My favorite cactus shot was from the parking lot at the Lake Pleasant boat ramp. As soon as I saw this one, with the scraggy tree hugging it, I had to shoot it.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments welcome!
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Canon R5, 100-500 at 135, ISO 400, f/7.1, 1/2000 sec, handheld. Minor tonal adjustments in LR then into PS to remove a very small cactus intruding on the horizon on the left and smooth out the faint remains of a contrail. Shot in landscape orientation and cropped in from both sides.
So now I’m going to have to do something different with mine, lol. Nice catch and I like how you got rid of the contrails. So close to the Phoenix airport and the sky is dirty with the things.
I just clicked on the larger image and it looks oversharpened but I didn’t sharpen it. I guess the JPEG conversion did. Need to review the settings (exported from LR) and turn off any sharpening.
Diane: Looks like the cactus and tree are arguing about who gets this parcel of real estate. My only tiny suggestion for improvement would be to make the small bush/tree that’s poking up into the sky down the hill a bit go away. It pulls my eye just enough to distract. Nice find and nicely captured. >=))>
Thanks @Kris_Smith, @Bill_Fach and @Tony_Siciliano. The sky color was bothering me, and I managed to subdue it and add some pop to the cactus and tree, so now they stand out better. I was trying to work on the color of the cactus, which is a rather subdued green, but it wants to be a bit on the yellowish side so I’m letting it have its way. Even Selective Color wasn’t getting it right. Repost above.
