Betatakin Cliff Dwellings

Dixie

Betatakin Cliff Dwellings in Betatakin Canyon at Navajo National Monument, Arizona. Located near Monument Valley.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Click on either image for the EXIF data from the original photo.

CWSkopec

Very nice photo, Dixie!

I really like the processing on the first. Care to share your technique for that one?

The second doesn't quite do it for me. It looks a little too "amped" up for my tastes. Lately I've been looking through a number of my dad's old slides of Betatakin for a book we're working on so maybe that's influenced my tastes a little too much, but in general when I imagine these dwellings of the Ancestral Peubloans, I see something very natural and that's just not the feeling I get from the second. Maybe turning down the saturation a bit would help... just my $.02... regardless, it's a very nice image!

Dixie

Chris,

I agree about the color version. I reworked it (see below).

The shot was done about 5:30 pm from across the canyon and it was pretty dark. I used ISO 400 and the shot came out very magenta from the reflections into the dwellings. I've only seen Betatakin in that light that one time so I tried to make a best guess and pretty much overworked it. I used simpler steps for this new rendition from RAW. No crop on this new effort.

Thanks for the input on the color version.

As to antique conversion - I used nik's Silver Efex Pro and used their Antique Plate II and then adjusted brightness and contrast to taste. I did not use any color filtration which is offered nor did I do any change to their structure adjustment.

wfeller

Very nice on all three.

CWSkopec

Dixie wrote:

Chris,

I agree about the color version. I reworked it (see below).

The shot was done about 5:30 pm from across the canyon and it was pretty dark. I used ISO 400 and the shot came out very magenta from the reflections into the dwellings. I've only seen Betatakin in that light that one time so I tried to make a best guess and pretty much overworked it. I used simpler steps for this new rendition from RAW. No crop on this new effort.

Thanks for the input on the color version.

As to antique conversion - I used nik's Silver Efex Pro and used their Antique Plate II and then adjusted brightness and contrast to taste. I did not use any color filtration which is offered nor did I do any change to their structure adjustment.

I like the more toned down colors of the revision, Dixie! Well done!

I've heard and seen some mighty good things from Silver Efex Pro... looks like I'll have to add it to my ever growing wish list!

pathfinder

I like both of your first images, Dixie.

Very lovely.

dlplumer

pathfinder wrote:

I like both of your first images, Dixie.

Very lovely.

Me too

Dixie

wfeller wrote:

Very nice on all three.

Thank you for your comment.

Dixie

pathfinder wrote:

I like both of your first images, Dixie.

Very lovely.

Pathfinder,

As always, thanks for your comments.

Dixie

dlplumer wrote:

Me too

Thank you, Dan.

Mikko

I really like how you worked up the first one.

soloshooter

Nice
Love the composition, great images! The scale of the dwellings appears almost as a miniature model.

Dixie

Mikko wrote:

I really like how you worked up the first one.

Thank you. I liked the way it turned out as well so I went back to a couple of shots I had done in Mesa Verde back in 2004 and gave them the same treatment using nik's Silver Efex Pro and the Antigue Plate II pre-set.

Mesa Verde National Park

Dixie

soloshooter wrote:

Love the composition, great images! The scale of the dwellings appears almost as a miniature model.

I just guessing, but I was above and across the canyon from the dwellings. I would estimate at least a quarter of mile, but maybe a little less.

Thank you for the comments.

Milan

I like both of the original ones.
But I guess you did more than what you say in your avatar.

Dixie

Milan wrote:

I like both of the original ones.
But I guess you did more than what you say in your avatar.

Thanks, Milan.

....well, maybe a couple of buttons get pushed. :photo