Grand Canyon Trip

Sexy6Chick

Was pretty disappointed with this trip at first because the visibility was all of 2 miles, it's usually 131 miles. By the last few hours of our trip it cleared up and I got some clear shots. I've been told the cloud pictures make it cool because it's different from the shots most people are use to seeing of the canyon. Also at the end there are some pictures I took around Flagstaff on the way back home. C&C welcome.

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Took this through the window, but I thought it was cool

InsuredDisaster

Hey, they are pretty different. I wonder though, some of the shots do seem a bit hazy. Probably the could cover, but I think maybe the contrast and sharpening might be bumped up a bit and it might help. Did you try that or is it really just bad haze?

Sexy6Chick

It was definitely a bit hazy - fog and cloud cover. It was nice and muggy which didn't help any of the shots. These came straight off the camera with no processing - I will have to give it a shot. I have gotten better at some mild processing on my pictures. Still really new to all this stuff.

It didn't help that I took these using auto settings. I never took the time to learn basic manual settings on my camera until a few months ago.

jtangen

Don't be too hard on yourself or the weather. The clouds and fog you had is much better than completely clear skies with harsh bright light. I'm going to the North Rim in early Sept and am hoping for a little bit of the weather you had. That last shot of the downpour is great, too bad you could not have gotten a clear shot with tripod.

Yes, these can be much improved with some good post process. Some Levels Adjustment layers applied to certain areas can make these real nice. One quick way to cut thru some of the haze is to apply a USM with a setting of 20-50-0.

Did you shoot these with your Oly or Nikon? I'll be shooting with my Oly E3 and Canon 5DmkII.

Sexy6Chick

jtangen wrote:

Don't be too hard on yourself or the weather. The clouds and fog you had is much better than completely clear skies with harsh bright light. I'm going to the North Rim in early Sept and am hoping for a little bit of the weather you had. That last shot of the downpour is great, too bad you could not have gotten a clear shot with tripod.

Yes, these can be much improved with some good post process. Some Levels Adjustment layers applied to certain areas can make these real nice. One quick way to cut thru some of the haze is to apply a USM with a setting of 20-50-0.

Did you shoot these with your Oly or Nikon? I'll be shooting with my Oly E3 and Canon 5DmkII.

Thanks Yea these were taken at the South Rim, you will get some fantastic shots from the North Rim. We had some friends that were up by the North Rim the same weekend we were at the South Rim. Much more open views for sure.

I shot these with my Olympus.

ccheroke

rain cloud
Actually even though it was through a window...I like this shot the best

Sexy6Chick

ccheroke wrote:

Actually even though it was through a window...I like this shot the best

Thanks! We had just driven through the worst storm I had ever been in and driving in storms..specially with hail down a mountain always makes me tense so I opted out of stopping the truck and getting out. It was the first time I had seen where the rain was actually falling all the way to the ground. I have always seen the walls of rain coming down, but they were usually obstructed by buildings or mountains so I thought it was pretty cool.

tonichelle

foggy, cloudy, hazy, who cares! the views you capture still make me dizzy...

blah to heights (guess this won't be a sight on my bucket list! )

brvheart

#13 - even though there is a window there - I like it the best out of the series!

kdog

Great stuff, Natalie. Good for you for capturing the canyon in the clouds like that. I love the first and last ones the best.

Regards,
-joel

Sexy6Chick

kdog wrote:

Great stuff, Natalie. Good for you for capturing the canyon in the clouds like that. I love the first and last ones the best.

Regards,
-joel

Thank you! I really want to go back now that I know the basics of manual settings.

Sexy6Chick

brvheart wrote:

#13 - even though there is a window there - I like it the best out of the series!

Thanks Nick - I thought it was pretty cool..despite the window separating me.

rhondavid

Sorry to hear you were disappoint in your trip. I love the shots with the clouds and fog. Gives the viewer a totally different perspective of this beautiful location. Most pictures are crystal blue skies with well lit canyons and color. But the clouds, the storm and fog gives it a different feel. I love them all.

Sexy6Chick

Well thank you. I wasn't totally disappointed with it..just at first. There were times where you literally could not see the Canyon at all and I was worried it was going to stay that way. It eventually cleared up about 5 or 6 hours later enough where I could get some shots and actually see the Canyon..or parts of it anyways haha

grimace

kdog wrote:

Great stuff, Natalie. Good for you for capturing the canyon in the clouds like that. I love the first and last ones the best.

Regards,
-joel

I agree with Joel on the favorites!!