I feel almost embarrassed to be getting such a high score and faves and nice comments (was sitting on 7.4X almost all week, although slid precipitously to 7.2X in the last day for some unknown reason). Why should I take credit for this amazing view if it is Mother Nature who should be credited... And it's not like I discovered this view, photos of the exact same spot are abundant on the web. All I did was to get there (a bit far away from home, but long on my list of places to see), to bring a tripod (I did forget a flashlight, for which I cursed myself more than once because focusing in the dark was so hard), to pay a fee for a guided tour (no, you can't go there by yourself, sorry) and to take as many photos as I could during the allocated 1.5 hour (way too small).
Oh yes, post-processing. Out of the camera, with daylight white balance I got more-less this:
That's how most of the shots of Antelope canyon look like. But to my taste it had too much magenta and purple hues, so I played with color temperature in RAW conversion a bit until I liked the result. I also had to combine a couple of different conversions from a single RAW file to handle the highlights.
That's about it.... let's see where it ends up. I am used to not ribboning when I get 7+ scores (our of my 9 7+ scores, seven did not ribbon :))...
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Hah, still managed to hang on :). Thanks for a ribbon with a great score - my PSB (personal second best :))! Here are a couple more from the same place:
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awesome awesome .. its almost like a view into another world .. the lighting is amazing .. a golden and beckoning glow .. those rocks and the layers, so beautiful .. the entire image is just stunning .. a very well deserved ribbon for sure ... CONGRATULATIONS . :)
Beautiful image! If you ever get back there again, you CAN go directly to the Indians and pay to get in; they let you stay 4 hours. The tour companies would like you to think that it's not possible to go without them. :-)
Congratulations! Great photo and great finish!
There is nothing to be embarrassed of. Just like my signature says: "The art of photography mostly consists of being in the right place at the right time having the right equipment and the right attitude" and you have all these!
you shouldn't feel embarrassed for your shot. i think one of the key ingredients to being a good photographer is getting off your butt and putting yourself where you need to be. great job!
You needed to rake the sand first... :-) Congrats on the ribbon, and being exceptionally well prepared to get the shot you wanted, and getting that shot then working it to the way you wanted it, and being probably the most well-traveled member of DPC. Oh, and those are some seriously sensual striations. I'd probably have more fun just looking at the rocks than shooting them.
thanks Deb! Actually, believe it or not, these striations look better in photos than in real life. It is so dark in there that our eyes do not see much color except the openings where the sunlight is seeping through... but the camera does, given enough exposure. This shot was taken right near the entrance so it was pretty light and only took 1 sec of exposure. Deep in the canyon the typical exposure was 10-15s at 200 ISO (which was problematic because tourists kept walking in the scene in the middle of it :))
You needed to rake the sand first... :-) Congrats on the ribbon, and being exceptionally well prepared to get the shot you wanted, and getting that shot then working it to the way you wanted it, and being probably the most well-traveled member of DPC. Oh, and those are some seriously sensual striations. I'd probably have more fun just looking at the rocks than shooting them.
Nicely done! I submitted a very, very similar shot of this exact spot last summer. I like how you were able to keep the highlights under control where the sun comes in. I had a bit of trouble with that in my submission :)
A gorgeous image. I have seen photos of this type before, but never in my life seen this in person. Such natural beauty, and so wonderfully captured here.
sand and sandstone
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