Monument valley in BW

[adakshi]

DSC03432_DxO by adakshi, on Flickr

Hope you like it.

[UrsaMajor]

Hope you like it.

Very Nice!

It's nice to see Monument Valley in B&W. That area is so colorful that almost everyone shows color images - which are nice - but B&W is a pleasant change. Your photo reminds me of some of the classic Western cinema images from 75 years ago.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[Dr. Harout]

Seconded.

[adakshi]

Thanks for your kind words. This picture was taken more than a year ago. The color version was useless because of heavy flare caused by my c-pol. Also, I left the ISO at 1000 mistakenly.
Recently downloaded DXO 6.2 with improved de-noise algorithm, so thought of going back to some old set. I am glad you liked it. Here are two more


DSC03489_DxO by adakshi, on Flickr


DSC03557_DxO by adakshi, on Flickr

Last one is from Colorado river ride.

Ayan

[aster]

Tom is right. There's a quality of the Western cinema of the early last century. The only thing missing in the first shot is the horse-pulled 'coach' and the trail of dust right from under the wooden/iron wheels.

The 'monuments' are very spectacular and gigantic as they sparsely use the open flat terrain and space. There's always something solemn and respectable about such ancient rock formations ...

Thanks for sharing, Adakshi. : )

Yildiz

[Greg Beetham]

I quite like the first shot with the silhouette and mist effect, the other two aren't bad either. I have too wonder at the amount of missing land there is when you see those kinds of shots, the level used to be at or above those pinnacles...so they say.
Greg

[Lonnie Utah]

People underestimate the difficulty in getting good images in this part of the world, especially during the middle of the day. The contrast between the sky, foreground, rocks, water, make things a real challenge. B&W does a good job of minimizing at least the color contrasts. I've got a very similar sunset shot from the same location as your first one (which I really like).



The difference in a AM shoot vs a PM shoot in that location is the way the sun lights up the road at the different times of day. It's brighter in the AM and darker in the PM. You can still see the cars in my shot if you look close enough (somewhere I have a version where I have cloned them out, but I don't think it's uploaded to the web...) FWIW, the Ansel Adams version of this scene includes a clear view of the road....

[Greg Beetham]

I like that last one Lonnie maybe a tad more sky perhaps but good just the same. I was just thinking about that road and how easy/hard it would be to re-position that nice foreground rock a little too the right maybe, but perhaps there are other things on the left that would come into view if you did that...hmm the rock looks big and heavy as well
Greg

[Lonnie Utah]

I like that last one Lonnie maybe a tad more sky perhaps but good just the same. I was just thinking about that road and how easy/hard it would be to re-position that nice foreground rock a little too the right maybe, but perhaps there are other things on the left that would come into view if you did that...hmm the rock looks big and heavy as well
Greg

Well, I'd say take it up with ansel, but he's dead (it's his shot, I just posted it as an example...)

[Greg Beetham]

Ah I didn't know, I've only heard of the name a few times, I'm not THAT familiar with his works. You're shot seems too have been taken from a similar point but alas no nice rock, and AA's shot from the shadow angle it might have been early mid morning...maybe.
Greg

[Lonnie Utah]

Here's another one.



While Monument Valley is the place most folks seem to flock to with all the associated crazyness, I personally liked shooting Valley of the Gods better. The vistas weren't as big, but I didn't feel constrained there. I for sure got better images. The Navajos have some pretty strick restrictions on MV (as well they should since its a relgious place for them), and I really didn't like being in that box...

[Greg Beetham]

Funny how the really red and the bright blue sky remind me of some pix people have brought back from over on the other side of Oz (from where I am), also very red soil there apparently, and some rock formations but not the same as mesas (that I know of anyway). I like the distinctive mesas though, they're quite photogenic, and you do get the same feeling of barren isolation as here, good views Lonnie. I can see from looking at the shadows how late it was in the day, so I guess it was a long drive back at night.
Greg

[Birma]

Hi Adakshi - I really like the B&W images - as others have said they have a timeless quality. Glad to see the imporved noise porcessing has imporved some older images.

I also like Lonnie's colour version of course I guess an iconic place like that has the possibility to provide interesting pictures with many porcessing approaches. I think the road through the scene is best in Adakhi's first image (dare I say even better than Mr. Adam's? I realise I will probably be burnt at the stake for saying this ).

[adakshi]

Thanks Birma, I almost trashed that pic