Taken in a natural abyss carved through the mountains of the French Alps . The gorge was formed over millions of years as the Fier River slowly cut its way through the limestone bedrock. The result is a narrow canyon with walls that tower up to 30 meters high in some places. The sheer scale of the gorge can only truly be appreciated when it is seen in person. One of the most impressive features of the Gorges du Fier is the Pot of Abymes, a large pothole formed by the swirling action of water and stones over thousands of years.
In 2015 when I went on this Trek through the French, Swiss, and Italian Alps this was one of our first stops outside of Annecy, France on the way to Switzerland. At the time I did not have enough skills to process them in Photoshop and the my capabilities were somewhat limited. So I decided to give it a try with modern software. So I gave it a try. The biggest problem was noise given the darkness of the gorge once you got inside.
Processed with LR and PS...a great deal color management trying to keep it as close to the original raw image as possible, then removal of the hanging walkways with the remove wand. Then took it though Topaz Photo AI to adjust noise and sharpness. The colors are as good as I could get to what I remembered and other processed images so I'm comfortable with the reality. My question is does anyone have thoughts about how to better manage the colors?
Nikon 750 with a Nikkor 24-120 f/4 lens at 30mm on a tripod.
f/6.3
ISO 1250
1/320
7 comments posted
Butch Mazzuca
Sherry - I'm a bit torn on this image, but not about your colors which I feel you handled very well - I actually prefer the image with the walkway and the people, in fact if it were mine, I'd consider leaving the walkway because of its story and interest value but perhaps crop out three of the four people to give it context but leaving an individual on the walkway adds a ton of visual interest and of course the story. I would not worry about the color, you did an outstanding job Posted: 07/09/2025 19:18:30
Sherry Icardi
Thanks for your thoughts Butch, and I really do understand about the story ....but I can't get beyond the orange on the walkway, which is why I added the raw image . And because of my question about color. It was an interesting place, it was just one of those unique spots that you want to see once, when you're in the area. Probably one of the most diverse trips I ever been on and would seriously consider going again!! Posted: 07/15/2025 15:29:03
Raymond Tice
Sherry - as I have never seen this location, it is difficult to comment on whether the colors are to be expected, but for me they do look natural I have been thinking about Butch's comment regarding the walkway. I agree that adding it and a person adds to the story but I would be bothered by where it is located so close to the top edge and I feel the orange supports would draw too much attention. Also, it seems to me that none of the 4 people are in a really good position to add to the story. Finally, like you, given our newer technology, I have started going back to older photos that I thought were pretty much a failure but I kept anyway - and its amazing what results can be obtained. Ray Posted: 07/09/2025 22:58:13
Sherry Icardi
Thanks Ray for your input, while I hear what Butch is suggesting about adding to the story, the main reason I removed them was the orange color on the walkway...it does drag my eyes to it as well. Posted: 07/15/2025 15:17:33
Ian Cambourne
A great image Sherry. Your processing and handling of the colours, together with the levels of contrast has resulted in a very successful image. With all respects to Butch, I'm on your side, that walkway, particularly the orange, just had to go. Posted: 07/24/2025 01:18:14
Peter Cheung
Beautiful light and shadow. The lighting is natural and dramatic. Beautiful colors and composition. I like the deep greens from moss and foliage, and some brown color from leaves and rock. This photo captures a striking natural scene of the gorge. Great capture. Posted: 07/28/2025 16:26:30
Gary Jones
Hi Sherry, I think it's a great image. I think you've done well with the colors. I have the usual red/green color deficiency, so this would be a challenging image for me to do post on. The colors, especially greens seem well done for my eye and I appreciate you've taken an older image and redid it with the new LR/PS toolset. I think the composition is well done without much room for my eye to wander except up and down. I like the stream at the bottom for an anchor. Posted: 07/28/2025 19:17:17
