Hi All,
I made a quick trip to Death Valley last month and was fortunate to ge some decent clouds and lighting on the first evening. I’ve struggled to make sense of these mud cracks in a near/far comp. and settled on a moderately wide focal length to retain some prominence in the background while still allowing some three dimensionality. Appreciate any comments/suggestions.
5DSr 16-35 f/4 @ 24mm
2 image focus stack @ f/16
I was probably only a few steps away from where you shot this albeit on a different time, Dave. I really like the light on the badlands and the cloud is magnificent as you said. I struggle finding the right foreground, too, and I had to deal with a ditch. I feel that this intermediate focal length doesn’t accentuate the FG as much but it’s a delicate balance here and I think you are quite successful. I like the overall processing but would like the vignette to be less obvious.
I prefer this perspective to the really close up, which generally looks a bit contrived to my eye (but then I am not a near/far shooter, either). Real nice sky to go with the cracks, making a very enjoyable image.
I like the nice balance that you have Dave. The foreground detail is very good and I would imagine only the most discernible eye would see the difference. I will agree with Adhika on the vignetting particularly on the lower portion of the shot. Very cool shot worth the the trip.
The light is wonderful here on the mountains and the clouds are perfect. I would like to see the edges of the large circular crack further from the edge of the frame just a bit.
Dave, I’m really liking this perspective and your chosen composition. The big cracked mud loop in the FG is an excellent anchor to the overall view. Detail and exposure look very good to me too… 
Dave,
Beautiful near/far image from Death Valley. As mentioned, the patterns are cool and you did a great job placing the contiguous loop as the main focal point up front. Of the course the light striking the hills is warm and beautiful too and you caught some great clouds indeed.
I’m wondering of the vignetting is added or from the lens. While most often vignetting works great to reign in the attention in an image. Personal preference of course, but I might reduce the effect ever so slightly. Not a big deal though.
Lon
I think the use of a moderate focal length was a good one, and keeps the mountains larger in the image. The processing looks excellent here, and you did a great job balancing the exposure. My only nit is the same as @Igor_Doncov, I’d like to see a little more breathing room to the the left and right of the foreground mud crack, it just feels tight to me.
Dave, this look like a tough shoot and I think you’ve chosen well. The light and color on the ridges and in the sky is lovely. Your emphasis on the mud cracks and the fine horseshoe pattern moving slightly left also looks good. The mix of near/far works well. To my eyes, the discontinuity in the lighting is striking, which has me wondering how a modest warming of the foreground would look.
@Adhika_Lie, @Lon_Overacker, Thanks for the comment on the vignette. I used the TK7 action at the default setting - agree it is too strong and pulled back.
@Mark_Seaver, thanks for your comment, Mark. I cooled the temp in the mud cracks. Now you have me thinking…
@Harley_Goldman, @Greg_Stokesbury, @Ed_McGuirk, @Paul_Breitkreuz, @Igor_Doncov, thanks for your comments. Much appreciated.
Dave
