I found this alongside the highway in southern NM last fall. It appealed to me, but wasn’t exactly sure what others might think. Full frame with minimal post work.
EM1 mkII, Leica DG 100-400 (100), iso200 f8 -1/3EV
Bill, I was drawn to this as I often find my own work aligned with rock or plateau photography. As I reviewed this particular formation I found several other smaller scenes within the larger image here. With that said you could play around with some crops here and there to see if any appeal to your liking too…
Bill, this is a very pleasing image, with lots of visual interest to engage the viewer. Those green and yellow cactus add some wonderful accents of color to the image. I like your composition as presented, the layers are nicely balanced. As @Paul_Breitkreuz has pointed out there are other crops lurking here that would make for fine images in their own right. I have never been to southern New Mexico, so it is interesting to see this environment. If not for the cactus, I would say it almost doesn’t look like the rocks are from the southwest. But never the less, this is a fine image that is well composed and processed.
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It works very nicely for me, Bill. There are so many cracks and striations in the rocks that take your eye within the layers, and the colours of the plantlife enrich the scene. I like it perfectly well in colour but imagine it might also work in b & w, with those deep shadows where the rock layers meet. Well worth taking in my view !!
Bill, The large version of this looks great. Wonderful details with nice textures, the colors are natural and put me right there. I like the 3 layers stacked on top of each other like a 3 layer cake! Nice work on this interesting comp.
Thanks @Paul_Breitkreuz, @Nick_Bristol, @Ed_McGuirk and @Ian_Wolfenden for the comments. Ed, interesting thing about New Mexico is, apart from the Sandhills and Snow geese at Bosque and White Sands NP, there is lots of variety in the geology and other scenics too. I also liked the layering of the rocks. There are several yuccas you’ll see in the frame, and the yellows of these is what drew my attention to the scene. I agree that different comps might work here, but shooting at 100mm was all I did here. Should have spent more time there.
Bill,
What a wonderful nature study! I like how you composed the layers or zones from bottom to top. the combination of rock and vegetation tell a great story. Processing is excellent.
Yes, there are crops, but I really like this as presented. If anything, I might shave a little off the top to come closer to the weight that the bottom layer has. You might slightly burn the upper rocks just to keep containment - if that makes sense.
This is wonderfully seen. Suggestions only as thoughts if they happen to coincide with your vision of the scene.
Lon