Heart & Soul

Gallery: LandscapePosted September 2, 2013425 views23 comments

I had heard that the light in this remote canyon of the Colorado Plateau was at it's best in the early summer. Figures...
So a long, hot and sandy slog through the desert brought me to the entrance, which was so narrow that I had to walk sideways dragging my camera pack along behind me, leaving a bit of skin and fabric from my clothes and gear bag along the way. Not only was it a tight slot, but it descended fairly rapidly at the same time. Exhausted and parched by the time I arrived at this spot, the glow was just starting to happen, giving me just enough time to shoot two sets of bracketed exposures before it vanished.

And even though the return trip was much hotter and more challenging, the memory of this spot lightened my load considerably.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

Canon 5DII w/16-35 lens @ 16mm
2 sec. & 8 sec. @ f8 ISO 100
Two exposure blend for optimum dynamic range and DOF.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by John Mumaw on September 2, 2013 at 4:56 PM

Here's a screenshot of one of the RAW files in ACR at default settings. Floris van Breugel has a short explanation on why the camera sensor (and film) picks up blues in narrow slot canyons in his blog post titled 'The Navajo Rainbow'. My eye certainly did not see these colors, so I was surprised (and thrilled!) when the first LCD preview appeared on the camera.

Registered on September 9, 2005, 62 Posts, 2289 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Coskun on September 2, 2013 at 5:56 PM

Just incredible John. Love the variety of colors in the sandstone and the flow of each line. This really makes me want to get up in that area again. Detail and development are spot on too.

Registered on October 31, 2011, 170 Posts, 1240 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on September 2, 2013 at 6:00 PM

This is an incredible shot John, one that I can stare at for awhile. I don't have any suggestions at all, just that you enter this in the Abstract category of a major competition!

Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on September 2, 2013 at 6:00 PM

Beautiful! The textures and colors are so engaging here. I like how you refrained from cooking the colors - the look so much better subdued and natural like this!

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on September 2, 2013 at 6:06 PM

Absolutely incredible John. So many special places to be discovered on this planet and you've certainly found one of them. Thanks for sharing it.

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on September 2, 2013 at 6:08 PM

John, nice story backing up this wonderful capture. Sounds like and looks like the hard trudge paid off big time here. One of those hard earned shots that provided some nice dividends.

The composition along with the many canyon surface undulations captured make for an excellent and a bit unique look at this particular slot. Love the light and glow at the top of the vent on this site.

Thanks for sharing the link on Floris' write up too. I know even warm V-50 pickups up a lot of the blue light in slots.

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on September 2, 2013 at 6:40 PM

Very nice, John. I really like the color palette in this. You were well rewarded for your efforts!

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Adrian Klein on September 2, 2013 at 6:45 PM

I would say your long hot sandy slog was worth it. This is a real nice one. Well composed and processed throughout.

Registered on June 10, 2007, 112 Posts, 1506 Comments

Comment posted by Paul DeCesare on September 2, 2013 at 6:48 PM

Whoa, John, the effort and minor injuries were worth it. The detail, comp and subdued tone work like a charm. I agree with Floris, no heavy saturation makes the shot.

Registered on August 31, 2007, 29 Posts, 202 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on September 2, 2013 at 7:24 PM

John, This is just wonderful!...and especially seen in your large version. Your comp works great and then you have the fantastic light, colors and amazing detail. The lines and shapes are super cool looking.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Cameron on September 2, 2013 at 8:38 PM

This is a wonderful display of of rock spirals and folds beautifully portrayed in what I perceive to be accurate and believable colour. Very well done.

Ian

Registered on August 6, 2004, 1125 Posts, 3318 Comments

Comment posted by Navin Sarma on September 3, 2013 at 9:38 AM

Awesome comp and light, John. I still can't wait to set foot into one of these canyons. Seems like you found a unique one, and a unique view on top of that. Nice work with the blend and the colors - look perfect to me.

Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Reid on September 3, 2013 at 10:17 AM

Just a wonderful image John with wonderful textures and colors. Beautiful.

Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments

Comment posted by Roel Wijtmans on September 3, 2013 at 10:33 AM

Definitely worth it to lose some skin and fabric for this John! Nice textures and colors!

Registered on September 30, 2012, 116 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Jeffrey Sipress on September 3, 2013 at 12:08 PM

An excellent image all around, John. Great pallet and control of the light.

Registered on February 17, 2004, 236 Posts, 1197 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on September 3, 2013 at 12:52 PM

I LOVE the colors and patterns here--great comp. One minor nit--it looks a bit 2D to me, and that's not necessarily a good thing for this shot IMO. Tough to say why or what would fix it, but i suspect it has something to do with the contrast. If i look at the RAW post, it seems to have more depth than the processed one here--odd. If you compare the two, it looks like the brightest highlights in the RAW are about equal in the blue and orange sections at the bottom center, whereas in the final version the blue highlights appear to be brighter than the orange(warm) highlights. maybe if it were the other way around, the depth would be increased.

Just a thought.

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on September 3, 2013 at 3:11 PM

Beautiful work John! The lines, colors and composition are exceptional.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on September 3, 2013 at 5:24 PM

Man, I am so envious! Your arduous trek makes this image worth it. And by the way, it is images like this that makes me so proud to be a member of a community of such fine photographers. Outstanding work.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Moore on September 4, 2013 at 1:03 PM

One of the best slot images I've seen in awhile. Great work.

Registered on January 12, 2010, 84 Posts, 388 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on September 4, 2013 at 4:56 PM

One suggestion, print this large!

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on September 4, 2013 at 11:03 PM

Well worth your discomforts. a stunning shot, well composed with great lines and beautiful light. Bet your heart still races each time you look at it. congratulations!

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by John Mumaw on September 5, 2013 at 2:26 PM

Thanks, folks! I really appreciate all of the kind words.

Registered on September 9, 2005, 62 Posts, 2289 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on September 19, 2013 at 11:35 PM

John rockin it home!

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments