do like the composition, and the exposure is well done. I looked through my images and I usually set up either to the left or right of this spot (not that there is any one spot that is best). I do like the lower perspective with the mountains showing completely in this view, so well done.

    But this spot has become very popular. Twenty+ years ago I would be the only one there at sunrise. My last experience, March 2012 was terrible. I got there at around 3:30 am in April 2012 with my friends and we did night imaging. Then we waited for sunrise. It got so bad that the other photographers were so close we were touching shoulders. I was trying to do mosaics and told them they had to move away so I had room to move. While I have always done night photography, this experience pretty much sealed my strategy: in National parks like this I mostly do night photography. Unfortunately, many others are now doing it too, but many of them have bright lights that they shine for hours. So I have to wait for them to go to bed.

    And like the Masai Mara, the Serengeti in Tanzania can be pretty bad too, like 20 vehicles surrounding a tree with a leopard. I take a picture of the crowd an move on. Such is life.

    Roger

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    This a super shot Lyle. Some good detail here and good comp. Great light captured too.

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    Thanks all for the feedback. I shot this on July 19th of this year. I got up that early to beat the crowds. Luckily, when I arrived there was only one guy there who was from China that had been shooting lightning all night. He came all the way over to shoot lightning during the monsoon season. (he had an incredible shot of Balanced Rock with lightning in it) He graciously allowed me to pick my spot and this was the first composition I settled on. He and I just sat there and talked for an hour while we waited on the sun to come up. Two other guys showed up right before the sun came up and we shared different spots and compositions. No one had any issues and I think we all got the shots we wanted. I have heard the arch is lit better later in the year as the sun wasn't at the optimum angle. That, however, is ok with me as I haven't seen very many Mesa Arch shots with clouds in them. I'll take the monsoon season clouds and worse sun angle--that is until the next time I can get out west!

    i agree there needs to be more contrast, but I was a little cautious because have also learned that I push a little too far. I'd love to know y'alls favorite ways to add contrast to landscape shots in post.

    Thanks

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    Also, about the crop suggestion: I agree that it helps to come in from the top left, however, I like it with just a little bit of sky left in. Thanks for the advice Roman.

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    Landscapes Moderator Andrew McLachlan's Avatar
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    Hi Lyle,
    You did very well with this comp, including the processing too. Glad you agree on Roman's crop...it is always best to avoid triangles in the corners such as that as they do tend to draw the viewer's eye immediately. I have never been to this location, but have seen photos that show the vast number of folks that show up...that would drive me bonkers...probably why I like to hide out in the forests of the north

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    Very nice Lyle, and I agree with comments already given about adding a little contrast. For landscape, I like to use the clarity slider instead of the contrast slider, but if you want better control, use the curves.

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