True parallel lines are hard to come by in nature and so this will have to do.
It’s an enormous formation inside Carlsbad Caverns. The time it took to get this far is practically unimaginable. It may be still growing, I can’t remember. Most of the formations are. If you get a chance to go, it’s worth it. So incredible and absolutely cavernous. They don’t call it that for nothing. And you can do White Sands, too.
It’s hard to get the colors right since it’s all lit with artificial light (duh!) and so this is my best guess. It wasn’t my first trip into a cave system, but it was the first where tripods were allowed.
Specific Feedback Requested
This is a slight crop - the formation goes a little bit farther down, but I felt cropping brought attention to the main section of ridges. Is it too weird?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Lumix GH3
Lumix G Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 lens @ 12mm (24mm equiv.)
f/7.1 | 2.5 sec | ISO 500
Tripod
Lr processed - a bit of an exposure bump, clarity & texture, highlight taming. Sharpening & nr. Cropping and use of the adjustment brush to smooth some shadows.
This is just so cool! It’s very well lit revealing excellent texture and depth of the structure. I love the curving lines and striations. What a visual treat. Only rec would be to lift shadows in the dominant foreground vertical structure as it appears to be lacking details and stands out relative to the remainder of your primary subject. Really like the vignetting of the LRC and ULC. THanks for sharing…I would think these are difficult shots to get right.
Very cool looking image, Kris. Even though I have never been there the colors look as I would picture them. When zooming in with the large version the calcification reminds me of individual trees. I am sure this is a location that I will never visit so thank you for sharing this.
Kris, the multitude of flowing drip lines look great. That main, well lit formation is awesome. The colors look reasonable based on my few cave visit memories. I do wish there was more light in the lower right, but I’m also sure that was how the lighting worked and this getting this was a big challenge.
Thanks @Jim_McGovern, @Ed_Lowe & @Mark_Seaver - it was certainly a challenge to shoot way down there and yeah, the lighting was more like spot lighting than anything approaching even. Great for highlighting textures and throwing shapes into formations, but hard for camera sensors. So glad I was able to use a tripod and keep the ISO relatively low.
Put a second image in the OP with some brush work in the lower part of the formation. Better?
Definitely moving in the right direction. Again, this is your vision not mine. I really like what now looks like transillumination of the lower stack. If it were mine, I’d push it even further to assure that the darkest part of the image is not part of my main subject, but we’re really getting in to nuance here about taste and personal creative expression…so follow your heart.
Thanks Jim. For me the dark areas are important because it’s a cave and dark reigns over all. I’ve been in some caves that aren’t wired for illumination and when you turn out your headlamp it’s astounding. You can practically feel the air around you as if it’s taken on weight. Your ears are filled with the sounds of your own breathing. I know there’s nothing like that in this image, but I feel that the shadows are as important as the light and so I didn’t want to amp them up too much and lose that contrast; that presence. That any moment you could be plunged back into darkness. Sorry for the drama, but being in caves kind of reduces us. Makes us aware of our fragile technology.
Great description of your experience! I love your words of the weight of the air around you…so true!
Yes, I can see the challenge of how to process this image with so many potential directions. I can totally understand your experience of too much light almost betraying the authenticity of the experience. To that end, you could even re-process with a lower key feel and I could see that being quite powerful.
Thanks again for sharing your perspective and I wouldn’t really call that “drama”, but insight!
