I was struck by the density of saguaro in this area and liked how the setting sun gave a the needles a warm glow.
Any feedback is welcome.
Is this a composite: Yes
Technically this is a composite, but not much of one. I had bracketed the scene and blended in a bit of a darker image to fix the sky in the upper right portion of the image since it was blown out.
Sony A7iii, Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 @ 43mm. 1/30 sec @ f/11, ISO100.
I like it, the warm feeling is very inviting and makes me want to walk through there (with suitable caution!!) With the two larger cacti bookending the sides, it feels pretty balanced. I do like the open feel. When blending for exposure we have to mindful of the luminosity of the light source in relation to the brightness of the things the light is reflecting off. The rim light on the right cactus feels brighter than the sky on the right, and especially the sky in the middle. Light is quite predictable in how it flows across landscapes and interacts with subjects. These relationships need to be carefully assessed to allow for a natural feel.
Thank you for the advice, Alister! I’ll go back and work on that side of the cactus. It’s been a while since I edited the photo, but I think I may have even dodged that side of the cactus to emphasize the direction of the light and may have overdone it.
Also, big fan of your videos.
Great capture, Brandon. I love the overall feel of this, especially the distant water and the few blooms on the ocotillo. Alister had an excellent comment, and I do believe it’s a sky error, not a dodging error. Fix that one issue and it’ll be good to go.
I agree with both Alister and Bill on the lighting. The warm tones are so inviting and draw the viewer into the scene. The ocotillo blooms provide nice contrast for the scene and the varied vegetation really draws me into and through the image making me want to explore. Beautiful grove of Saguaro and great use of them to compose and frame the scene. The left saguaro is about to bloom. This is a really nice desert landscape scene.
