I became obsessed with the intense reds of my favorite canyon. I soon discovered that the best light was actually a bounce light from one side to another that achieved optimal colors between 9 and 11 in the morning. In this image I actually toned down the reds a bit as they were too strong. The challenge became what to use with the red sandstone. I decided upon this maple.
Let me know what you think.
GFX50R, 45-100mm, CPL
John’s version:
Latest version:
I think this is stunning Igor. The colors an textures make this pop.
Wonderful Igor. The detail and rhythm of the red canyon wall is what I noticed first. Having the maple tree adds the perfect contrast in the smooth texture and yellow/green color to the wall, along with the vertical lines of the tree. Makes me wish I had been there is enjoy it. Great find and very nicely done.
Just a great image. The colors really pop. Well seen and photographed.
Wow, what color! A lovely small scene. The only niggle that catches my eye is that triangular dark shape in the LLC; maybe dodge it a bit so it isn’t so prominent?
Reflected light on red rock is a wonderful thing, it’s what I love most about photographing in the American southwest. Igor you have nailed the color/saturation on the canyon wall, nice job on the processing. And the light has done some great things to the green/yellow of the leaves too.
This is a great image, but I think the two black shapes in the LLC are a minor distractions, they look so out of place from the rest of the canyon wall. I would clone them away.
The result of that reflected light is extremely pleasing, Igor. I agree with @Ed_McGuirk about the two black patches at the edges. I have some reservation about the horizontal branch but it feels natural to be there.
I could possibly remove it?
If I were you, I would definitely try it. I had a similar situation but content aware resulted in a very weird canyon wall texture.
The sandstone is a beautifully colored backdrop to the tree, and excellent choice on the lighting. It may be too much personal taste and drift away from what was actually there, but my preference is slightly less yellow.
John, I don’t see the modification you made. I flip back and forth between the two and can’t tell the difference (see above). Are you sure you didn’t upload the original by mistake?
It’s very subtle, I agree. Look at the trunk of the tree when you compare the two. The color of the sandstone shifts slightly too.
I see it now. The trunk has a more natural color now. I used a warm WB here when I made this shot since it was in the shade and I wanted to bring out the colors in the wall. This affected everything of course. Thanks. I appreciate your fine eye for these things.
Wonderful Image, I can see why you’d get obsessed with these canyon walls!
@andrew_hertel, @linda_mellor, @Adhika_Lie, @Ed_McGuirk, @Bonnie_Lampley, @Eva_McDermott, @John_Williams, @Richard_Teller
Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I removed the dead snag as suggested. What do you think? It’s amazing how good Content Aware has become in the new version of CC. It must’ve been a high priority for them. I also slightly saturated the yellows in an attempt to not have the background cominate so much. I included it all in the original post to allow flipping between versions. That really makes it easier to decide which changes are working best. Please let me know if you agree with the changes.
Oops! It’s the version with a redder canyon wall. Let me know about that as well. My son prefers the wall less red. He’s such a tyrant.
