black & white Reflection Canyon Lake Powell

Good contrast!

Striking photo! Love the whites...

While watching the travel channel I happened upon a show on Lake

Powell and houseboats.This looked so cool that my girlfriend, her dog

and I decided to give it a go. Driving this huge craft took some

getting use to and I did run her aground but after a little time I

learned to handle her with ease. I fished and caught our dinners,

swam, photographed and slept under the stars. Some of the canyons we

slept in were shear cliffs with small beaches that were just breath

taking. This image is one of those canyon nooks that I took early one

morning from the roof deck of our houseboat. I wasn't entirely unhappy

with my first post of this image. However when I am without new

material to work on, I often return to some of my favorite older

images to see if I can improve on them and at the same time maintain

my processing skills. Although the changes are subtle, I find this new

rendition to look more three dimensional and the stone surfaces to

look and "feel" more real . The three canyon walls now seen to be

separate entities.My revamping included some small changes in contrast

by adjusting my four curves layers, one for each area ( water, left ,

center, and far right canyon walls. I also added and overall Unsharp

Mask with the following setting: Amt 20,Radius 20. This gives an

overall contrast increase that's hard to duplicate with any other

means. You should try this and see the effect for yourself. I also

added four gradient layers, one for each of the sides and adjusted the

opacity of each to slightly darken them.The final touch was a selenium

tone which adds a cool purple tone.

To see the full effect, this image is best viewed larger.

Lovely Shot...

Shenandoah

Thanks David, Luis and Shenandoah

a very good post production on a very difficult shot due its broad tonal range. I really wonder how this could be when printed in large scale (actually - I think - it would be a glorious print). One question only: is the white area on the middle left overexposed? I feel like it draws a bit too much attention. Thanks for sharing the work and the interesting post-prod notes! Ciao, Giuseppe

I haven't printed this image yet but it's on my list. As far as the bright white area, I wanted a full scale image and this wall was lit up by the rising sun and the others were mostly shaded. I guess it comes down to just personal taste. But do you do have a point and I appreciate your input.

Stunningly Beautiful Leo and I've finally met someone more anal about post prosessing than I ;] Bravo!

Thanks for your encouraging words.

Believe me....I know how difficult a shot this was. We took the boat ride on Lake Powell just about a month ago, and the reflection off those walls can be brutal. We kept thinking how wonderful it would be to explore on our own by houseboat the way you did. This is really a spectacular composition........such amazing clarity and range of tones. Bravo!

How nice to hear from you......you should definitely try the houseboat rental. The peace and quiet, beautiful scenery, and photographic opportunities are endless.

Superb!

Thanks Tony