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Primeval Engagement
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Primeval Engagement

by gary phillips

Gallery: LandscapePosted January 14, 2016244 views14 comments
This is from an area in Southern Nevada that has numerous wind sculpted formations.  All one needs is a little weather to add some drama.  I been dinking around with this image for awhile, trying to make it work.  The sandstone itself lacks contrast, but I loved the sky in this remote spot.  Thought I'd throw this out there to you guys to see what you think.

iso 100, 14mm, f/5.6, .4s

Your comments and critiques are greatly appreciated and very helpful.

Comments

14 comments
Comment posted by Alberto Patiño on January 15, 2016 at 12:16 AM
When I browsed the thumbnails I thought it was a gargoyle. The large image is even more ominous! I like dark photos, and this one works just fine. And perfect title!
Registered on December 2, 2014, 278 Posts, 1736 Comments
Comment posted by Dave Dillemuth on January 15, 2016 at 12:23 AM
Gary,
Very interesting image. Great clouds and I had the same gargoyle thought as Alberto. Really lends itself well to the dark B&W rendering.
Registered on December 10, 2015, 104 Posts, 1112 Comments
Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on January 15, 2016 at 1:20 AM
This image has a great sense of drama and therefore I really like it! The sculptures are like gargoyles wrestling or angels falling. So many stories can be conjured up from it and the sky  enhances it all with the upswept lines to match the downward lines of the rock on the left. Really unique and very striking image.
Registered on November 11, 2011, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on January 15, 2016 at 10:38 AM
That's one nasty looking critter on the left, Gary.  The stormy sky and the overall darkness work very well at creating a sense of a forbidding alien landscape.  The details in the big view are outstanding.  BTW, that formation has me thinking of an eroded Triceratops skull.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Roel Wijtmans on January 15, 2016 at 11:48 AM
Wow Gary, you outdid yourself with this one! This is like one of those creepy demons you can find on old cathedrals, and the menacing clouds are an absolutely perfect match. Really fascinating photo, and very well done.
Registered on September 30, 2012, 116 Posts, 2257 Comments
Comment posted by Igor Doncov on January 15, 2016 at 5:15 PM
Phoenix rising from the dead. You could crop a tad off the right. Wonderfully suggestive image. 
Registered on November 22, 2014, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Wong on January 15, 2016 at 6:35 PM
Looks like a menacing gargoyle Gary. Very nice.
Registered on February 2, 2006, 79 Posts, 2629 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Leggett on January 15, 2016 at 7:46 PM
This is way cool, Gary.  The clouds really add to the drama, and very aptly titled devil
Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments
Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on January 16, 2016 at 7:49 AM
Looks like a giant crow perched ready to pick up some road kill. You've provided some good contrast in the rock areas for me and I like the angular position on the rock meeting the angled clouds - very effective.  So, I think the time and effort were well worth the effort.  I must say, the frame you created around the image is very effective and adds to the image as a whole, and I wish I were not as lazy, or I would try doing something similarcool
Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Fach on January 16, 2016 at 11:49 AM
Gary: I just watched The Lord of the Rings again so this reminds me of something right out of Mordor! Well seen and superbly processed. Many thumbs up! >=))>
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments
Comment posted by David Schoen on January 16, 2016 at 4:13 PM
The Mordor analogy is perfect.  The foreboding sky and the jaws of the rock formation add tension to a moody image.  Nice!!!
Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on January 17, 2016 at 3:31 PM
Gary,

It would be difficult to come up with something different than the descriptions commented so far... The formation is unique, and I'll go with Gargoyle as well since that was my first reaction!  Almost haunting.

Beautifully exposed and processed.  I can't think of any suggestions and no nits.  The sky is a great compliment to the scene.
Well done!

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on January 17, 2016 at 4:02 PM
Gary,
Your efforts have borne fruit.  Reactions of the previous posters are active and vibrant themselves.  At first glance, the rocks looked like a dinosaur to me and I can also see the gargoyle too.  The cloud direction brings terrific focus on the rock formation.  Love the pict. 
Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments
Comment posted by Sairam Sundaresan on January 17, 2016 at 11:26 PM
Very ominous, and it definitely looked like a gargoyle from the thumbnail. I love the B&W treatment here. It definitely makes the image sing here! :) I'm curious to see how this would look with the rock formation a little more centered. 
Registered on March 14, 2013, 100 Posts, 643 Comments