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Archive 2013 · Rift

  
 
wdpicotte
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Rift


A composite image taken last week in the Alabama Hills area of the Owens Valley. This was my second trip down the eastern Sierra and first visit to Alabama Hills.

The techy stuff:
About 40 exposures stacked using StarStax for the star trails. Two additional exposures, taken at sunrise the next morning and blended in PS during post-processing, for everything else.

I used my 24mm TSE on a 5DII for this. The sky is a single frame (with the lens at 10 degrees vertical shift), while the two morning exposures are each comprised of three vertical frames. I merged the exposures first to create the vertical composition, and then blended them, all in PS.

Now the WHY part:
First, I'm venturing into night photography and the evening in question was a good opportunity for it. Secondly, at the time this seemed like an interesting idea for an image of a heavily-photographed place. And lastly, I really didn't want my first photograph here to be of Mobius Arch (which I photographed the next evening in amazing light)!

With all this said, I like the end result, gimmicky though it is. I definitely gain more satisfaction from "quiet" images, and this is a place for them with more time in hand. I will go back, for sure. Regardless, it's fun to create these and this eye candy works well in certain venues.

Comments . thoughts on comp, processing and concept are greatly appreciated.







Dec 11, 2013 at 12:34 PM
maldaye
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Rift


The huge rocks at the bottom of the picture are pulling away from the star trails. I would crop it differently. Otherwise, it is pretty rad photo!


Dec 14, 2013 at 07:39 AM
bryanlindsey
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Rift


I respectfully disagree, I like the crop as is. Star trail photos are not uncommon, the rocks give this image a distinct look IMO. FWIW


Dec 19, 2013 at 02:09 PM
beanpkk
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Rift


The white shapes between the foreground rocks look like teeth, and the rocks look like a toothed whale (I know there is no such thing) coming up out of the water. In any event that part of the image competes with the very nice lighting on the mountains in the mid-background. Just for kicks I would try a pano crop that excludes the foreground rocks altogether. I find the competing subjects unsettling.

Just my two cents.
Keith



Dec 22, 2013 at 04:56 PM





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