Anasazi Ruins

 

I have read that the inhabitants of at least one such southwestern cave-ruins culture used up their natural resources and moved on.

The effect in this shot is stronger than the subject. Some like this, others don´t.

For me, it simply looks amazing!

 

Very good!

An excellent visual experience----the image "fools the eye" at first glance. Just one question, "Without being "corrected" in Photoshop (and I'm sure it wasn't), and being shot on film (which I'm sure it was), just how can ANYONE criticize this shot?" He got it in the NEGATIVE!

Interesting commentary. This is a spectacular capture of these Anasazi ruins. The only criticism I would render would be to wish for this to be a 4X5 (yeah, I would like to have one--in my dreams).

While I find this a beautiful photograph It does not knock my socks off as have many past POW. I find the focus a tad soft on the dwellings and Perhaps a Haze filter would of helped it get that extra spark of life that seams to just draw my eye to a photo. Still I would of been proud to have taken it.

Lovely photograph, although I feel that some of the highlights are a bit burnt. Of course this may be the fault of my monitor. Since art and politics have been bedfellows for so long, I must raise the point of national treasures being lost to tourism (photo, eco, or plain old tourists). Ayres Rock, Stonehenge, the Columbia Icefields (Jasper, Alberta), and Yosemite have all enacted procedures to limit the impact of people on these national treasures. The conundrum, which I have not solved, is similar to the Zoo question, i.e. take the animals from the wild to display for the public, or leave where they are? This specific site is becoming overrun with photographers, and will soon be impacted like Antelope Canyon has been. Still, the photograph is a grand one, and I must acknowledge the talented photographer who created this work.

Great Pic, Miles!!!

I just want to say that I find the disscussion about how popular the subject is or if the great masters had done it before, pointless!!!

No picture is the same. Some are good, some are bad. But to stop shooting something, for example, the Statue of Liberty, because is a popular spot, makes me think that maybe the photographer is hiding a "bad eye" and lack of imagination behind "new" and "unseen" subjects. Just the "novelty" will save his/her work.

Good eye of the photographer + Velvia + Medium Format (the wonderful Pentax 645n ) ... that's ALL.

I'm sure you'll don't touch it in photoshop, no resize...no enhacing... no burning... no...digital manipulation.

This is, simply, Photography.

regards and compliments

Where are my sunglasses? Oh, here they are. Now I can see. Hey, nice photo. Maybe you could up the color sat a bit in PS. Other than that, great shot.

Not many times I've given two 7's on a photo. Very well done.

Been a long time since I've seen a photo handled this well from start to finish.

I'm glad that people have enjoyed discussing this image as it IMO gives much food for thought. My feeling is that its an interesting image and one that speaks well for the site. But not one of my best from the Southwest.

 

In that sense I agree with Bernhard's comment above.

 

This is a tough image to make work Vertically. I do indeed wish I had a LF camera and could have used tilt as Paul suggested above.

 

To understand why this is so see Cedar Mesa ruins

 

About 99% of the images produced here are in landscape format.If you visit the link above you will see why. The front left of the image is 1 foot from the camera, the bottom right is about 20 feet away. To create this image I focused on the flames and shot at f22.The illusion of a bonfire is pretty amazing. It took me several hours of composing to get it right. My hats off to David Muench who first saw this shot. A true master of composition and shots with incredible depth of field.

 

If you are wondering what IMO is my best image from the Southwest is I've inserted it below.

 

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The Totems at Sunrise

 

All in all thanks for the honor.

 

Miles

I like how the bright firey colors really draw me into the top half of the photo. I wonder if the photo could of be improved even more by cutting off more of the dark area at the bottom. The amount of the dark area seems a little too much. I also did like someone's suggestion that it may look interesting if the photo was shown as black and white.

Um...ok,i may look stupid here but i must say what's the big deal?

Yes technically rather interesting but it just looks like a bad painting.I tried to like it.....

Hi Miles, and congratulations on this POW. I find it truly great, though I wish you had taken this picture with a slightly wider angle. On the other hand, I have no clue what as on your left and on your right, nor in front, so this suggestion of mine might in fact be completely off - sorry if that is the case.

This being said, like you, these "Totems" image striked me long ago as the very best picture you have uploaded here. Best regards, and congratulations again.

My first response was negative. To me, too, it looked like a gaudy painting or an over-tweaked photographic image. But the more I looked the more I liked the image--to the point where I like it very much. It speaks to me of a culture that's disappeared but left an aura. I know this sounds excessively mystical, but the image also speaks to me of shamanic rites around a fire. And indeed, rock can be changed into fire by the sun. Bravo!

Congratulations, Miles, on having this image selected for the photo of the week. It's really very good.

 

If I had to criticize it in any way -- and I'm inclined not to -- I'd say that the darker area in the extreme lower left distracts me a bit; not because it's too dark, but because it almost has too much detail. But I can't give any concrete suggestions about how I would change it without changing the overall feel, which I like.

Wow.. great colors and structure and texture. wonderful. like the stones are in fire. well seen! Biliana

yeen gözel bi resim eyiki çekmiºin

I've seen a lot of photos of this place, and have even been there (once). Never have I seen a more dramatic and awesomely beautiful capture. Kudos.

I absolutly love it.

I thought it was, at least! Nice, very nice. I need to try velvia sometime.

I first saw this shot by peter like this about 3 years ago, in one of his galleries.

Still the colours a very beautiful

Missing image from above post.

a perfect picture ! magnifique image-idee

Reminds one of the Bass/Rankin animated character Heat Miser from The Year Without a Santa Claus, (1974), no?