Returning to Subway (Zion NP)

Vrungel

Here are few photos I took on hike through Subway this June. Last time I was there in 2003 and conditions back then weren't ideal for photography, but this time around I made sure that we will have enough time and dry clothes to actually shoot something

C&C is always welcome…

thapamd

Awesome! I tried to go there last time I was down in Zion, but the permits were all used up or the water levels were too high for exploring. I'm glad you got some good ones! I wonder if you got any images with the subway in complete shadow. The very bright areas are a little harsh.

kdog

Looks like a very cool place, and I really like your comps. I'm wondering what the shots would look like with a lighter hand on the saturation though.

Cheers,
-joel

gvf

Beautiful -

dlplumer

Great set. 2, 3 and 5 are my favorites here. I'm also curious what one might look like with a bit less sat and boost.

Dan

Vrungel

thapamd wrote:

Awesome! I tried to go there last time I was down in Zion, but the permits were all used up or the water levels were too high for exploring. I'm glad you got some good ones! I wonder if you got any images with the subway in complete shadow. The very bright areas are a little harsh.

The permit system can be a hussle, we too didn't have reservation and I had to camp the backcountry permits window from 3am to get us permit (and I was there second in line!). But it somewhat keeps the area empty and deserted which is really nice.

Thanks everybody for feedback about saturation. Most of these are HDRs due to very hight contrast between shadows and sunlit walls and I'm only starting to learn this technique hence I may have went a little overboard with adjustments

Here is variant where canyon floor mostly in shadows:

And here are few toned down HDR versions of photos above:

SteveF

Fun images.

I think a large print of #2 would just look great.

coscorrosa

Wow, what a strange landscape! I agree that the light is harsh but I like the compositions and the subject matter and colors are great. I'm going to be at Zion in a few weeks, not sure I'll be able to hit this spot but these photos do make me want to check it out.

torags

Nice. The desat versions are much better

Reverb

I have to say that the first two photos are good compositionally but are too blown out to be good photos. The desaturated versions are better but I think you can find a better blend between the two versions. I'm not sure how much ultimately can be recovered from the highlight areas though. It's one of those challenges of midday photography.

schmoo

I think Dgrin has spoiled me! Over the years I've seen a fair number of shots from this part of Zion and I had no idea you needed a permit to go there. I'm glad to hear that your dedication paid off, because it's a beautiful place.