Devil's Garden Photo

Photographer’s Note

would you be able to resist traveling at least a little along Hole in the Rock Road? especially if the map promised you would see Devil's Garden along the way? needless to say, for us the temptation was too strong, even if it meant we would be in the Garden just for the harsh midday sun. but the crazy rock formations are worth suffering the scorching sun.

for a sense of scale, take a look at WS.
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RAW, ISO 160, 18mm focal length, spot metering.

bostankorkulugu, dta, pauloog, jwmunro, clio, Wandering_Dan, dareco, Bruno40, xavshot, PixelTerror, hispic, kokoro-zukai, zmey has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bostankorkulugu (33532) 2009-06-12 6:38

impressive one k, with the forms, the colour combination and the light... i see three men there, upside down... and a gigantic white butterfly in the sky... i guess i am strange...

dta (5125) 2009-06-12 6:39

hello Kritine ,
Before looking at the WS , I was thinking that the picture would be better with another framing . And this is the one of the WS ! So , the man is good to give the scale , but not for a nature picture . (sorry for my average english , I expect that you understand what I mean) .
In any cases , both are superb . The quality is outstanding (colors , light , sharpness) , and the subject is really great .
Thanks for the share
Denis

Pelje (415) 2009-06-12 6:58

Hi Kristine!
Wow, a very very spectacular shot! Amazing contrasts, color and sharpness - well done! Have you ordered the clouds? ;-)
Greetings from Germany, Hubert

serp2000 (9473) 2009-06-12 7:08

Hi, Kristine,

Another beautiful photo from Utah! Excellent colours! Wonderful composition! TFS!
Greetings from Russia,

Serghei

ku-fotak-chtik (1132) 2009-06-12 7:09

Hi Kristine,
I like the picture but I think you should avoid using CPL or at least to figure it out in PP because the dark blue on the left side is nearly black. Except that it is nice shot. I did have a look on the WS version I had thought that the rock is a lot bigger. As you showed us it isn't.

Kind Regards Jiri

Greg1949 (8507) 2009-06-12 7:30

Kristine, I like it, this is another of the great shot, and I actually like the ws as well, scaling is always good for me.

I assume that because you are continuing to post that you do not feel there are copyright issues with IB that are not resolved.

Great work.

Greg

gildasjan (23765) 2009-06-12 7:33

Bonjour Kristine
Un ciel fortement polarisé qui fait ressortir le blanc des nuages et la couleur chaude des roches.
Bonne journée
Cordialement
gildas

pauloog (6471) 2009-06-12 7:43

Hello Kristine,
A photo as only is possible in the West of the USA : a deep blue sky with drifting clouds and sculpture like rock formations. Well composed and the rocks well profiled against the sky in good detail and lively colours.
Regards,
Paul

jwmunro (6573) 2009-06-12 8:19

Hello Kristine -

These little hoodoos are interesting and photogenic even if the midday light is a bit harsh. You did an excellent job managing the harsh conditions. I noticed one person mention the CPL darkness this is difficult to manage under these conditions and in so scenes this may be a draw back, but here it does work. It makes the sky and clouds stand out even more and gives the sky drama. If is obvious this person has not visited and tried to shoot in the American SW under these harsh conditions. Well seen and presented.

Thank you for sharing.

John

HimalAnda (1056) 2009-06-12 8:34

Hello Kristine,

The colors are wonderful and the sharpness too !
At first glance, I was not convinced by the composition, but I finally like it.

Stéphane

clio (22647) 2009-06-12 9:53

Hi Kristine,
This composition is fantastic. You magnificently played with both sorts of rocks and you managed to integrate it these clouds in a very artistic way.
The contrasts of colors are fabulous!
The WS is a good idea.
Bravissimo!
Have a nice WE
Diane

Wandering_Dan (3221) 2009-06-12 9:56

Hi, Kristine -

(Yes, I'm still here. For the moment.) This is a really nice mix of strong elements; the formation on the left reminds me a bit of Easter Island's moai! Sensitive though I am to the overuse of the polarizer ( :-) ), I would not have noticed the dark area on the left if Jiri hadn't commented on it, so I agree with John that it's fine.

Best,
Dan

disturbia73 (373) 2009-06-12 10:55

Beautiful pov, detailed, well focused and light mangement is correct. Very beautful photo.
I would like to congratualte you for you wonderful gallery.
You give a lot to photography, TFS,

Regards,

Thomas

jonathan_hart (22576) 2009-06-12 11:26

unreal dark sky makes a huge contrast,
i wonder if the WS isn't better? showing the scale is maybe better
jc

baba_flies (7981) 2009-06-12 12:51

Hello Kristine! The last hour before we hit the road towards the salt lakes. We had a wonderful wonderful time in Grand Junction and your photo is the proof what one can expect when being out here, a great picture indeed. Love the funny rock formation and how it sticks out reaching for this wonderful blue sky. Such a talent you are and I am glad seeing you online, I thought that all of my favorites have left meanwhile. I have some emails on my email account that I should join this or that (like flickr) but all I do is enjoying my freedom out here :)))) Hugs from Colorado, Barbara.

marietom (31898) 2009-06-12 13:12

hello Kristine,

Jolies couleurs et composition, avec ce beau ciel et ces nuages bien blancs.
Bonne soirée
marie

dareco (17104) 2009-06-12 15:44

Superb colors!! Just awesome!! I love the lighting and pov. Beautiful work! TFS

gneufeld (15169) 2009-06-12 16:22

Hi Kristine,
Wonderful color contrasts here between the red sandstone and the deep blue sky - I think maybe its the low profile view that really makes this image sizzle. Love it - and the clouds add a stunning canopy to this one. Excellent work and TFS. Gerald

delpeoples (5998) 2009-06-13 6:02

Hi Kristine, if the clouds weren;t there, I could believe this was space. But I'm glad the clouds and sky ARE there because the contrasts are just so beautiful. You've ceptured all the texture and heat that you were no doubt experiencing at the time of taking the photo. I feel like I've been standing out in the scorching sun with you whilst taking the shot. COngratulations, Lisa.

jimkil (528) 2009-06-13 15:39

Looks great Kristine
I love the rich colours but that gap in the centre is a intriguing so we can see more clouds. Looks like you had some gorgeous cloud formations on your trip, they are a delight. Agree possibly with the left hand side, but then again it brings those two rocks out even more, so no complaints there.
Jim

Bruno40 (6440) 2009-06-13 20:57

Hi Kristine,
Nice composition, beautiful sky, great colors.
I have to agree about the CPL. I stopped to use CPL on wide angle lenses and uniform skies, the distortion in color is very noticable. I only use CPL on 28mm or more.
Of course, it is matter of taste.
have a nice sunday
Jorge

dkeus31 (26180) 2009-06-14 5:24

Hi Kristine
superb image!
the dark blue sky and the colors of the rocks are superb here, well done!
didier

xavshot (62389) 2009-06-14 10:01

Bonsoir Kristine,
très joli graphisme dans cette formation rocheuse. J'aime beaucoup les contrastes des couleurs. Les nuages sont un plus dans cet ensemble. bravo.
Xavier

PixelTerror (86060) 2009-06-14 10:23

Hi Kristine
Lovely one, even having some attractive clouds to populate the sky, vibrant well contrasted colors
Have a nice day JY

fkostas (426) 2009-06-14 19:09

Hi Kristine,

I saw a picture in similiar hues today featuring a barn or something, but it literally made my teeth hurt to look at it.

Something about this scene seems like I've been there somehow, but I've never been in that area. Probably something out of a movie.

This doesn't make my teeth hurt, and there is something so familiar and immediate about it. I think that makes it good. And my teeth don't hurt.

ETA: I've got it I think: Sort of reminiscent of the cinematography in Thelma and Louise.

Farah

hispic (7399) 2009-06-14 20:18

Hi Kristine,
Superb shot with really fine definition created by the cloud master, especially a refined rendition of red rocks and cloud is truly perfect. the deep blue also makes those beauty stand out.
Regards, Hisashi

delkoo (34282) 2009-06-15 4:09

hi kristine

i think printing it on high quality at very large size you could hang this everywhere...wonderful photo.

didier

Nicou (44737) 2009-06-15 8:57

Hello,

Fantastique image, ce^s nuages dans ce ciel merveilleux, le bleu-blanc, se font un contrate et la roche, ces bellef formes, ces couleurs, grandiose.

Bravo et maitié

Nicou

Flavia (10202) 2009-06-15 9:12

Hi Kristine,

Amazing the depth here. The way you captured the sky is really something. The red rocks contrast very well with this saturated blue sky. Beautiful!

Regards,

Flavia

cherryripe (18973) 2009-06-15 12:04

Hi Kristine
I'm a huge fan of desert-like rock formations, polarized blue sky and white fluffy clouds. So of course I really like this. The rocks are so sharp too. Is this place hard to get to ?
Regards
Nikki
P.S. Thanks for the extra info on Antelope Canyon. Being 4 of us, hard to know if we'll bother to pay extra for the photographers' trip or not.

japiey (9493) 2009-06-15 21:37

Hi Kristine,

Am not a good judge technically, and I don't say that..
But I really love this angle of photography.
The effort you put in here to show a dream concept is appreciated.
For me, a poem as image !!

jp

kiks (6065) 2009-06-16 12:52

I'm glad you travel to this place! i have never seen it before and it is wonderful specialy with the high quality od your photo skills.
TFS
KIKs

kokoro-zukai (142) 2009-06-18 22:33

Hi Kristine,

Who can't resist a devil's temptation even under the scourging heat you captured a stunning shot. I love the WS too!

Not much to say - I'm so jealous!

Have great weekend!

Keiji

zmey (7250) 2009-06-22 7:25

hey there, I could not make up my mind about this one, hence the belated comment. 1) I love the luminosity of the scene; 2) These 'fellas' look like alien star-gazers; ok, ok, cloud-gazers so I can relate (to them); 3) I find the polarizing effect to be a tad excessive here especially due to vignetting. But then again, as we observed, that 'effect' is not the same on all screens.

hugs
K.

p.s. You behave yourself down there, in the jungle ;))

Angshu (33637) 2009-06-25 0:24

Hello Kristine
Strange rock formations indeed! The composition is almost symmetrical as far the V is concerned. The clouds are wonderfully 3D, floating in the polarised blue sky. I am thinking aloud that maybe the effect would have been better if there was the blue sky in the BG of the V rather than those clouds...checked the WS with Kristaps standing there, same there as well...but that maybe wishful thinking & certainly not in your hands. Great light & colour contrast!
Best regards
Angshu

jmdias (19195) 2009-06-29 17:09

kristine

amazing view, the contrast between these colors is impressive. perfect pov and light. a really fantastic job. congratulations

hugs

jorge

Waylim (10769) 2009-11-04 23:32

Hi Krsitine,
I can't believe I didn't comment on this one yet, Well having been here myself just recent, I certain have a better impression of this place and a better appreciation for it. It is really so much fun to walk around, I wish I would have had more time before the sunset. I like the fact that you are there at a different than I do so I can see and compare the difference. I love the really well polarize filter sky, so deep in blue, which make the cloud seems even more puffy and almost 3D. I like your very low POV which I didn't do, I have more of a distant view of it rather than up close looking up. Great sharpness and clarity here, and really good composition too. Thanks Kristine.
Way