Michael Griswold
July 2026 - Relief
Original
About the Image(s)
1/125, 1/80, 1/50 sec at f/8, ISO 64 30 mm
Basically 3 shots with different focus points, bracketed for exposure creating 9 images total. Using LrC, I did the HDR thing to the sets bracketed for exposure. I ran the resulting 3 HDR images through Helicon Focus which gave me the final .dng that I started with… probably overkill but at least it worked.
This is a conversation with the light and the land. I wanted to draw the viewer in with the texture of the cracked mud and use the ridge line to lead them to see how it covers this immense landscape. The original image had more foreground with a bright area which I finally determined to be a distraction. I lost some of the well defined texture but I think losing it made the composition work better. The light provides the relief with strong shadows defining the contours of the land. Sure wish I had some clouds in the sky but thought this to be an improvement.
10 comments posted
Hello Michael,
Wow . . . quite an impressive process with a great result! Posted: 07/03/2026 14:21:33
Wow . . . quite an impressive process with a great result! Posted: 07/03/2026 14:21:33
Thanks, Rick. I value your opinion! Posted: 07/09/2026 20:46:26
I like what you have done. Nice composition and lighting. It was good to flip the image as well as cropping it. Posted: 07/05/2026 20:04:25
Appreciate that Bill and welcome to the group! I'm glad there is a consensus on the flipped image. Posted: 07/09/2026 20:47:37
Kenneth Taylor
Hello Michael! Very impressive image! Posted: 07/07/2026 00:02:52
Thanks, Kenneth! Posted: 07/09/2026 20:47:58
Hi Mike. The light is wonderful, as are the textures in the stone. I think your crop and flip improve the composition vs. the original. The leading line from the lower left corner is nice. But I'd point out that your final image is very right heavy. The biggest visual weight elements, the "terminus" of your leading line and the larger distant "pile of rocks" are both on the right (and are vertically aligned which is a bit awkward). Most of the bright light is also on the right side too. So to me, it feels a bit imbalanced.
Here's a thought. What if you pulled the original into a vertical crop - I did this below. This might have a few advantages. First, it shows off the beautiful texture of the foreground rocks because that is a larger element of the frame. Second, it simplifies the background - there is a lot going on there in the original. Third, it creates a different kind of leading line. The eye wants to move from the foreground light to the mid-ground light to the background light. The parallel nature of the strong diagonal edges in the fore and mid ground adds to the first step of that movement. Finally, I think this composition is a bit better balanced.
The other thing I would do is soften the background a bit (de-sharpen). I know you did all that focus stacking to get everything tack sharp front to back, but there is a sense of depth expressed when the foreground is sharper than the background. The focus stacking work is not for nothing - starting with it all sharp allows you to dial back sharpness to taste. Very difficult to go the other way.
Anyways, hope these are useful thoughts to ponder. There are probably many many compositions to be pulled out of a complex scene like this. Great light makes the search worthwhile.
Posted: 07/07/2026 22:20:17
Here's a thought. What if you pulled the original into a vertical crop - I did this below. This might have a few advantages. First, it shows off the beautiful texture of the foreground rocks because that is a larger element of the frame. Second, it simplifies the background - there is a lot going on there in the original. Third, it creates a different kind of leading line. The eye wants to move from the foreground light to the mid-ground light to the background light. The parallel nature of the strong diagonal edges in the fore and mid ground adds to the first step of that movement. Finally, I think this composition is a bit better balanced.
The other thing I would do is soften the background a bit (de-sharpen). I know you did all that focus stacking to get everything tack sharp front to back, but there is a sense of depth expressed when the foreground is sharper than the background. The focus stacking work is not for nothing - starting with it all sharp allows you to dial back sharpness to taste. Very difficult to go the other way.
Anyways, hope these are useful thoughts to ponder. There are probably many many compositions to be pulled out of a complex scene like this. Great light makes the search worthwhile.
Posted: 07/07/2026 22:20:17
Thanks for taking the time to explore this, Robert.
Yes, I felt that heavier right side imbalance too. I think I needed your eye to confirm it. I knew there was a good image here and probably more than one.
I like your take on it especially seeing the closer foreground texture. I was worried there was too much dark, perhaps uninteresting space in the foreground. This gives it a nice repetition of form and adds more depth. And you're right, it gives it a clearer visual hierarchy.
Interesting idea about focus aiding depth perception. I'll play with that. Thanks! Posted: 07/09/2026 21:03:13
Yes, I felt that heavier right side imbalance too. I think I needed your eye to confirm it. I knew there was a good image here and probably more than one.
I like your take on it especially seeing the closer foreground texture. I was worried there was too much dark, perhaps uninteresting space in the foreground. This gives it a nice repetition of form and adds more depth. And you're right, it gives it a clearer visual hierarchy.
Interesting idea about focus aiding depth perception. I'll play with that. Thanks! Posted: 07/09/2026 21:03:13
The end result draws the viewer into the scene and gives new depth to the beauty of the desert.
But, while I admire the end result, (the clarity and dynamic range is remarkable) I have to question when so much processing no longer represents our photographs. I am as guilty as the next person using AI features to "improve" my photos, but . . . .
Posted: 07/12/2026 18:07:15
But, while I admire the end result, (the clarity and dynamic range is remarkable) I have to question when so much processing no longer represents our photographs. I am as guilty as the next person using AI features to "improve" my photos, but . . . .
Posted: 07/12/2026 18:07:15
That's interesting, Bruce. Do you consider HDR or focus stacking to be AI? Both are accepted in PSA exhibitions. Posted: 07/13/2026 21:42:54