Margaret Sprott, APSA
November 2021 - PROGRESS ON CRAZY HORSE MEMORIALL
About the Image(s)
While in South Dakota for the PSA Photo Festival we went to see the Crazy Horse Memorial which was wonderful. We learned how it came to be and how they are making progress without any government funding.
I used my Nikon 5300 and 18-400mm lens with a Polarizer. I was hand holding (we flew so could not take tripods) and shot it using ISO of 800 at f/8 and 1/320 sec.
I decreased exposure and highlights a little, fixed the white balance and increased the shadows, texture, clarity, dehaze, and vibrance to where I liked it in Lightroom.
In Photoshop I attempted sky replacement but none of them would have been what I remembered so I just lowered the brightness of the sky slightly. It was a gorgeous blue sky with no clouds
This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted
Great shot! Really interesting. I didn't know it existed. Another place on my list of things to see. Crazy Horse's face is nice and sharp, so I think the photo would look better if it were cropped to remove some of the construction on the right. I think this would put more emphasis on the main subject. Posted: 11/03/2021 18:14:28
I think you are right but I wanted to show how they are working on it. Thanks for the suggestion though. Posted: 11/03/2021 19:17:28
Margaret this is a most interesting image. I read somewhere that this statue was supposed to take 30 years and and it has now taken 70. Someday it will be magnificent but I don't think we will see it in our lifetime. Excellent documentary image. Posted: 11/03/2021 19:44:33
That's what we said when we heard how long it would take. However, we were encouraged about the fact that they've found some ways to speed up some of the work. I think I'll just enjoy what we can now and not worry about when it will be finished. Thanks for your comments. Posted: 11/03/2021 19:50:06
Hi Margaret. I agree with the others. You snapped a very interesting image. I have not heard of this before. Where is this located? Your image is one of those rare ones in that it tells a story and intrigues the viewer. In me it raises my interest in seeing the detail in what they are doing behind the scenes. How is the work actually being accomplished? Few images do that to my mind. As far as criticizing, I personally use a polarizer rather sparingly and am not a big fan of polarizers on a clear, blue sky day. I think they kind of overpower the sky. They also tend to create a little glare to the image. Maybe those two things could be brought down a bit using the highlights slider in Camera Raw. Those are my only criticisms. I really like the image. Great capture! Posted: 11/07/2021 07:18:43
Thank you! A member of our camera club who is from SD recommended that we go to Crazy Horse while at the PSA festival in Rapid City, SD. We are very glad we did because it was much better and more informative than Mount Rushmore. It is being financed by individuals, no federal money being used. There are many people working on it and some tools have been invented that are making the work go faster. However, it will still take years to complete. We did take a bus partway up but never went to the top.
I did not think the polarizer would overpower the sky so if I ever am in that situation again, I will remove it. I did try to lighten it by decreasing the highlights in LR but not in Camera Raw. Another thing to remember. Posted: 11/07/2021 07:39:24
I did not think the polarizer would overpower the sky so if I ever am in that situation again, I will remove it. I did try to lighten it by decreasing the highlights in LR but not in Camera Raw. Another thing to remember. Posted: 11/07/2021 07:39:24
Love the story of this photo. Like Mary mentioned, I would have cropped a bit more off the right. But that is just me. Sometimes I crop too much. Love the sky and yes, I have seen skies that brilliant blue before. What a neat side trip for you. The more I study this, I think a tighter crop would take away the balance you achieved. What do I know!!! Posted: 11/15/2021 19:07:21
Thanks! You know a lot - don't underestimate your talents. Posted: 11/15/2021 20:12:36