The Wave

[ProCaliberTraveler]

After being shocked awake by pre-dawn colors in Monument Valley on my final morning there, I drove west through Page and eventually reached Kanab, UT. Here I picked up a Jeep Gladiator that I rented for the sole purpose of getting me to the trailhead for what was the entire reason for this road trip:

The Wave.

I got lost a couple of times on the way, but my GPS got me back on track. I started the hike around 8 am and reached The Wave by 10:30 or so. The sunlight and shadows were strong and a bit harsh around that time. I explored the area a little bit and by the time I returned to this formation in early afternoon, high, thin clouds had moved into the area and really softened the light.

For 15-20 minutes I had the formation all to myself after everyone else had started the trek back to the trailhead. This place was extraordinary and spectacular, and I had never seen anything like it. I was pleased with the lack of snow on the ground. In fact, I couldn’t have asked for better conditions for mid-January, and on Friday the 13th!

 

[Ben Egbert]

Great set I think the last is my favorite

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Nice set - a place on my wish list.

 

[JimFox]

It's easy to get lost, or unsure of where you are on that trail. It's a hundred times better then it used it used to be. But it's still easy to get pulled off of the trail. I did it once in the pitch dark so that I could be at the Wave for sunrise, that one took a lot of watching of the gps and the trail.

Very nice work here Michael. I really like these compositions, #2 might be my favorite.

The only weakness on all 3 of these is the sky. The key here is to not expose for the ground, the sky has to be exposed for, or the sky will blow out as the exposure difference is really drastic. In the early or late hours The Wave can act like it's a valley or a canyon sucking up the light and becoming super dark. If your camera doesn't have good shadow recovery, then make sure you are bracketing and shooting for the sky and the ground. If there is anyway to recover the sky I would do it.

Did you have clouds? Or was the sky clear blue?

 

[ProCaliberTraveler]

It's easy to get lost, or unsure of where you are on that trail. It's a hundred times better then it used it used to be. But it's still easy to get pulled off of the trail. I did it once in the pitch dark so that I could be at the Wave for sunrise, that one took a lot of watching of the gps and the trail.

Very nice work here Michael. I really like these compositions, #2 might be my favorite.

The only weakness on all 3 of these is the sky. The key here is to not expose for the ground, the sky has to be exposed for, or the sky will blow out as the exposure difference is really drastic. In the early or late hours The Wave can act like it's a valley or a canyon sucking up the light and becoming super dark. If your camera doesn't have good shadow recovery, then make sure you are bracketing and shooting for the sky and the ground. If there is anyway to recover the sky I would do it.

Did you have clouds? Or was the sky clear blue?

Thanks, Jim. There was a high, thin layer of clouds. I think the classification for that is cirrus. It’s the kind of cloud layer that mutes the blue color of the sky, and it’s thin enough to still allow sunlight to reach the ground and create shadows, albeit much softer.

So for images like No. 1, that’s more or less what I saw with my own eyes.

 

[AlanLichty]

Great looking set with a nice backstory. Hard to give much of a critique at the moment looking at this on my iPhone.

 

[Kyle Jones]

Pretty cool place, isn't it? I enjoyed the images and I think the 2nd is my favorite

 

[JimFox]

Thanks, Jim. There was a high, thin layer of clouds. I think the classification for that is cirrus. It’s the kind of cloud layer that mutes the blue color of the sky, and it’s thin enough to still allow sunlight to reach the ground and create shadows, albeit much softer.

So for images like No. 1, that’s more or less what I saw with my own eyes.

Hey Michael, yeah #1 feels the most natural. The other 2, I would pull back a little more on the highlight slider, and if you have to use a layer mask and add just a tint of blue to it. Not to make it look like a blue sky, but most clouds seem to have a hint of blue/gray even when they might seem like they are white.

The reason I am mentioning this, is that the eye will go to the brightest part of an image. And while the Wave looks awesome, and has some great interest, the eyes are going to the blown out skies. And you don't want the eyes going to the sky, you want them to stay on the subject which is the Wave. I am never one for replacing skies, but as an artist, just as Ansel Adams and other early landscape photographers would do, they would dodge and burn to draw the viewers eyes to where they want the viewer to go.

Anyway, that's my 3 cents (inflation you know)...

 

[MonikaC]

That's great that you were able to get a permit, though I guess they're allowing a lot more people in these days. Had you gotten an advance permit or take your chances the day before?

 

[ProCaliberTraveler]

That's great that you were able to get a permit, though I guess they're allowing a lot more people in these days. Had you gotten an advance permit or take your chances the day before?

I won the online lottery on October 1 after only trying for three months. Some people on the trail told me they had been waiting 12 years! The permit arrived in the mail in November.

 

[Alisa]

So cool! I would love to get there sometime. I also like #2 but really like #1 as well.

 

[Beth]

great series, love the textures and lines in the rocks.