Charles Walker
December 2025 - Rock Escarpment in Sedona
Original
About the Image(s)
This month I took a chance processing another image from last Spring’s visit to Sedona.
In this one, I liked the dynamic sky and the way scrub trees and plants framed in the distant escarpment. Monotone conversion using Silver Efex Pro 3 compressed tonality
and contrast, so subsequently I selected parts of the foreground to lighten or darken it to contrast more with the escarpment; however, the image is still a bit flat. I’m not sure I like the result.
Camera stats: Nikon D7000 (590nm), 28mm, f/10, 1/400, ISO=400.
8 comments posted
Charles
My two cents...I thought the mountain is maybe a bit bright against the sky and possibly more foreground that is in your original might give the scene a different look
I used your original, NIK Silver Efex, cropped it to 16x9 taking out some sky. I darkened the bottom of the frame with a linear gradient, brushed the grass in mid center to dodge it, added a fairly long slender radial gradient over the foliage in the center and darkened it. I darkened the mountain added texture and clarity. Lastly i brushed the white areas in the clouds and dodged them a bit.
Not sure I moved the needle away from flat tonality or not
Emil Posted: 12/02/2025 04:37:40
My two cents...I thought the mountain is maybe a bit bright against the sky and possibly more foreground that is in your original might give the scene a different look
I used your original, NIK Silver Efex, cropped it to 16x9 taking out some sky. I darkened the bottom of the frame with a linear gradient, brushed the grass in mid center to dodge it, added a fairly long slender radial gradient over the foliage in the center and darkened it. I darkened the mountain added texture and clarity. Lastly i brushed the white areas in the clouds and dodged them a bit.
Not sure I moved the needle away from flat tonality or not
Emil Posted: 12/02/2025 04:37:40
Thanks Emil, you moved the needle. This is one of those images that seduce you to take it, only to find out later that it imposes a lot of constrictions on composition, especially definition of the primary subject. Posted: 12/02/2025 15:49:00
Hi Charles. The landscape in the Sedona area is so beautiful. Your picture shows a piece of it. The clouds make teh scene even more beautiful. I often use the masking tools in ACR (same in LR) to create lighting effects and give depth to flat pictures. The linear and radial masks allow you to highlight certain areas and darken others, creating the look of light and shadows. The brush can also be used to fill certain spots with light or shadow. Posted: 12/02/2025 15:18:27
Great suggestions Arik. I have to learn how to use more of the features in ACR. Posted: 12/02/2025 15:50:24
Hi Charles, I like the trees providing bookends to focus on the rock structure. Gary would have certainly approved of your sky. Posted: 12/02/2025 21:29:45
Charles,
Beautiful scene, nicely composed. I like the direction you went in lightening the rocks, but would probably back it off just a bit. You also consider lightening the deciduous trees a bit. The sky is terrific. Posted: 12/08/2025 19:06:13
Beautiful scene, nicely composed. I like the direction you went in lightening the rocks, but would probably back it off just a bit. You also consider lightening the deciduous trees a bit. The sky is terrific. Posted: 12/08/2025 19:06:13
I think Emil's edit improves this, Charles. The trees do provide bookends as Steve mentions, and it's got a great sky as usual. Posted: 12/08/2025 23:54:09
Hi Chuck, This is such a great are for photography that you can hardly go wrong. The sky is lovely. I would also crop about half of the grasses out. The design calls for a panorama to me. Posted: 12/12/2025 15:44:53