Escalante 2

Love the sweep & curl here Scott. Well done.

The large view really opens this up, Scott.  Sweet sky and good use of the sandstone in the fore.  Beautiful Escalante image.

This looks so much better in the larger version, Scott.  There, the sky colors show better as do the details in the foreground rocks.  I like your emphasis on the foreground and sky as well as how nicely they're connected by the land in between.  Looks like a wonderful place to watch a sunset.

Love the sweeping sandstone and a great sky to go with it.  Curious why you chose f20, as I would think sharpness would not have been an issue given the comp, and maybe allowed lower ISO, slightly better quality for the lens?  Maybe a little distortion going on in the distant cliffs? or do they angle?  Great view in any case.

Nice wide view and excellent sky. An alternate crop for me would be a centered vertical composition.

I've been there a few times and have composed for some of the better known formations, so this is a refreshing WA look with in interesting FG, the cliffs on the horizon, and you certainly had the sky in your favor.

Scott: I really like the use of the WA which puts the emphasis on the swirling patterns and shapes of the foreground rocks. The sky, which mimics the tones in the rocks is a stunner. Congrats!! Richard

Gorgeous light and scene! I feel like a bit more contrast in the dark tones on the rock would help this pop a bit more.

Thank you for the comments and suggestions.

Richard, I think your suggestion is a good one. I was thinking the same thing, so I'll work on that.

Harry, yes, these are the "Straight Cliffs" of the "Grand Staircase Escalante NRA." They continue is an uninterrupted straight line (angling southeast from here) for about 40 miles, leading to the "Hole in the Rock" for which this road is named. I probably could have gotten by with something wider than f20, but I was quickly shooting from different angles, some with the near rock only about 3 feet from my lens, and I just wanted to make sure everything is in focus. Also, this particularly lens is pretty good at f20.

Nicely done, Scott.  I love the rock formation and its contrast with the very linear cliffs beyond.  I might be tempted to play with a slighty wider pano crop losing just a tish of the sky.  The sky is spectacular, but for me it competes a bit too much with the rocks.  Getting rid of the hole in the clouds top center (cropping just below that) would do the trick, I think.  That said, the sky is a worthy subject itself, so keeping it as is works fine.

Scott this just goes on forever, love the curvature of the BG. Great lines leading into the frame, great sunset, nicely lit all the way through. Nice to see a different part of the great Southwestern US. Thanks for sharing.

Nice lines leading to a dramatic sky. My brother and I had great fun at this location. Our skies were blue, but we camped near by and came back and shot the Milky Way.

The lines in the rock formations do an excellent job of directing me to that drama laden sky, Scott. I like the wide open feel that this image imparts. Great job on this beauty.

Ed

This is my favorite composition of the series.  I like the wider view as the full bowl with the rock on the right creates a better lead.  The image may benefit from an increase in tonal contrast.  The sky must have been fun to watch as its color increased.