San Rafael Swell
acowan
Registered Users Posts: 156 Major grins
I've spent some time in the Moab area and throughout southern Utah but I've never made it over to the San Rafael Swell. A friend and I threw together a trip the week of Thanksgiving that included hiking Crack Canyon and Little Wild Horse Canyon as well as a day at Arches. Little Wild Horse Canyon is absolutely stunning! I have seen many pictures of Antelope Canyon and know how it is revered by us photographers but Little Wild Horse exceeded my expectations. Here is a sampling of pictures from the Swell. All comments and critiques are very much welcome!
1. A popularly photographed section of Little Wild Horse
2. I was drawn to the swirl in the sandstone to the right of the picture but figured it didn't work as a stand-alone composition so I got out the wide angle. The light had improved in quality bouncing off from the canyon walls above.
3. I liked this composition because it gives a sense of the depth of the canyon and shows the hard transition in the sandstone.
4. This was taken toward the end of the hike. The canyon opened up and there was a tremendous amount of reflected light. I liked the green trees juxtaposed to the massive canyon wall. The warm lighting on the right provided a good foreground element. (I'm not too crazy about the overhanging rock in the top middle.)
5. This shot was taken near our campsite at Crack Canyon (on the backside of the Swell). It was about 50 minutes after sunset but the cliff face was still getting a hint of warm light. This oddly shaped balancing rock provided a good foreground. I think it might be a bit too obtrusive but as you can see there was much of a ledge to offer a different composition. (I used my wide angle at 14mm (on a Canon 30D). After making Vibrance and Saturation adjustments in ACR (+20, +10, respectively) the cliff was overly saturated so I dropped the Vibrance and Sat down to +10 and -5, respectively and am more pleased with the result. I also adjusted levels and midtone contrast in CS4.)
6. The walls of Crack Canyon have numerous depressions and tiny arches hidden within. My friend found this and thought it was worth me climbing up for a look. I was pleased with his eye and perched myself precipitously on the edge to capture the warm reflected light around these arches. The arches are only about a foot and a half tall.
1. A popularly photographed section of Little Wild Horse
2. I was drawn to the swirl in the sandstone to the right of the picture but figured it didn't work as a stand-alone composition so I got out the wide angle. The light had improved in quality bouncing off from the canyon walls above.
3. I liked this composition because it gives a sense of the depth of the canyon and shows the hard transition in the sandstone.
4. This was taken toward the end of the hike. The canyon opened up and there was a tremendous amount of reflected light. I liked the green trees juxtaposed to the massive canyon wall. The warm lighting on the right provided a good foreground element. (I'm not too crazy about the overhanging rock in the top middle.)
5. This shot was taken near our campsite at Crack Canyon (on the backside of the Swell). It was about 50 minutes after sunset but the cliff face was still getting a hint of warm light. This oddly shaped balancing rock provided a good foreground. I think it might be a bit too obtrusive but as you can see there was much of a ledge to offer a different composition. (I used my wide angle at 14mm (on a Canon 30D). After making Vibrance and Saturation adjustments in ACR (+20, +10, respectively) the cliff was overly saturated so I dropped the Vibrance and Sat down to +10 and -5, respectively and am more pleased with the result. I also adjusted levels and midtone contrast in CS4.)
6. The walls of Crack Canyon have numerous depressions and tiny arches hidden within. My friend found this and thought it was worth me climbing up for a look. I was pleased with his eye and perched myself precipitously on the edge to capture the warm reflected light around these arches. The arches are only about a foot and a half tall.
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Thanks for sharing the images and story.
www.aaroncowanphotos.com