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The Unpainted Desert – Part IV

I hope everyone enjoyed this week’s look at the ‘Unpainted Desert’. I thought I would close it out with this image of dawn in the Grand Canyon. It is such a majestic place. In the still of the night you can hear the rapids raging a mile below your campsite. An evening under the stars at Toroweap will surely put things into perspective for you.

I know Thanksgiving is a USA thing, but that won’t stop me from thanking my wife, my folks, my mother-in-law, my friends, and all of you who visit here on a regular basis. You all continue to encourage me and support my belief that the world needs a little beauty and levity during the week. I appreciate your comments, emails, and conversations. I’m very thankful for all of you.

Black Friday Savings

There is a lot of savings being offered in the world of photography right now. Here is a short list of ones you might be interested in.

  • Nik Software – Get the entire suite of Nik Products at a huge savings. I pretty sure my coupon code LIGHTASMAGIC still applies.
  • Think Tank Photo – If you purchase over $50 worth of gear using any of these links, Think Tank is giving our readers 11 free products to choose from. Here is a list of Think Tank products I personally use. Airport International V2.0, Retrospective 10, Skin System and Digital Holster.
  • Reed Photo – My favorite lab hasn’t announced it yet, but they told me they are putting something together. So, if you are looking to print something, give their FB page a look.
  • BH Photo – Well, they have pretty much everything and some really good deals running on their holiday specials page.

The Unpainted Desert – Part III

Getting to this image was quite the adventure. A plastic skeleton on the side of the road caught our attention so we pulled over to follow several handmade signs that led us across a river, over a couple of miles of unmaintained roads, and down a sandy hill through a gully. Luckily the Yoda (the nickname of my Toyota Truck) got us out. I guess the lesson to be learned is follow plastic skeletons on the side of the road at your own risk. Tomorrow the Grand Canyon at sunrise!

For The Photographers: Here is a quick before and after I thought you might be interested in. The top image is the initial image out of Lightroom. The bottom image is the final version after exercising the awe inspiring power of Nik Silver Efex Pro II. You might notice I leveraged the new ‘Selective Color’ feature offered in SEP II. I wasn’t sure I was going to use it much, but I have found that I dig it. You can find another use of it my Big Fish Story.

The Unpainted Desert – Part II

Bryce Canyon

When it comes to shape and contrast, there isn’t a better suited location than Bryce Canyon. I haven’t seen anything like it. It is totally accessible to the public, and breathtaking from every vantage point. If you want to learn more about it, feel free to check out my travel guide. I have a few photo locations listed to help you plan your own adventure.

Continue for Capture/Processing Notes…

The Unpainted Desert – Part I

Fisher Towers Utah

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I’m fired up for this week! We will be spending it looking at the ‘Unpainted Desert’. In the past I have shared many images of the beautiful and colorful desert. This week I want to explore desert imagery created from shape, contrast and tone. I have a little Grand Canyon, Bryce National Park, and a crazy adventure in the middle of nowhere all lined up. We start it off with this image of the Fisher Towers outside of Moab, UT. It was a cold and cloudy morning when I made this image. While I was shooting the opening sequence for my movie Southwestern, I decided to make some still images at the same time. I made the decision to emphasize the clouds and downplay the formations since the clouds were what what made me pull over in the first place. Feel free to watch the movie and checkout how the clouds come to life over a 15 minute time lapse.

All images this week are processed using Sliver Efex Pro II.