Fire and Water
Watson Lake (Prescott AZ), three miles from my house.
Watson Lake (Prescott AZ), three miles from my house.
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Feb, 2016Views
11217
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Awards
Action Award
People's Choice in CONTEST FINALISTS AND WINNERS Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Seascape&Landscape Photo Challenge
Winner in Prescott, AZ Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Reflections Photo Contest
People's Choice in Golden Time of photography Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Unique Landscapes Photo Contest
People's Choice in beauty of your state Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Love it
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
PRO+
nlhammondphotography
February 18, 2016
Absolutely Stunning!! Excellent composition and clarity! Colors are gorgeous as well!
PRO
brianadamson
February 24, 2016
Fantastic picture. You have many great pictures in your gallery. Excellent work.
Platinum
Spatts
May 17, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
Platinum
PRO+
carolcardillo
August 23, 2016
Beautiful sky and reflection, excellent detail. Congrats, Gayle, on a 2nd Contest Award!
Deboodle
August 24, 2016
Wow again Gayle! Congratulations on this outstanding beauty making finalist, well done!
PRO+
RDVPhotography
November 18, 2016
My favorite of all your work! Will be spending a week in Sedona end of Jan first part of Feb and meeting up with a friend from Prescott, will have to ask him about this place. Absolutely Brilliant!!
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Premium
Platinum
PRO+
fotosbybh
June 07, 2018
Can't add much to these comments except... Thanks for sharing your talent and vision. Gotta get there!
PRO
Platinum
timjohnsonimagery
October 24, 2018
So awesome to have that in your backyard! I often miss living in the Prescott area.
Ultimate
JayneBug
January 26, 2019
A masterpiece of beauty and color. Stunning image. Congratulations on your People's Choice award.
Platinum
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This image was taken at Watson Lake, Prescott, Arizona. The area, called "The Dells", is a unique collection of large red granite formations. Popular area for kayaks, fishing, frisbee golf, family outings with miles of hiking trails....and endless photo-ops! Changing water levels and skies provide numerous opportunities for an ever-changing landscape. No two images are ever exactly alike.Time
Since the dock area opens at 7:00a.m. on winter days, I was there waiting for the gates to be unlocked. This is a favorite spot about 3 miles from my home, so I have had opportunity previously to choose the best perspective for composition. As the sun began to rise, there was exceptional color developing. Many occasions have not produced color like this so this was an unusual and lucky morning to be shooting.Lighting
When shooting into the sun, your subject is heavily silhouetted without flash. In order to get details in the rock and not blow out the sky color, I needed to take four HDR images, 2 images under-exposed (for the sky) and two overexposed (for the rocks) by 1/2 stop each. The objective was to preserve the rich, golden orange color of the sky while still revealing the rock details.Equipment
It's very difficult to take a series of HDR exposures without a tripod. I use a Gitzo tripod with a Really Right Stuff ball head. Nikon D800E camera with a Nikon 16-24mm lens. A wide angle lens really helps when you are fairly close to a very large subject. Also in my pack I carry lens cleaners, ND filters for long exposures, a long lens ( Nikon 70-200mm), flashlight, and water. If I'm doing macro, a Nikon 105mm lens and a flash with cord to detach from camera. When in areas where glare from wet plants and water, a circular polarizer filter. Also will increase saturation of greens and sky.Inspiration
This vantage point on Watson Lake is one of my favorite places to shoot. Since Arizona has limited water sources, I appreciate the reflections from the surrounding rock formations. On this particular morning, the quality of "golden hour" light was some of the best I've ever seen at the lake. It is quite a rare occurrence. I was especially happy that I had recently learned to photograph using HDR techniques, as the image would not have possible without it.Editing
HDR images require special post-processing in order to merge all 4 images into one. I now use Skylum Aurora HDR software. There are numerous presets that give you an idea of the possible looks you can achieve, plus sliders to control how much saturation, contrast, etc. Also I had a little noise to deal with, which I use a Topaz De-noise program. For the final workflow, Photoshop for crop, clone, and dodge/burn.In my camera bag
As mentioned prior, I'm a Nikon girl!!! Just purchased a D850 (they just keep getting better and better). The Nikon 70-200mm is usually my go-to lens with the exception of a Nikon 24-36mm wide angle for landscapes and architecture. .Also have a Nikon 105mm for macro. Arizona is dusty...and cleaning dust from my images is not a sport I enjoy...so always have a lens brush, cloth, and blower. Gitzo tripod with Really Right Stuff ball head. As far as filter, I use a Big Stopper 10 stop and 15 stop ND filter for long exposures. I use a Nikon flash with off-flash cord for reducing shadows on certain types of images. Survival snacks, water, and flashlight are important to make room for in my ThinkTank camera pack.Feedback
For morning shoots, beat the sun out of bed and be ready for it's rising. Best to be set up well before it's arrival as that gives most saturated sunrise colors. Clouds can add drama to most landscape images. Early mornings also are generally more calm so water reflections are sharp with less wind. With HDR it is more difficult to use long exposures, but it is possible for smoothing out turbulent water and wispy clouds. Patience and persistence (and luck) are always found in the photographers BFF column...Early morning color doesn't usually last long so choose your perspective and composition as soon as you arrive. Take practice shots. If you live close to great landscapes photo ops, eventually you will get all the best elements of the scene at one time. By study and practice (increasing your skills,) you will be ready for that perfect scene when it presents itself. They don't come often but when they do, you'll be ready for that memorable, award winning image.
