Just back from my usual fall trip to various parts of Utah where I spent 4 days, among others, shooting fall colors in Zion National Park. This image was taken in a canyon I never been up before while exploring for new compositions. What struck me was the tall, straight trunked trees in the background with contrasting lower growing shrubs in the foreground making for a pleasing tapestry of colors.
Specific Feedback Requested
Please let me know if you think this image is balanced or not. I am not sure about the LLC being relatively bare and lacking in color.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Nikon Z7ii, ISO 80, 24-70mm @ 33.5mm, >8 seconds at f/16
Modestly processed and cropped slightly from the left side. LR only except PS to add the frame.
Oh this is wonderful. No problems with that corner. I didn’t even notice it until you brought it up. Why should the foreground foliage go continually across? Sometimes I think we are too self critical. Overall it’s a good thing but sometimes we see issues where there are none. Wonderful composition. Certainly can’t complain about that. And the reds have that saturation we expect from Zion. I notice the cliffs are blue in a manner similar to Adhika’s trees. I can see the appeal as a color combination. Perhaps if they were colorless as in high center they would be less appealing. Or maybe they would look good. It’s your decision and I’m just not sure but that’s something I would question.
No issues with the LLC either. Nature gives what she gives. I like the distribution of color and shapes - very appealing. It seems a tad cool to me overall, but that might be how it was. I especially like the bit of green in the center to separate the upper and lower canopies. Looking down into worlds like this is always fun.
Hi David! This is a beautiful photo. I like everything about it. I agree with Kris about the green center. Excellent composition and range of colors. If it were mine I would print it large and hang it in a prominent spot on my wall. Well done!
Really nice swath of fall color, David. The larger version is particularly nice. As far as the LLC, it does not bother me at all, but I can see a vertical crop in the scene as well. Not necessarily better, just a different take. Here is what I was thinking.
This is a very nice image, and wouldn’t change a thing. The LLC doesn’t bother me at all, but I experimented with a crop just the same to see what would happen. I found the loss of those seven dark skinny trunks aboce the bare area was a bigger loss than any gain made by removing the bare area. I’m with @Steve_Kennedy … I’d be happy to hang this on my wall, too.
Beautiful! The corner is OK for me, but if you wanted you could crop just slightly from the left, and/or lighten that corner a small amount. I love the blues against the foliage!
As the others have said, this is so rich and beautiful as is, @David_Haynes. And I really like the border to contain and show off the color. What settings do you use in PS for frames?
I am very familiar with the feeling you described but I agree with everybody that the corner is alright. I also would chase symmetry and I think @Igor_Doncov is right that I could overanalyze things because of small things like this. I think this is a very very fine take on Zion Fall colors. I would be extremely happy to have this on my collection!
PS. I wonder if our dates coincide when you were in the park. I was there from Oct 16-24. Zion is particularly beautiful this year, I feel.
Beautiful photo! I have only minor nits, in the totally subjective category. I would lighten very slightly the LLC, and darken slightly rocks in the very upper center edge.
Thank you @Igor_Doncov for your encouraging words about not being too self critical. Yep, it’s a problem. When you hit Zion at just the right time, the reds are off the charts and it’s because of those reds that I cooled this scene pretty dramatically as I felt it was too warm out of the camera. This was shot pre sunrise so the blues become a little intense but I like the blues in Zion when shooting in shadow. It contrast nicely with the really warm yellow, oranges and reds. I will take a look at removing the blues all together from that back wall on the right side. Would love to shoot Zion with you and Adhika. I’m there every year!
Thank you @Ola_Jovall for your comment. Glad the LLC was not an issue. It’s just me.
Thank you @Kris_Smith for your comments. What actually drew me to this scene was the green patch in the middle of the color. I centered it for that purpose. Yes. this is much cooler than your typical Zion images. That was on purpose. Perhaps I went a little bit too far but I love the blues you get in shadow at Zion and the contrast that they provide to the warmers colors.
Thanks @Steve_Kennedy. I might print this one out.
Thanks @Harley_Goldman . I appreciate it.
Thank you @Ed_Lowe . You hit on my original composition before going landscape with my post. Here is my original take on this image with the greens being center of the composition. This has slightly less contrast than my landscape version. Not sure which I like best.
Thanks @Michael_Lowe . I agree about a portrait version. I almost posted this one first.
Thanks @jefflafrenierre . Keeping the greens center of the composition led me to include that LLC which I am beginning to appreciate for balance. I think it balances the Blue rock in the URC which is pretty bare as well. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Thanks @Diane_Miller. It sure seems I am the only one a little bit worries about the LLC but I am growing to like it for the balance it provides with the URC background rock. I just love the blues too. Thanks for that.
Thanks @Mark_Muller. To get a frame in PS all you have to do is import into PS and go to Image and select canvas size. Fill in the width and the height ( I usually start with 3.0 for both and if that’s not enough just add a little bit to the canvas). For the color, you simply click on the canvas extension color box and you can pick white or you can use the eye dropper to select an actual color in your image to use. By the way, you can add as many frames around your image as you like so can start with a small frame and just barely outline your image and then add another frame and make it much bigger and a different color. All really easy to do. Let me know if you have questions.
Thanks @Mario_Cornacchione for your comment.
Thanks @Adhika_Lie . I was there from the 22nd to the 25th, and again from the 30th through the 2nd. I was in Capital Reef between these time periods. Would love to shoot there with you. This was my 7th straight year. I am usually there from the 15th to about the 22nd or so.
Thanks @Tony_Siciliano . I completely agree with both nits. It would align the two areas with similar luminance. Thanks for the suggestion.
