Kirk Gulledge  


Volcanic Cones - Arizona by Kirk Gulledge

February 2024 - Volcanic Cones - Arizona

About the Image(s)

This is a picture of several ancient volcanic cones in NE Arizona (east of the Grand Canyon). I caught them just barely before sundown and didn't have as much light as I would have preferred, but there's a pretty good contrast between light and shadow.
I took it at 20 mm, F-5, 125th sec, ISO 100. In Photoshop, I cropped the image, lightened the shadows and dimmed the highlights a bit. Otherwise, the photo and colors are pretty much what I saw.
Panasonic Lumix FX1000 bridge camera (zoom), with the zoom set on 20mm. No tripod. When I arrived at this spot the sun was setting so quickly that I didn't have time to get a tripod set up


This round’s discussion is now closed!
6 comments posted




Geoff Wiggins   Geoff Wiggins
Very dramatic Kirk, simply love it, clouds, cones, lighting, all gone together just perfectly. I cant make any comments that would improve such a great pic. Well done.   Posted: 02/01/2024 09:23:50
Kirk Gulledge   Kirk Gulledge
Thanks so much for your comments, Geoff!   Posted: 02/03/2024 18:30:28



Pierre Williot   Pierre Williot
Hi Kirk,
I agree with Geoff. Wow... Maybe a little too much contrast and oversharpen to my taste, but this is very personal.
Great submission.   Posted: 02/03/2024 18:28:22
Kirk Gulledge   Kirk Gulledge
Thanks, Pierre. These cones were taken from some distance away, so I felt that a little sharpening was needed, but it's easy to overdo. About contrast, I actually tried to reduce the natural contrast of the shadows which made the cones look pretty dark. I lightened them a bit to bring out some detail, though I can certainly see your point.
  Posted: 02/03/2024 18:33:32



Frans Gunterus   Frans Gunterus
Hi Kirk. I love the angle and compositions of this image. I agree with Pierre. The overall contrast and sharpness is a bit too much for me. Please review my comments to Geoff Wiggins comments this month. I shared my learning process from a famous landscape photographer Mark Denney from this link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDO5LVBhxyQ   Posted: 02/21/2024 02:37:49



Stefaan Brodelet   Stefaan Brodelet
Hi Kirk, Well done. Sciencefiction image. Nice composition. Beautiful nature. Nice colours and clouds.   Posted: 02/25/2024 07:32:38