raghuveermakala

Wanghan: Thanks for the comment. This is actually a very cliched shot, made from the strategically positioned boulders rightnext to the parking lot. I like this shot of Monument Valley better than this:http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=12183272

Thanks for the kind comments!

Jan: The previous evening I made this shot, there were many clouds in the sky and I was visualizing colorful clouds lighting up at dawn behind the totem pole. However, there were almost none that chilly morning, but the colors behind the totem pole were still great. It was a humbling experience to stand there in front of the massive ~450ft totem pole and watch the Sun come up from behind.

Thank you all for the comments and I'm glad many like it. The "Cracked Eggs" area plus the whole of Bisti/ De-Na-Zin Wilderness is an amazingly beautiful place with many weirdly shaped rock formations. I took this shot shortly after sunset after the long shadows were gone, but the rock formations still had some warm hues due to reflected light. This shot also looks quite good in B/W. Here's a link to that: http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=13109954

Wanghan,I did sharpen the photo both during HDR conversion as well as in PS. I reduced the size on purpose for uploading on P-N. If you're seeing it on a large screen, it may look oversharpened.
Best Regards,

Raghuveer

Excellent composition and HDR work! The color in the three windows in the center of the image adds to the eeriness.

The image seems slightly tilted to the left, however. 

Another stunner! Love the colors and the leading lines, just seem to draw the viewer's attention right into the center of the image.

Silhouette of the Totem Pole shot just before Sunrise. Critique/comments

appreciated. Thanks for your time!

Nicely done, HDR. The image needs to be viewed "larger". Even then, it appears a bit too grainy. Maybe you can soften it a bit during HDR processing?

Nice shot of the "famous" light beams!

Best Regards, Raghuveer

Gorgeous landscape, well captured. BTW, where is this paradise?

Shot shortly after sunset at Bisti badlands, New Mexico. This place is often

referred to as "Cracked Eggs" or "The Alien Hatchery" for the rather

unusually shaped rocks that appear to be sitting on pods.

Critique/comments appreciated. Thanks for your time!

Nice patterns and texture throughout. Well done abstract!

Wow! Very creative, the flower pattern is captivating. Nicely done, Gail!

Very peaceful image! Nicely captured.

Absolutely lovely and stunning pic! Your images are truly inspiring. I think the plant is hedgehog/claretcup cactus.

Best Regards, Raghuveer

Very well composed! Looks like a HDR, especially love the clouds and light. 

Makes me curious where the buffalo are headed to...

Congrats on a great shot!

Jim & Jerry: Appreciate the feedback & thanks for the kind comments.

-Raghuveer

Thanks Larry & Sean!

Sean: This was one of the few good shots I could manage on a cold November morning, before the Sun went hiding behind those dark clouds. I wish you good luck and good light on your next attempt! 

Pierre: Thanks! The Bisti badlands indeed seem like a fantasy-world, and one could easily mistake it for being on another planet!

Ben: Thanks! The sky looks an intense blue on my screen (which is color-calibrated). The difference in the blues across the image is because the sky is unevenly polarized as I used a polarizer on a very wide lens. I could've possibly avoided this by turning it only to about half the max intensity.

All: Thanks for the kind comments.

Ben: At ISO 100, I would have needed to make a 100s exposure to get the same results as 25s @ ISO 400. Of course, lower ISO is preferred for lesser noise but in this scene, the moon would have moved a considerable distance in the 100s case. That's the reason I bumped up the ISO to 400. If you look carefully, you can notice a slight blur due to the moon's movement even at 25s. Moreover, there are no trails in this area and I was getting a bit anxious if I could find my way back to the parking lot. I wanted to finish up and leave asap :-) 

Taken shortly after Moonrise at Bisti badlands. Critique/comments

appreciated. Thanks!

Excellent shot! The water has a little bit of extra cyan, but that might be my monitor. I'm sure this shot will look great, if not better in B/W.

Very nicely shot! Great composition and superb light throughout the image!

Stunning colors and great sharpness! I'm assuming it's a HDR.

IMHO, If you got the complete reflection it'd would look even better, but I understand you'd have needed a much wider lens. 

Taken on a late afternoon at Bisti badlands. Critique/comments

appreciated. Thanks!

Whoa, What a shot! "Beauty and the beast within". Glad you made it out OK to share the image with us!