Chris
I'm not sure if isn't the Coachella Valley morning hello haze if you are at the South end of the park. It looks to me that the grad falls below the lit horizon. Cholla was invented to be backlit.
Actually in studying the photo closer and looking at others in the series I notice that the grad wasn't nearly as overused as I initially thought. The cactus in the distance do actually look mostly black, even in the ungraduated frames. And you can see that in this photo also, where the cactus in the foreground is bright but the distant background directly behind it are dark. It's as if I placed the GND behind the subject, but of course I didn't (wish I could though!)
Mar 22, 2008 at 10:20 PM
David Leask Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
Chris the composition is solid. The flare is a matter of taste. You might want to try a masked layer exposing the highlights using the "tilde" command to reduce the intensity.
I think you might be able to put a bit more contrast in the foreground to make up for the flare. I really enjoy the color and the texture of the cactus in the foreground, but I wish the sun wasn't so close to the left side of the frame. It's a bit too close, which is breaking up the harmony of the composition. I also want to see more foreground. I'm not adverse to non 2:3 aspect ratio shots, but in this case, it looks like you cropped out a distracting element, which makes me think you could have been a bit more careful about the original composition in camera.
Great shot here from Joshua Tree! Love the way you lit this shot, and you controlled the flaring really well. I think you did well with the ND grad, I don't really see any tell tale signs, you blended it in well.
Ben Horne wrote:
I think you might be able to put a bit more contrast in the foreground to make up for the flare. I really enjoy the color and the texture of the cactus in the foreground, but I wish the sun wasn't so close to the left side of the frame. It's a bit too close, which is breaking up the harmony of the composition. I also want to see more foreground. I'm not adverse to non 2:3 aspect ratio shots, but in this case, it looks like you cropped out a distracting element, which makes me think you could have been a bit more careful about the original composition in camera....Show more →
Ben, thank you for your constructive feedback. In this instance I did not compose the photo with any more foreground, as it was mostly unattractive sand and cactus stem. So, my post-production crop was from the top, to eliminate a good bit of empty sky, and bring my horizon away from the center of the frame. If there had been some nice clouds I doubt I would have cropped at all though. Thanks again,
I'm planning to go to the park for the first time in about a month. Any pointers for a Joshua Tree newbie?
Chris
Thanks Chris. Wonderland of Rocks and Jumbo Rocks are where the most dramatic rock formations are, and also where most of the Joshua Trees are. This is Northwest to central areas of the park. Interesting cactus and wildflowers can be seen in the southeast sections of the park, where the rock formations aren't as spectacular.
Also, if you're planning on camping, you should try to reserve something immediately. The park is at capacity most days. Fortunately the park doesn't feel crowded, there just aren't enough campsites...
Thanks for the tips. The first time I go, I'll just bum around a bit, get the lay of the land. I may stay at a motel near/outside the park, and then do the camp thing some other time.
Those second set of shots were very nice, as well.
G. ChrisK wrote:
Thanks for the tips. The first time I go, I'll just bum around a bit, get the lay of the land. I may stay at a motel near/outside the park, and then do the camp thing some other time.
Those second set of shots were very nice, as well.
Thanks again.
Chris
Thanks Chris. If you'd like some company or a guide, my contact info is on my website. Take care,
Hi Chris,
Very interesting shot, worthy of comment. I like your use of the GND. (I'm assuming GND). The only unfortunate spot is the burn from the glare on the filter in the FG. I'm not sure if that's avoidable in this situation. That's just a nitpick of an otherwise beautiful shot. Hope to get some worthy shots myself in JT next week!
John Bock wrote:
Hi Chris,
Very interesting shot, worthy of comment. I like your use of the GND. (I'm assuming GND). The only unfortunate spot is the burn from the glare on the filter in the FG. I'm not sure if that's avoidable in this situation. That's just a nitpick of an otherwise beautiful shot. Hope to get some worthy shots myself in JT next week!
Cheers, JB
Thanks John. Yes, I experimented with many different framings but my favorite ones had the sun directly in the frame, and each of these had some direct flare, unavoidable I suppose. And I used a 3 stop hard GND. Thanks again,
