About this image: this is not a new place, but it is one I do not see good work produced from very often. I think mainly due to some difficult distracting elements that people have had a hard time figuring how to get out of their shot. By doing 3 things here I was able to overcome the difficulties:
1. Focus Stack of 8 images with the Canon 11-24@11mm (sharp and new perspective).
2. Use an innovative way to do a very low Perspective Blend in Photoshop, to overcome some of the obstacles.
3. A lot of distracting element clean up.
This was shot mid day, so actually I did not (at all) expect good results, but that powerful orange saturation got my attention and is coming from the strong reflective light, much like how slot canyons react well on sunny days. So, when I pulled the series up the other day, I was almost shocked.
In processing, all tonal and color adjustments are conservative and no "Highlight Glow" or other effects were used.
I hope you enjoy the image, and Great Light to you!
Enjoy the Fall out there and be safe!
Sony A7R2
Canon 11-24@11mm
Focus stack.
Perspective blend
f/8
100 ISO
Various shutter speeds
Fine work, as usual, Mark. I agree with your commentary completely. Even the spots you reveal, which I appreciate, can be an adventure to access. I'm thinking of getting to a Lake Powell overlook after a rainstorm. Challenging 4 wheel drive roads, demanding hikes and limited access lands protect a lot sites that photographers would happily swarm over. Of course, after all of that, you need just the right sky conditions. Several years of free time, a passion for bivouac camping, a know-how of living off of the land and a pack of mules would be the way to go for a serious SW photographer
aFeinberg wrote:
The idea of perspective blend hurts my head a bit but the result is pretty crazy. Love me some reflected light Nice work sir!
aF
I was going to ask, is this "perspective blend" thing the cause of why the clouds don't seem to match the interior angle of view? Because of the absence of a horizon visible outside the arch?
aFeinberg wrote:
The idea of perspective blend hurts my head a bit but the result is pretty crazy. Love me some reflected light Nice work sir!
aF
I study a lot of academic stuff on the side and I just heard it said in a seminar debate the other day that "we use really big words to convey things that are actually quite simple." I had to laugh. But generally that is true. Like in Theology "eschatological" simply means relating to end times. So, no, Perspective Blends (at least the ones I have developed) generally are not as hard or intimidating (at all!) as it may sound. I teach various forms of it to people all the time Via Skype screen sharing and usually people get it instantly.
matthewsaville wrote:
I was going to ask, is this "perspective blend" thing the cause of why the clouds don't seem to match the interior angle of view? Because of the absence of a horizon visible outside the arch?
Thank you, and good questions Matt.
No. The clouds still had the same angle and have the same luminance as witnessed.
Mark,
As usual you do a great job pushing the envelope of perspective and processing. Quite an intriguing perspective - I feel like I'm looking out of a giant fossilized skull. When scrolling down I'm also taken by how good this looks as a 1x1 or 8x10. The other thing about this perspective/processing is that it can fool your brain - like am I looking out or am I looking in? Intriguing!
Dave
First of all thank you everyone! I appreciate the feedback and kind words.
dbehrens wrote:
Mark,
As usual you do a great job pushing the envelope of perspective and processing. Quite an intriguing perspective - I feel like I'm looking out of a giant fossilized skull. When scrolling down I'm also taken by how good this looks as a 1x1 or 8x10. The other thing about this perspective/processing is that it can fool your brain - like am I looking out or am I looking in? Intriguing!
Dave
PS: I think you misspelled eschatological.
Huge thank you Dave. Some have said it looks like the inside of a pumpkin. Not a big Halloween fan, I refrained from titling it anything in that ballpark. "Eschatological" corrected. All the best to you.
psharvic wrote:
Fine work, as usual, Mark. I agree with your commentary completely. Even the spots you reveal, which I appreciate, can be an adventure to access. I'm thinking of getting to a Lake Powell overlook after a rainstorm. Challenging 4 wheel drive roads, demanding hikes and limited access lands protect a lot sites that photographers would happily swarm over. Of course, after all of that, you need just the right sky conditions. Several years of free time, a passion for bivouac camping, a know-how of living off of the land and a pack of mules would be the way to go for a serious SW photographer ...Show more →
Totally get you! Have to be mega prepared. I just got asked to write an article for a major publication about how to be prepared out there. Very hard to keep it short. So much to prepare for especially in Monsoon season! All the best and thank you!
dbehrens wrote:
Mark,
As usual you do a great job pushing the envelope of perspective and processing.
Just to clarify, from this position you would see a distracting slight horizon line so a second shot was taken of the exact same clouds but from a slightly different position and then that perspective was blended in. "Perspective Blend" in post processing circles is really a blanket term for a lot of things we can do to blend perspectives, as many of you know already...
Mark Metternich wrote:
I study a lot of academic stuff on the side and I just heard it said in a seminar debate the other day that "we use really big words to convey things that are actually quite simple.".....
