Jennifer and I made a brief stop in Moab this spring on our way back from the desert. We went for some small hikes with no intentions of photographing, but the light briefly popped out of the clouds and I couldn’t help to photograph this scene with the glowing La Sal’s in the background.
Does it feel balanced?
Is this a composite: No
Nice contrast between the reddish foreground and the white background. Well done.
It feels a tad tight on the right. Advice that rhymes, that’s right folks, it’s the best of times.
ok. I’ll quit that now.
I like the overall composition, but would like a tad more room unless you take it off the bottom, too, for a more graphic and isolating look at the rocks. It would be starker and maybe show off the light more. Maybe a 4:5 crop? Hm.
Wonderful juxtaposition between the colorful snowless foreground rock formations and the snow covered terrain in the background. Although the foreground looks to at about the same elevation as the background, there is no snow. I find that really intriguing. It’s clearly an illusion but it tells a story too. You positioned the foreground pinnacle so that you not only get a good view of the majestic snow capped mountain in the background but you also made appear taller than the mountain in the background which adds to the illusion of snowless vs. snow capped. I love the way the sharpness falls off in the background so that the snowcapped peak doesn’t jump out at you but yet it’s still a major part of the composition and the overall image. The only small nit I have, and this is really stretching it, is that I would like to see a little more canvas on the left side so that the little pinnacle isn’t so cut off but perhaps that would have thrown the composition out of sync.
By the way David, Thank you for the tips on Death Valley. They were very useful.
@Kris_Smith, this was 4x5 already, so I had to go down to 6x7 which I never really use, but I think it works here! Square was too squished for this. I added a tiny bit to the right side using content aware crop. I think it feels more balanced now, great ideas!
Thanks @David_Haynes, I tried to give a little more on the left side in the field but there was a pesky rock just out of frame getting in the way that did not look good. You’re welcome for the tips, glad they were helpful!
Hi David,
I really think the juxtaposition of between the rock formation and the snow/capped/mist La Sal’s is the big story here. I think playing them together the way you did was a great idea - well seen!
I think, to emphasize that even more, I’d go even further with the crop. For some reason I’m enamored with he square crop recently… but I think elimination of the foreground all together really allows the story to be about that juxtaposition.
I don’t know if this is any better, but thought I would take the liberty and make the suggestion. Oh, and too your point that drove me to this… the balance is a little bit awkward, and I think having the additional foreground I think, creates that imbalance; if only slightly anyway.
Square crop:
oh, I also dropped the blues a little in the distant, mid-ground pines.
The orange rocks on the left side have a rock at the highest point before dropping to the background. I would crop just to the right of the rock that butts up against the left frame. That way the red demarcation line does not go upward towards the left frame. That small change simplifies the subject and IMO improves it.
Others seem familiar with this site , but I have not even seen shots of it before so would like to have that obviously imposing peak in the BG a little bit more clear. Perhaps you could adjust this area a little to make it just a little more imposing? Then the juxtaposition Lon mentions would be more striking to my eye.
Hi David – This is an impressive view and your image really does make one stop to admire it. Originally, I was going to say that I would bring out the background mountain more, but the longer I look at it the more I like it as is. This is a beautiful and powerful image. Oh, and I prefer your slightly wider repost. 
David, a really fine scene from this wonderful area near Moab. I’m a bit split between your repost and Lon’s rework of the scene. Both work nicely. The only thing I would entertain is less cyan/blue in the BG. It maybe pretty much as it was at that time but it seems a bit of a draw from the main FG formation.
btw: winter in that area can be brutal. I spent two years traveling throughout Alaska. I was never as cold there as I was during a sunrise at Dead Horse Point Overlook… 
What a cool scene! The stark red outcrops against the mysterious and atmospheric background is super. I rather like your original crop, as it emphasizes the vertical-ness of the red outcrops. The shorter crop feels stubby.
