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WC #666 - A Great Year
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WC #666 - A Great Year

by Jim Greenwood

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted January 2, 2015611 views3 comments
This is certainly one of my favorites from 2014, from one of my most productive and successful trips to Zion ever.

I previously posted this image (here) in the Landscape Gallery. But I've tweaked it since then based on the comments received.

This is of course the Great White Throne as seen from the Virgin River at the Big Bend in Zion Canyon. The dynamic range within this scene is about three stops. But the scene does not lend itself to the use of graduated neutral density filters. This composition represents one of my rare attempts to manually blend multiple exposures into a single image. Three exposures were manually blended, one for the Virgin River and the cliffs in the foreground, one for the Great White Throne and one for the sky. My blending technique may be far from perfect, and I did this on my notebook computer. I haven’t tried to make a print yet. So I’m still wondering if my inexperience with manual blending will be more evident in a large print.

Canon 5D II
Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II
25mm, f/22, 1.3 seconds and 0.3 second and 1/6 second, ISO 50, polarizer

Comments

3 comments
Comment posted by Basil Greber on January 2, 2015 at 1:57 PM
The transitions between the rock and the sky show no signs of the transition (halos) whatsoever. Which is good. However, it might also mean that you have defined (very precisely) a sharp boundary between the two zones, without any softening of the edge to create a smooth transition - this might be an issue in a large print. But I guess you should be able to spot any issues if you look at the image in high magnification on your screen. If that is fine, then the prints should also be fine.

As for the image, I like the flowing water, the rocks, and the greens. I'm not so sure about the muddy river bank on the left - but there's not much you can do about that (except choosing a different location). What I also like is that the image conveys the "Zion feeling" pretty well. :wink:
Registered on November 8, 2005, 219 Posts, 1340 Comments
Comment posted by Alberto Patiño on January 2, 2015 at 6:16 PM
Jim, I can't detect any transitions, and the composition is beautiful. However, to me the light on the trees and the red canyon walls look a bit unnatural, especially when seen next to the White Throne. I would decrease the brightness on the canyon walls an trees a bit - but perhaps you intended this as an artistic effect? In which case why I suggest would create a completely different message from what you intended. In any case, I really like the image. I have no experience with printing multiple exposures, so I cannot comment on whether there could be any problems. :toast:
Registered on December 2, 2014, 278 Posts, 1736 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on January 2, 2015 at 10:45 PM
Jim, I like the view, with the long look along the river including some nice touches of white water. The red against white of the rock walls vs the throne works nicely as well, plus having some clouds in the sky is a fine touch. To me, the blending look fine although admittedly NPN sizes can hide flaw that are easily seen at 1:1 on a desktop, but if you see those, you'll know long before you go for a print. If the 1:1 looks good, print it!
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments