Oregon Desert Canyon

zoomer

Just before dawn.




The approach.


From inside the canyon



Another spot from the rim.


Pano

Eia

That looks like some pretty rugged country; particularly the fourth. Nice detail in them. I think I prefer the color version as it helps me to see the detail a little better. I had no idea Oregon looked this way.

Crokey

Like Eis mentioned, I had always imagined Oregon to be a verdant landscape, I guess I would be most familiar with the forests from pictures I have seen. IMO they look a little under-saturated to me. Maybe just pump it up a little, but I wouldn't go far. I get the feeling this is a pretty bleak landscape and it doesn't need the saturation of other desert landscapes that I see. Also, the cooler saturation helps to convey what I imagine was actually a very cold day!

zoomer

Thanks.
I messed with saturation and contrast a lot. These are predawn and very early in the day. It was drab and cloudy with a blue haze this day. I wanted these to be how my eye was seeing them. Any more saturation and/or contrast looked like to much, I actually did add quite a bit to get them to this point.

kdog

Awesome, awesome scenery, Mike. The pano is amazing. These are still pretty compressed into the mid-tones. A bit of a curve will open them up to a degree. But that's a subjective call of course.

Cheers,
-joel

zoomer

Thanks and do appreciate the critique.
The levels histogram was adjusted to look good on these.
If you have the time and are so inclined feel free to post a rework of an example with an opened up curve....I am always open to seeing something differently .
As I said I played with the look of these a lot so it would be interesting to see another take.

kdog

Obviously I'd prefer to start with the raw. Not saying I'd improve it, but I'd at least want to start there.

So here's a quick tune-up that looks better to my eye. But I'm artistically challenged, so I'll let you decide whether it's an improvement.

My quick edit: (slight curves, desaturate, black-point bump (which I should have done first))


Here's your original for comparison:

zoomer

Thanks for having a go at it. I will double check it on my home monitor (my work monitor is crap)
The problem I kept running into with black point and contrast adjust was that the dark sections of rock quickly looked over cooked and too dark in relation to the rest of the rock....maybe your curves adjust prevented that...I will look at it when I get home.

kdog

zoomer wrote: »

The problem I kept running into with black point and contrast adjust was that the dark sections of rock quickly looked over cooked and too dark in relation to the rest of the rock....maybe your curves adjust prevented that...I will look at it when I get home.

Probably not, especially since I started with a small jpg. I'm certain I lost some details at both ends. I was demonstrating the overall look more than anything. In general you're right though. Adding contrast without losing details can be tough some times.

zoomer

If you look at the bottom pano, that was pushed just a bit more on the blacks and contrast. At the time it felt to me like a hair too much....do you think that one looks closer to "right" as you are seeing it?

zoomer

Ok I can see your edit now....not having been there....
.....having been there....the rocks just don't have that much contrast, and are to dark. Maybe a bit of contrast in the mid range...I will play with it a bit more. I like the additional pop everywhere but in those dark rocks.
Who said landscape photography was easy .
Thanks for taking the time to have a go at it.

anwmn1

Zoomer- very interesting landscape and not one i am use to seeing from Oregon. I feel the shots are over done quite a bit. Of these I feel the third shot is the most believable but could still benefit from editing. I think in that shot if you just increased the saturation on blue and cyan it greatly increases its appeal.

zoomer

Thanks.
Underdone...overdone....I think I will leave these with the original edits.
I played with a couple of them quite a bit tonight....still a work in progress.

anwmn1 not quite sure what to take from that comment....saying the shots are overdone quite a bit and then that the third could benefit from editing. Maybe you mean from better editing ha .

This may be as good as they are going to get given the dull light and blue hazy conditions.

Allan FG

Very nice, I love eastern Oregon

Crokey

I gave one a go quickly before running into work...but now I think I might have overcooked it a bit(or left it undercooked, not too sure anymore)


It tried to slightly darken the left side without loosing much contrast so that the viewer looks more at the cliffs, which I only subtly increased the contrast in the midtones and light-midtones. I also tried to bring up the stream to strengthen it as a leading line and softened the contrast a tad in the distance....that's my story and I'm sticking to it!:D