DaveKochPhoto

Canyonlands at Sunrise

One of the places you need to visit on a tour of the US SW...

One of the places you need to visit on a tour of the US SW...
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NIKON D810

settings

Aperture 22/1 ISO 400 Shutter 1/160 Focal Length 150/10

location

Utah, US

Jul, 2021

Views

585

Likes

+107

Awards

Contest Finalist in My Favorite Space Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 71

Peer Award

+37

Superb Composition

Absolute Masterpiece

Top Choice

Magnificent Capture

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Virtuoso

Superior Skill

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Behind The Lens

Location

Despite this LOOKING like it was shot in Arches National Park, it is actually in Canyonlands.... But you can see Arches to the west if you look hard enough!

Time

This was shot at dawn. Not very easy to get a shot like this at noon....

Lighting

You are pretty much stuck with what God gives ya here. There are some things you can do to improve the lighting in editing, but the actual light itself, you are stuck with whatever you get- clouds, clear skies etc. Shooting into the sun like this means you are gonna have a hella big contrast range. You have to deal with that, and know what you are doing in editing. Bracketing is your friend here.... HDR is NOT.

Equipment

This was probably shot on my RRS tripod, but there are a few I could have used. I usually take 2-3 camera set ups when I shoot here, and shoot them all at the same time. you only have 20 seconds to get the shot, so 2 or 3 cameras helps increase your odds of getting something good..Mostly I shoot wide here- 14-16mm. This specific image was shot on a Nikon D810.

Inspiration

I was looking for something different. Even with a wide lens, very few images here capture the WHOLE arch. With the time constraints, low light, number of exposures needed and the number of photographers trying to get in front of you, it is a challenge. This image was probably made from 18-24 separate shots.

Editing

A boat load of post processing. You can either make the bracket images first and then combine them into a pano... , or you can make the pano first, align those and mask in the parts you want. Each has plusses and minuses, and I will do either depending on the images. Other than putting the images together and basic developing, that is about all this image needed.

In my camera bag

Honestly, it depends on the shoot. This one, I had 2-3 cameras all with wide angle lenes and tripods. I would have also taken a 70-200 because there are also some great tele shots at this spot.

Feedback

Know your camera and gear. You are not going to get this type of shot just pointing and shooting and hoping for the best. Practice your panos, and practice shooting into the sun. Learn what works and what doesnt for your cameras and lenses. At THIS location, get there early and stake out your spot(s). By sunrise you will be elbow to elbow with a lot oif people bend on spoiling your image.

See more amazing photos, follow DaveKochPhoto

DaveKochPhoto

DaveKochPhoto

Canyonlands at Sunrise

One of the places you need to visit on a tour of the US SW...

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow DaveKochPhoto

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