Nature Photographers Network
This is the preserved archive of the original Nature Photographers Network. The community continues at naturephotographers.network.
Kings Canyon Woodland
‹ PreviousLandscape GalleryNext ›

Kings Canyon Woodland

by Ronald Davis

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 23, 2014189 views6 comments
This vibrant woodland surrounded a dry stream bed in King's Canyon at Watarrka National Park, Northern Territory, Australia. I took this photo on 5Feb2007, positioning myself in the shade, and shooting over the red stream bed and through the light-barked trees, and toward the brightly illuminated shrubs in the background.
Canon EOS 20D
Canon EF24-70mm at 38mm
1/5 sec; f/22; ISO 200 on tripod
Shutter priority; Evaluative metering

Comments

6 comments
Comment posted by Marc Ward on July 23, 2014 at 1:08 PM
Ronald - Thanks for posting in the Photo Art Gallery, but this is not what the Photo Art Gallery is for, so I'm moving this over to the Landscape Gallery. The Photo Art Gallery is for multiple exposures, composites, and images with heavy blurs or artistic filtering.
Registered on February 26, 2009, 304 Posts, 1365 Comments
Comment posted by Ben Horne on July 23, 2014 at 9:40 PM
The composition works well for me, but there is something about the processing that feels off. The trunks are very flat, as though excessive highlight recovery has been used, and the shadows are very crunchy, going from black to middle dark tone with very little transition. This is usually a sign that the shadow recovery has been pushed to the limit. Perhaps that's why you posted it in Photo Art originally rather than landscape. A scene like this would certainly require two exposures (one for highlights, the other for shadows) from the 20D. If you bracketed the exposure, you could certainly do a manual blend, but it feels like the processing pushed beyond the limit of the original file.
Registered on August 27, 2009, 51 Posts, 959 Comments
Comment posted by Ronald Davis on July 24, 2014 at 7:59 AM
Registered on July 4, 2014, 38 Posts, 48 Comments
Comment posted by Ronald Davis on July 24, 2014 at 8:08 AM
This is in response to Ben Horne's comment. Thanks for sensing why I originally posted this image in Photo Art. By manipulating highlights and shadows I attempted to produce a scene that emphasizes the aspects of this woodland that were most impressive and pleasing to me. I considered what I did to be a blend of photography and art, but it was not acceptable to the editor of the Photo Art Gallery, and he (not me) moved it to the Landscape Gallery. I would be interested in hearing from photographers who have visited this type of woodland in moist canyons surrounded by desert in central Australia. Best wishes, Ron
Registered on July 4, 2014, 38 Posts, 48 Comments
Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on July 25, 2014 at 7:16 PM
Ronald,

Putting my NPN Staff Member hat on for a minute: Since you intended this be Photo Art, it may have been better to explain why you posted in that gallery initially. The moderator made the best call he could, given the circumstances.

I've not been to AU, but I've photographed a lot in forests with similar elements in quite similar environments. I like your composition, and from a landscape image point of view, I agree with Ben's comments about the processing.

--P
Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments
Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on July 25, 2014 at 11:11 PM
The flesh-colored trees feel very organic and certainly hold my interest. The shadows in the rocks feel overly dark and textureless.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments