Views
149
Likes
Awards
People's Choice in Western Desert Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park on the Utah/Arizona border. It was a windy spring day and I was fighting sandstorms for most of the trip, but things cleared up pretty well for this shotTime
This was taken late morning, the sun was pretty high in the skyLighting
There was a slight red haze from all the sand blowing around, but isn't too noticeable in this shotEquipment
I used a Canon T4i and 10-18mm EF-S lens hand-held for this shot. I had several other lenses with me, but didn't want to change them out in the field on this trip due to all the crud blowing around - maybe the next time I visit!Inspiration
I'd always wanted to visit the park - it's featured in so many movies its hard not to be curious if it's that cool in person; it is, it's well worth the trip!Editing
I played with lighting and color a bit in Photoshop Elements, that's about it. This was taken in JPG format so there's some artifacting evident - I've since switched and now shoot everything in RAWIn my camera bag
I normally carry a Canon 70D with a Tamron 16/300mm mounted, and a 5D Mk III with any number of lenses ranging from a 8mm diagonal fisheye to a Sigma 200-500mm telephoto depending on what I'll be shooting. I'm usually looking for cool things at random while traveling, so I often don't get to plan a lot of shots beforehand - I've found I spend the most time with various prime lenses and the 17-300mm Tamron though, the Tamron's range lets you capture almost anything on the fly and reduces the need for lens changes out in the openFeedback
The wide angle lenses capture everything, but if it's all in the distance the shots can be a bit boring - I tried to get the tree in the foreground to add some interest to the shot. Take a look around and try to include something striking in the foreground!