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sand and sandstone
1st Placesand and sandstone
LevT


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Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Sand (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: Utah-Arizona
Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4.0 AT-X Pro DX
Location: Page, Arizona
Date: Jan 2, 2009
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1s
Galleries: Landscape, Nature
Date Uploaded: Jan 4, 2009

Upper Antelope Canyon, Arizona

[Jan. 11th, 2009 08:41:28 PM]

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 :))...

-----
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:

Statistics
Place: 1 out of 124
Avg (all users): 7.2202
Avg (commenters): 8.5714
Avg (participants): 6.8511
Avg (non-participants): 7.3636
Views since voting: 8686
Views during voting: 434
Votes: 168
Comments: 62
Favorites: 26 (view)


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AuthorThread
06/04/2012 04:49:35 AM
This is magnificent and I trust you will enter Sand II as well?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/19/2009 04:59:45 PM
Lev, Congrats on your ribbon! --a very balanced composition and captured expertly.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/19/2009 03:09:41 PM
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 . :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/17/2009 04:06:50 PM
Congrats! lovely colors, way to go!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/15/2009 11:22:20 PM
Beautiful. Well deserved ribbon. Congrats!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/15/2009 12:09:57 AM
Hey Kissin Sand, nice job !! anybody else see that ?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/13/2009 06:08:52 PM
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. :-)

Congrats on the very well deserved ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/13/2009 03:59:53 PM
Beautiful colors, fantastic composition, spectacular viewpoint...what else can I say. Congratulations on your first place win!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/13/2009 11:37:28 AM
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!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 06:31:45 PM
Grand, just grand
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 05:32:03 PM
Beautiful shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 04:59:08 PM
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!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 04:36:49 PM
Great job Lev. Your processing choices are inspiring, you needed a special and unique eye to accomplish this placement.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 03:12:29 PM
Well deserved ribbon! Absolutely amazing shot. I like your "color" view better. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 02:58:04 PM
Hi Lev, Congratulations on a Blue ribbon.
Great photo. too.

Cheers Peter
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 12:38:05 PM
Originally posted by Melethia:

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 :))
01/12/2009 11:24:38 AM
That's a stunner
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 11:06:22 AM
What a cool location.

I prefer your manipulated colour tones too.

Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 09:21:13 AM
Beautiful Lev! Great exposure and colors. Congratulations on the blue!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 09:18:19 AM
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.

Message edited by author 2009-01-12 09:20:01.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 09:01:50 AM
Congratulations, and thanks for sharing your journey as well as your processing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 08:02:59 AM
You da man!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 07:57:36 AM
Amazing!Fabulous shot !
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 07:23:56 AM
Congrats, Lev!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 07:06:00 AM
congrats Lev...Tokina will now be contacting you to ask you if they can use it in their adverts...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 06:03:04 AM
It just had to be...bloody brilliant...congrats on the blue.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 05:56:25 AM
Congrats Lev!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 05:12:26 AM
Super! Had to win! Congrats Lev!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 03:15:55 AM
I need to visit this canyon too!

Similar to this DPC Favorite
//www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=448209

Message edited by author 2009-01-12 03:16:53.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 02:28:03 AM
Hey Lev - congrats on the Blue - tremendous shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 01:37:06 AM
Wonderful! Congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 01:13:24 AM
Congrats your ribbon Lev.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 01:12:47 AM
Congratulations on your win. This shot is absolutely fabulous.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 12:44:25 AM
Stunning shot, Lev. Love the colors, great job. Congrats on your PSB and the ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 12:36:47 AM
Congrats on your personal second best Lev...great image
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 12:04:07 AM
Fabulous shot !!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/12/2009 12:02:16 AM
Gorgeous. A well deserved blue. Congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
01/11/2009 06:03:44 PM
A magical place, a magical photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/11/2009 11:38:54 AM
Freakin' amazing light capture. I think I've seen this location before.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/11/2009 09:53:45 AM
Gorgeous. Looks like a ribbon...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/11/2009 07:29:07 AM
Nicely done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/10/2009 06:35:47 PM
Very beautiful. A 10 from me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/10/2009 12:03:52 AM
This is simply stunning. Gorgeous shot. 10 and a favourite.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/08/2009 11:47:40 AM
One of my fovorites in the challenge. I love the play of light and shadows here, the curves and the textures. Beautiful image,
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/07/2009 08:02:55 PM
awesome capture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/07/2009 05:35:27 AM
This is the first image I saw when I opened this challenge for voting...love it . Brilliant colours and textures in the rock.....10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/06/2009 10:53:37 PM
Beautiful colour and composition!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/06/2009 10:35:36 PM
Nice capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/06/2009 07:25:33 PM
I've been to a place like this!! It was really cool, awesome picture
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/06/2009 01:02:16 PM
shows balanced symmetry, colors complement each other. simply stunning.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/06/2009 12:16:20 PM
Powerfully beautiful energy, terrific shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/06/2009 11:00:37 AM
amazing!so breathtakingly beautiful!......love this pic!nice capture!....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2009 09:49:15 PM
so you paid the $25....good for you...it should pay off...well, not monetarily
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2009 05:34:05 PM
beautiful image.......10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2009 05:02:38 PM
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 :)

  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2009 04:12:19 PM
This one is my favorite!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2009 03:57:53 PM
Wonderful colours! Great composition. 9.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2009 01:23:43 PM
I've always wanted to go here. Stunning image. Love the juxtaposition of the blue shadows and orange sun.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2009 12:23:46 PM
Well done. I like it.
10
:)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2009 08:50:26 AM
Who doesn't love antelope canyon, great image!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2009 04:12:25 AM
fabulous - this is 'just my cup of tea'
(Jordan maybe?)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
01/05/2009 02:34:26 AM
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.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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