I previously posted photos of Monument Valey, UT/AZ. About 25 mi. north is a town called Mexican Hat. It is obviously named after the rock formation in the below photos.

John

[G M Fude]

Definitely shot number 1, John, the tighter crop looks fantastic.

[Peter Zack]

The tighter crop does look better but the light in the second shot is much better. Did you use a polarizer? The sky is much more blue and the haze is almost gone. Just a better exposure all around. Cool subject and if this is a spot that can be reached easily from home I would revisit it again early in the morning or around sunset. The earth colours could really pop with the 'golden hour' light.

[Lynn]

It is tough with red rocks all over the place. A nice, partly cloudy day can help, but it takes some time. At the Grand Canyon a few weeks ago, I sat around in front of El Tovar for a month of Sundays (well, it seemed that long) for the sun to poke through just one little hole in the clouds. Here's the result (though I'm not otherwise that fond of the pic):




Lynn

[Peter Zack]

Lynn, Welcome to the forum. I like that shot and I hope you don't mind but I played with it a little to straighten the horizon, add some colour/contrast and crop out the ground on the bottom. The colours are great and the shadow from the clouds looks very good. I think it was worth the wait.

[JamesD]

I prefer the first image...for the tighter crop and for the lighting. The second shot (to my eyes anyway) has the blue sky considerably darker on either side of the image so that it doesn't quite look natural.

[JohnV3]

Peter: A circular polarizer was used however, in this area of the country, very remote, there is seldom haze and the sky is always that blue unless it is overcast. An early morning photo would be nice but at sunset from the road access point, the camera would be facing the setting sun unless a person could somehow get to the other side which may not be accessible. It could be a true challange for an enthusiastic outdoor photographer who is still in the prime of life. Later, I will post some photos of Natural Bridges National Monument where to get the best views, a person really has to do some serious hiking down canyons to get a better view.
Thanks everyone for theC & C.

John

[Lynn]

Oh, that really did help the shot from El Tovar! I hadn't had the time yet to fiddle with things too much, but I'm going to work on that one soonest!

Lynn

[bc_the_path]

To me, the superimposition of the closer rock formation (The Hat) and the other one at the horizon lessens the effect of both. However, I understand that one does not have too many options while shooting in such a place...

[bc_the_path]

To me, the superimposition of the closer rock formation (The Hat) and the other one at the horizon lessens the effect of both. However, I understand that one does not have too many options while shooting in such a place...

[JohnV3]

bc: How about this one?

[bc_the_path]

This time, the superimposition is gone but we have lost the sense of scale, I am afraid. Probably there is a need for another element, far or close, to provide us a clue about the scale. I have tried to open up the shadows, but I am not sure if this one has become better than the original...

[JohnV3]

bc: The original photo, unedited, was very backlighted so there was not much detail in the rock formation. I suppose that the beauty is in the eye of the beholder when deciding how much the image should be lightened. Probably something between the two. As for the sense of scale, I would have fallen down a hill if I tried to get further back for this photo. Thanks for your comments.

[barendvl]

That last shot of the hat is way too centered for my liking.

I do like the second shot (wide, non cropped), because of the better lighting & gives a sense of scale to the hat. Also, compositionally it's better (the lines in the image). However, the skies in these pictures leave alot to be desired. There aren't any interesting cloud formations etc.

Other then that, you did a good job.