chris_conrad

Beautiful. I love the sun star as well. This is great with both the warm glow and the sunburst. I guess I'll be headed up there again this winter........... cc

The digital editting seems too obvious, again, although I like what you're trying to do. The very top of the building is really soft like it's been cut n' pasted. Also the left shoulder of the roof is the sameway. Don't get me wrong--I love historic buildings and I love photoshop, but it just needs a little more TLC. cc

It's a cool compostion, but it seems over-photoshopped. cc

I put it in News because I thought it was funny--like an Inquirer story: "Scandal: The real Arch-Factory discovered in Southern Utah". The colors are real, though: Kodak VS in the evening light. cc

I just started printing this with Epson UltraChrome inks and it

revived my love of this image. My goal on this morning was to get

the whole arch with a sunburst in the right corner. I got that and

then quickly shifted about 10' right to get all glow and no

sunburst. Please let me know what you think. cc

Psychedelic. I like it. cc

Lovely, Stefan. You have shown so much with so little. cc

Wonderful eye! I hope you had a free hand to hold your nose too! Great shot. cc

I thought this was funny. In the land of Arches, some still find

the natural beauty is not enough. Thus, a new Arch is born. Thanks!

Hello Michael. I've also shot this with my Pentax 67II using a 45mm lens. Is that the lens you used? I had to go back and reshoot this one because I became obsessed with getting all 3 windows/doorways. Your shot is interesting because it is so wide! Most people go to shoot this and they can't fit it all in. Tell me what you think of my "Portrait" orientation B&W in my "Forgotten" folder if you get a chance. Thanks! Chris

Robert: something similar happened to me with an Echinachea flower as well. I was going to cut one or two from some "studio" macros and a bright green spider appeared. You can see my result(s) in my "Digital Art" folder. Nice job. cc

Bob: That's a pretty cool workflow. I don't use flash much, though. Here, I am posting a different (perhaps better) exposure from the same shoot. In this new image, I was able to allow more of the Right buttress to come out because the light in the canyon had receded. In the original shot, I didn't bracket anything. I use a Pentax 67II which has a sweet TTL, matrix meter. I have yet to encounter a situation in which I prefered spot metering to the Pentax meter. So, even when using stacked, graduated ND filters (2 of them), I can then use the matrix meter through-the-lens and get a great exposure. cc

Just to clarify: The camera was on a tripod--but I had to manually hold the filters in front of the lens. The +2 filter was held over the entire top 2/3 of image (down to the edge of the Kiva). The +3 filter was held diagonally, roughly following the sweep of the sky and bright canyon from upper right to lower left. cc

I think this is the image that you suggested I come and see (from my "Sunset Ruin"). As you seem aware, there are some things that could have been done to improve it. The tricks I used for the Sunset Ruin involved waiting for the "sweet light" at sundown and then holding back the sky with 5 stops of ND filters--that allowed the surreal feeling of the foreground to fill in. Otherwise, you can't possible put all that drama on film. It seems that this would also be a great sunset image--again, holding back the bright sky and allowing the shadows and contours of the valley fill in.

Thanks for your kind words! cc

Lovely shot--stunning, really. I'd be interested in a print (8x10'ish). Wanna trade? cc

Please help me with this one. I think it is a truly striking and

beautiful scene (at least when one is actually there). It is so

hard to shoot with the sweeping cave ceiling on the Left and the

buttress of rock on the right blocking the colorful canyon beyond.

This was f22 at ~20 seconds while handholding 2 Graduated ND filters

(+2 and +3). Thanks! cc

This image was simply scanned from 6x7cm negative, contrast adjustments in Photoshop with slight crop. Nothing fancy. I print everything digitally--no traditional darkroom prints. cc

I must say the square cropping is an improvement--but the original is excellent as well. Terrific perspective. Very sexy. cc

Generally, I'm not a fan of partial desaturation, but this is a wonderful use of the technique. Lovely. cc

Thank you--I have not other images of this particular ruin. I

wanted to do more with the ceiling patterns (that is: include

more), but there is a very dilapidated structure in the immediate

Left foreground, so I couldn't shoot any wider. Anyway, your input

is valued. Thanks! cc

Robert: the 2 images definitely work well together, although it's a pretty dark meaning from my perspective. Reminds me very much of Album Cover art--Guns n' Roses or some of the other bands from that genre. I do like how the foreground skull "breaks away" into the graffiti as if there are still tortured thoughts and ideas bouncing around back there.  Conveys guilt and remorse (not that I have any of that for any reason).

Things I don't like: The general sad, dreariness conveyed.  Seems a bit out of character for you (but, hey, I've given up real cameras for my flat-bed scanner lately...).

Overall, though, I think this composite is greater than the 2 images by themselves.
cc

I prefer the cropped version, but not the Burned version--made the corners look a bit "muddy". Funny title, beautiful shot. cc

I noticed the selection line on my friend's overly bright monitor as well. The prints I made have no noticeable line(s), nor does my calibrated monitor. Regardless, that interests me, knowing others out there are viewing the editing lines--I'll see about correcting that. Thanks! cc

Funny. I thought this was a boot print in the mud from the Thumbnail. Nice surprise. cc

Nice. cc