Slide Rock Narrows in Morning Light

argyle

Shot this at the narrows portion located downstream of Slide Rock State Park near Sedona, AZ while the cliffs were bathed in the nice early morning light. 30-second exposure taken with 5D2, 24-105L and Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo filter.

Eia

The reflection is beautiful! It seems a little bright but I am not on a good monitor right now...nonetheless I think it is very nice!!!

argyle

Eia wrote:

The reflection is beautiful! It seems a little bright but I am not on a good monitor right now...nonetheless I think it is very nice!!!

Thanks. The filter incorporates a warming polarizer, which adds to the richness of the colors (usually no need for a saturation adjustment), which could account for a perceived jump in brightness. I also made a cropped version to cut back on the amount of water in the frame. Not sure which to go with. Anyway, here's the crop:

thapamd

Beautiful shot! Personally, I prefer the uncropped version. It seems a shame to get rid of any of that beautiful reflection!

squirl033

i like the uncropped version better too... the reflections in the water are marvelous. does seem a tad bright, IMHO, and i'd personally like a little more contrast in the shadows, but that's just me...

Schnauzer

I think its a beautiful shot. I like the uncropped version best.

wendell

That is a beautiful place, the reflection is awesome. Maybe a bit less detail in the shadows would be nice and is it a touch too bright?
Great shot.
wendell

argyle

Thanks. I just don't see the "brightness" that some folks are seeing, understanding that the morning sunrise light was extremely bright on the canyon walls making for great reflections. I think the perception of added brightness was due to the use of the Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo filter (ND+warming polarizer). The warming polarizer adds richness (a different look than a standard polarizer), which could result in a very slight brightness boost. Also, with a 30-second exposure, there aren't any ripples in the water that would act as diffusers to knock down the light that's reflecting off the water.

Benjer

Ahhh, Sedona! Beautiful shot, love the reflection in the first crop - keep it! Aside from the beauty, my first thought on seeing this was that it's a little bright. By that I mean, slightly washed out or pale, especially in shadow areas - but not by much. I think it just needs deeper shadows and a little work (burning?) on the distant background rocks and trees (visible through the rock cleft). I would try simply dialing down the brightness just to see what you think, and go from there. It may help, it may not.