Cottonwood Bend

This is my attempt at capturing a rather popular location within the Zion Narrows (which you no doubt already guessed) during peak fall color. I experimented with different shutter speeds to capture “water that looks like water,” or at least close enough in my view, and also had to contend with a bit of wind. The end result is a blend of a few images to eliminate leaf motion and a blend from another image shot to preserve water texture.

Post-processing was generally straightforward, but I thought I’d mention that I used Tony Kuyper’s “Triple Play” action after completing the bulk of the processing. I have found it to be very effective at enhancing image detail and the action can also be used to make either subtle or significant changes to luminosity. I highly recommend the action and related tutorial to those with an interest in trying something new.

All critiques and comments are greatly appreciated.

Canon 5DII, 17-40L at 24mm, f/16, 0.8 second (base exposure) and 0.4 second (water texture) at ISO 400 with a polarizer.