There’s so much to like about the southwestern Utah and one of my favorite thing is the soft light bounced around in these canyons. I worked on this image last year but then when I saw it two days ago something just didn’t click. So I reworked it pretty much from scratch. I went for a darker look with a much cooler color tone before, this is a completely opposite direction.
Rework based on suggestions: Cropped from the left and then warped to keep aspect ratio (otherwise the image becomes unnecessarily tall). Darkened the shadow a bit.
As always, I love hearing your thoughts. Your feedback has been nothing but helpful.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Nothing fancy, D500, 300mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 720. Must have been a windy morning.
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@adhikalie
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
Adhika, I love the light on the upper parts of the hoodoos. The tall pines make for a wonderful compliment the the aspect of the formations. This area reminds me of a memorable morning I spent there in Queen’s Garden.
Adhika
I see a perfect image of a great place in a for me unknown world. Which I now can visit in this way.
In my opinion a wonderful composition, Great balance in color, light and shadow.
Adhika, while the hoodoos at Bryce Canyon make for a wonderful subject, to me its the tall pine tree in the center that really makes this image work. The tree helps tell the story about how massive these hoodoos really are. In terms of composition, I like the arrangement of the smaller diagonal formations at the bottom, but I wish there was slightly more breathing room on the left, it feels a bit cramped there. And the placement of the tree in the center just makes it pop in the image. overall this is a very pleasing image
In terms of the color and white balance, to my taste I would prefer to see the red reduced here, and the tones shifted more yellow in the midtones and highlights. I think the idea of cooler processing makes sense, but I would try targeting it more to the shadows while keeping the highlights warm. If you use luminosity masks, it would be relatively easy to warm the highlights while cooling the shadows. This would create more color contrast.
You have such a strong subject and composition here that it would be well worth investing the time to fine tune the color and WB. If you don’t mind I took a stab at playing with the color, but of course this a very subjective thing, and it may not be in line with what you are trying to achieve creatively.
Notice how the reduced red really makes the green tree pop out even more.
I really like how that tree becomes the star of the show, and the longer you look at it, the more you see the other trees that are lurking in the shadows. I think the color works quite well here, and I wouldn’t mind the shadows being even a bit darker, but not by much. I would agree with Ed that some more breathing room on the left would be nice. You have just a little bit of the stone formation showing on the left edge of the comp. At that point, you are often better off eliminating it all together, or showing more of it.
Wonderful shot Adhika, there is a lot of really interesting things going on in this shot. I love the layers, rock textures and how those textures are broken up by the trees. I like Ed’s edit but I like the original as well, perhaps somewhere in between? I do think some breathing room on the left would add to the image, however, as is it’s an awesome shot.
Real nice takeaway from Bryce. I agree the reds are a touch strong, but not by much. I also agree about the left being a little tight, but not an image killer by any means. Strong image from the area.
I like this one very much as is, and it’s difficult to photograph in Bryce and come up with something so original and intimate. I like the variation of light on the hoodoos and the good definition between them. I like the color, as is, and wouldn’t want to desaturate. In my memory, that’s just the way it looks, a little unreal!
@Ben_van_der_Sande, @Kathy_Barnhart: Thanks so much. I am glad that the image appears original. This place is indeed otherworldly, the possibility is endless!
@Ed_McGuirk , @Ben_Horne: Good eyes with the left hand side. I am usually obsessed with clean edges, not quite sure why I didn’t see that in the first place. Now that you have mentioned it, I can’t unsee it. I don’t have more rooms on the left so I have decided to crop them out and stretch the image to the left a little bit to keep the aspect ratio. Simply cropping the jutting formation makes the image unnecessary tall to my eyes.
@Ben_Horne: Thanks for the idea about darkening the shadows a little bit. The whole idea of the composition is to slowly reveal other pine trees in the image (thus the title) and darkening the shadows help to accentuate that a little bit more. I really like what it does to the image.
@Ed_McGuirk, @Blake_Randall, @Harley_Goldman: As for the colors, I am not quite sure. I like what Ed has done with the color because it makes the tree pops out so much more. But I feel that the rock becomes a little muddy and has a little greenish cast to it. I played with the HSL/Selective Color combined with luminosity masks to target certain tones and not getting the result I want. I end up making some minor adjustments to the color but it ends up being almost the same.
I have posted a rework based on your suggestions on the OP. These are really constructive feedback and what makes NPN stand out from other “groups”.
Adhika - I really enjoy this image, especially your updated crop. Very pleasing and serene while conveying power, and drama. Don’t mean to be too “touchy-feely” in my description, but in my efforts to develop more of a sense of story and balance in composition, I really think this is highly successful. From a luminance perspective, the natural vignette helps to guide the viewer to the contrast of the darker tree to the brighter rock. Color is very pleasing to my eye…the subdued cyan/green of the tree seems spot on to my estimation, however I’m not familiar enough with the colors in that region to comment on the accuracy. I agree with @Ben_Horne about the left margin. Beyond that, I think this would be a successful large print.
Excellent presentation from Bryce. Personally, I’ve never been there so it’s difficult to comment on the colors… but I would agree with some that my guess is that the presentation is slightly redder than if one was standing there. I think somewhere in between yours and Ed’s would be good. Then again, we all know we’re in the realm of personal choice and vision. So, this isn’t a right/wrong/good/bad thing.
What strikes me even more is how you went with the tall/narrow presentation to really accentuate the phenomena of the adaptability of the trees. clearly they grown extra tall out of basic necessity of needing light to survive. Less noticeable, but sending just as clear a message are the other trees in the frame - especially on the left. This is the story, I think.
Thanks, @Jim_McGovern and @Lon_Overacker! The color here is very malleable and it changes with the light as well so definitely not the most straightforward thing to handle here.
Lon, I like your description of the trees. I am still amazed how they are able to grow in places like this.
What a lovely scene. It is nice to see something different and original from Bryce.
Have you considered burning the middle tree a bit, plus dodging a portion of the lights? I think burning just the darker shadow tones in the tree would make it pop just that little bit more, as it seems faded to me. A little bit of dodging lights thrown in, too. Here’s my try (hope you don’t mind).
I very much like your second version and I like the fact that you have carefully composed the tree against the middle of that tall Hoodoo positioned on the left hand vertical third. A definite visual power point. The saturation of no.2 looks just right.
Bonnie, very subtle change and I like the contrast increase in the middle tree there. I think I will incorporate that into my edit, too! Thanks for the suggestion.
