Upper Antelope Canyon

bristlecone

Sand apparition in Upper Antelope Canyon - 5/18/2012 - comments & criticism welcome.

David_S85

Really looks like it has a head and is waving its left arm. How spooky cool.

kdog

Hey, I've taken that same shot. So you can trust me when I say this is a really good one.

Cornflake

I thought I never wanted to see another shot of Antelope Canyon, but I like this one. I'd consider lowering the tone on the bright spot on the floor. That may be an ignorant suggestion. You're the driver.

bristlecone

David_S85 wrote: »

Really looks like it has a head and is waving its left arm. How spooky cool.

It is kinda spooky. I used 5 bracketed images to get this, so it came as a suprise to me that this (female?) apparition emerged. Very windy day outside, so there was quite a bit of sand inside the canyon, but of course handfuls of sand were thrown into the light beam by the Navajo guide. Thanks for your input.

TreyHoff

The colors are very soothing and well balanced. Well done on the post processing.

bristlecone

Image revision

Cornflake wrote: »

I thought I never wanted to see another shot of Antelope Canyon, but I like this one. I'd consider lowering the tone on the bright spot on the floor. That may be an ignorant suggestion. You're the driver.

Well Cornflake..... you got me going on a revision to this image. Only used 3 images in this blend, reduced some of the saturation (I think it looks a little more natural), and did some cropping.
Let me know what you think.....

Cornflake

I still like it. The revision looks a little better but the differences aren't dramatic. I still find my eye being dragged back to the brightness on the floor every time I look, but you shouldn't attach much weight to my reaction.

squirl033

nice... seems a bit darker than i remember that spot, but then, i had the full sunbeam thing going on when i was there. didn't get the sand "apparition", though i did manage enough dust in the beam to make it look just a bit opaque. i like yours, though... the "apparition" appears to be dancing to some soft, slow, and yet unheard music...

Don, it's almost impossible to get rid of the bright spot on the canyon floor in shots like this... the contrast is just too great between the brilliant light of the sun and the deep shadows of the canyon. perhaps brightening up the entire image would lessen the apparent contrast a bit and make the bright spot less noticeable, but it's pretty hard to tone it down much. i've tried...

rwells

Another fine slot shot Len

LakeLady

Enjoyed looking at the image and reading your comments -- planning first trip to the canyon area.

bristlecone

image revision

squirl033 wrote: »

nice... seems a bit darker than i remember that spot, but then, i had the full sunbeam thing going on when i was there. didn't get the sand "apparition", though i did manage enough dust in the beam to make it look just a bit opaque. i like yours, though... the "apparition" appears to be dancing to some soft, slow, and yet unheard music...

Don, it's almost impossible to get rid of the bright spot on the canyon floor in shots like this... the contrast is just too great between the brilliant light of the sun and the deep shadows of the canyon. perhaps brightening up the entire image would lessen the apparent contrast a bit and make the bright spot less noticeable, but it's pretty hard to tone it down much. i've tried...

Here is yet another revision of this image and I believe it to be an improvement. Rocky, you are right about the difficulty of obtaining detail within the contrast differential in the chamber. Without some kind of blending, retaining any kind of highlight detail is impossible. If we could have the place to ourselves, with plenty of time to shoot, things may be different. I'm new to HDR and have much to learn.

bristlecone

TreyHoff wrote: »

The colors are very soothing and well balanced. Well done on the post processing.

Thanks Trey.... I appreciate and value your input.

-Len

Cornflake

Well if you're new to doing HDR, you're doing remarkably well. I think you've improved it.

bristlecone

Cornflake wrote: »

Well if you're new to doing HDR, you're doing remarkably well. I think you've improved it.

Thanks. I really appreciate your input, I think you really made me take additional looks at this image.

Sam

I think both versions are very nice. It's really hard to capture a unique image in an iconic location that has been photographed by millions, but I think you did it!. The soft processing gives it a ethereal feel.

Sam

bristlecone

Sam wrote: »

I think both versions are very nice. It's really hard to capture a unique image in an iconic location that has been photographed by millions, but I think you did it!. The soft processing gives it a ethereal feel.

Sam

Thanks Sam. I appreciate your feedback.

squirl033

Sam wrote: »

I think both versions are very nice. It's really hard to capture a unique image in an iconic location that has been photographed by millions, but I think you did it!. The soft processing gives it a ethereal feel.
Sam

Ethereal indeed. my best-selling image is a similar shot i took in 2008... oddly enough, titled "Ethereal"!

Sam

squirl033 wrote: »

Ethereal indeed. my best-selling image is a similar shot i took in 2008... oddly enough, titled "Ethereal"!

You do know I copyrighted that word, right?

Sam