Storm Over Slickrock

Please view large. This is the top of a mountain formed by an adjacent

geological fault and reached only after a very steep and hazardous climb.

To see this much rock on top of a mountain was amazing -- the colors and

patterns were so impressive. I don't think my photos have really captured

a sense of the place; I especially don't like my sky-rock split in this

particular photo. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Good Morning, With a mostly uniform gray sky like that , lacking any real definition, I don't think you could have gotten anymore from this than you did. I'm certainly no expert, just MHO. The rest of the image is great, and the rock formation is amazing, with all those layers. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Regards,

Holger

Stephen, a really nice image with beautiful patterns. I don't feel  that the sky, with its cold tonality enhances the rest of the scene.  I wonder if the  some cropping and increased contrast on the slickrock would result in a more powerful  image.  I hope you made it back to your vehicle before the storm hit.

The colour contrasts and textures become more apparent in the larger view, and I recommend for anyone to view the image that way.

I like the image as it is, simple and honest.

The most striking aspect of the image for me is the deep finger print kind of depressions in the rock surface that appear close to the foreground and mostly to the right.

If I was to do anything differently, my inclination would have been to get up close if at all possible to those markings, then from a very low perspective, tilt the camera upwards and use the lines to take the viewers gaze towards the grey sky.

Of course that is something that you may have already considered and even carried out.

Compliments & Best Regards

Alf

I tend to like images like this one Stephen. Simplicity is a very effective tool for creating compelling work. The patterns lend interest to lead the eye into the moody sky. If it was mine, I imagine that I would have increased the contrast in the foreground and adjusted the white balance to enhance the entire image. But then that is the difference between your work and mine. Have a good one - Thomas

Holger, Phil, Alf, and Thomas, that's so much for your feedback.  I do wish I had had more variety in the clouds -- I think the gray is simply too uniform (I agree that a crop of some of the gray might help).  I wish I could have waited for it to change.  However, it appeared to be a significant storm (probably with lightning), and I beat a hasty retreat down the mountain, getting lost along the way (it took me longer to find my way down than it did coming up).  I visited this place on two successive days, and I do have a variety of close-up shots with the camera placed near the striking patterns and shadows and shot using focus stacking; I'll probably post some of those as well.  With regard to the white balance, this is a vexing problem for me:  trying to remember exactly what the color looked like while I was there.  I do think this is close, but I could be wrong.  That's one of my biggest headaches when processing photos, and I'm looking now to see if I can rely strictly on color temperature numbers rather than how it looks on my screen.  This is one of the first shots I made when I reached the top, because seeing these acres (or hectares) of patterned rock at the top of the mountain was an amazing sight, and I initially wanted to include it all.  This place is describe in the book series written by Laurent Martres (a superb guide book to the U.S. Southwest), and a photo he included in his book was a dramatic twilight shot.  However, to come down this mountain in the dark would be dangerous and foolish, IMO; it is one of the most rugged and hazardous trails I've ever hiked.  Doing this alone and on artificial hip joints may not have been wise, but the drama of the place made it worth the potential danger.  Yes, I'd go back.

Stephen, I enjoy the colors and patterns very much.   What I find in Utah is that it is hard to get a sense of scale, as well as color accuracy.   I would not know how large this is if you had not mentioned the size.   But either way, I enjoy the dramatic contrast.  

Keep exercising those body parts, it's an inspiration for the rest of us.

This is called "Yellow Rock" and it is a very impressive place.  Congrats.  Love your capture.  Best Regards,

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