Chiricahua National Monument Setting Sun (View Larger}

Chiricahua National Monument is a tough place to photograph, at least

for me. Although it's very scenic, it's hard to pull it altogether, .

In this image the sun was very low in the sky and yellow stood out as

the sun was about to disappear behind the mountains. The Pixel bender

filter seemed to bring the beauty out, much more than the regular

image did.

As always after all!

Best regards Leo!

PDE

Excellent location and final result here,regards.

RC

Leo, it was difficult for me as well, despite the fact that I spent a full week on the trails.  I think you've picked a great spot, and you have some clouds to help the blue sky, something I was never so lucky to get.  However, I get the feeling that I'm looking more at Pixel Bender than I am at the Chiricahua National Monument, despite the fact that the image is very attractive visually.  That's a dilemma for me.  Looking past the software, I like what I see in terms of light and composition, and would love to see a processed photo of the same area without the pixel bender software (i.e., I have a feeling you have a wonderful photo that more naturally depicts the monument from this vantage point).

I hear you Stephen and you're right, the Pixel Bender does "take over" the image. I think it looks pretty cool though and when I don't have new files to work on, I get to playing with my previous ventures. I am including the "unfiltered" version for you to see. Thanks for stopping by, it's always good to hear from you and your view points.

Leo, I go back and forth between the two photos, and both are great.  Pixel Bender is a very interesting software program, and I like the effects.  Your composition was nicely chosen for a place that has given us both difficulties in capturing its essence.  Very nice work in the natural as well as processed versions.