The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This area has one of the most varied sandstone formations I’ve been to. The varying colors, patterns, textures and the directionality of the layering boggles the mind. It’s incredible to think about the processes that led to this creation. My goal with this image was try to show as much of that in one frame as possible.
Specific Feedback
Any comments and suggestions for improvement would be appreciated.
I like the structures and especially the colors, nicely seen!!
Maybe, as a different variant and not as improvement, what about enhancing the colors, along with a slight blur or glow? Meaning, to go in an (almost) fictional or abstract scene? I think a b/w variant could be interesting also, there is a lot of structure in the picture to work with. I´m jealous…
An amazing place, Scott. It looks like it’s been warped several times and eroded a few more. Amazing formations. There’s a geology professor at one of the smaller state colleges here who does 10 minute segments for the public broadcasting stations and he would totally swoon over this formation.
Artistically, the only thing I could see doing differently would be to give the peak a little more breathing room on top, but I don’t know what was up there. I also like the suggestion of @Ralf_Mantzel to turn it into a dreamscape.
Hi Scott,
Really cool geological abstract here. I can see several options for different crops, which as you might know is my special super-power/toxic trait, depending on how you feel about it
One would be to go totally abstract with just the very bottom, but the two I like best include the small tree, which in my mind makes the scale so much more impressive even if it makes the image less abstract. Here are two takes, one top, one bottom, but both with the tree for scale. I just do these as a screen shot, so some of the contrast and color in your original is kind of stripped, but this is just for cropping demonstration anyway.
I can’t agree more. As I zoom in on this subject I’m trying to figure out how and why these formations happened and the forces that were likely involved. The twisting and bending along with the colors are mind boggling. I don’t know if this is White Pocket but love White Pocket for the reasons mentioned above.
I love this as is because I think it achieves your goal of showing the colors, patterns, textures and layering. The composition is great (although I do see some more intimate crops), the colors seem about right and real, and it really locks the viewer in and mesmerizes them.
I do like the idea That @Ralf_Mantzel suggests about taking this into a different, almost fictional direction because this is so alien looking. Nice capture, Scott.
There’s a lot that you can do to this image to convey the degree of abstraction present with those suggested crops, I like that lone tree which suggests the harshness of this place.. The colors and sharpness of the comp are top notch. Well done…Jim
Lots of stuff to like in this shot. @Marylynne_Diggs as usual came up with some nice alternate crops. A couple people mentioned taking trhis into abstract territory by adding a glow. So just for fun I added a Brad Hill orton effect on one and another tried Tony Kuyper’s Make it Glow. Don’t know if that’s what people had in mind or not.
Thanks for the comments Michael. That Norton effect is interesting , I don’t usually do abstractions like that , but like what you did. Tony Kuyper’s Make it Glow looks great to me, not so abstract, but added some brightness to the scene that I really like. Great job with that one!
Ralf, Michale Lowe did a nice example for us on the glow. I don’t usually do that kind of abstraction with my photos, but can appreciate the artistry. I chose not to go B&W just because I wanted to show off the different colors in the scene, but have done it with some others photos taken during the same shoot.
Dennis, I don’t have any more room at the top, there were some uninteresting elements and the tops of some of the background elements that didn’t give me room up there.
Marylynne, thanks for the crop ideas, this is already a crop and I didn’t want to take away anymore of the variations in the formations, but I do like what you did with the first crop you posted to get it back to a landscape format proportion. It’s not the Wave, but close, this its White Pocket.
David, it is White Pocket, one of my favorite places, and still relatively quiet since it takes a 4WD to get there.
I’m with you, Scott. I don’t usually do it either, but others suggested it, so I just did it for fun to see what it looked like. I do use Tony Kuyper’s action once in a while, because it’s a lot more subtle than an orton effect
I can NOT decide which variant is better
All of them are good and that means the picture/scene itself is stunning, well captured.
I´m still jealous for the picture…
I did a b/w version, just to see how it would look (not bad, by the way), but will not attach it as you want to show the really beautyful colors and you are right
This is an area called White Pocket, located in northern Arizona. It’s the alternative destination for many of those who aren’t able to get a permit to visit the Wave. Since I’ve been unable to get one of these permits, I’ve actually been to White Pocket a couple of times. It’s equally as impressive as the Wave, and maybe a more varied landscape too.
