Southern Utah was blanketed with two significant snow storms last week. The snow on the red rock provided opportunities that dont present themselves often.
I wanted to create a series of intimate images that captured the mood and feeling of cold in the high desert of Southern UT. This is one of 4 images that I’m reasonably happy with. Thanks in advance for the feedback
The snow covered sandstone, bush/trees, the pool and reflection, and the moody background are simply gorgeous. I’ll have to agree with the others about the oof foreground. For me, I think it would have been alright if the darker less oof rock on the left carried all the way across, or the RH foreground was similar. It’s the rock on the right that really takes away from this being spectacular.
I can only guess you didn’t have options to get in front of, or on top of these rocks. Also guessing a longer telephoto capture which means there also might have been something between you and the scene preventing you from getting closer?
You’re sure right that these opportunities don’t come around too often and no doubt you had a wonderful experience.
George, this image has some wonderful elements with the snow covered sandstone and trees, the reflection in the pool of water, and the drama laden BG. The OOF FG does bother me a bit, but I was not there so there may have been nothing you could do about it. It must have been wonderful to get out in those unusual conditions.
I’m also in the camp of preferring an in focus foreground, but have to say this is stunning regardless. I saw this on my phone at work, but wasn’t sure what the background was at that small size. Now that I can see it on a monitor, lovely! I look forward to the other three.
George, this is one of the most unusual and high impact images that I have seen in a while. It must have been amazing to experience these weather conditions in person. Unfortunately the OOF foreground is a problem for me. But just to show the possibilities, I downloaded it, cropped away a lot of the foreground rocks, and through a combination of PS cloning and Content Aware Fill, I was able to come up with this.
That’s an incredible image. The difference in light between midground and background makes this sing. The color in that bg, with those looming mountains… Yes, this is an exceptional image. I like Ed’s comp. It is an improvement but it the fg had been in focus the comp would have been stronger.
I love the contrast in this image it really pops out of the screen. I really don’t mind the oof foreground, with the way the lines lead into the subject it works for me. Great job!
This is an unusual looking shot with fabulous moody lighting and a mind bending reflection. The out of focus foreground rock is a bit bothersome to me and in truth I would prefer if you could have found a way to keep it sharply in focus or better still lose it altogether. With the rest of the image being so strong it doesn’t detract greatly from a compelling image. I do prefer Ed’s crop and image extension though.
