Hi Everyone. Spent a few days in Sedona last week with friends and we hiked up to this nice little spot. I've shot lots of pictures of Sedona over the years, so I'm always looking for a fresh perspective. Somehow I had not come across this place before. I've had a lot of positive feedback and even won picture of the day on PBS Arizona with this shot. But I'm always curios to know from more seasoned photographers...What would you have done to improve this image?
Hi John,
I think it is good shot but there is a hint of too much editing here. The cave interior looks too light and the landscape looks too dark, slightly. I seem to see edges around the cave openings and this all screams edited picture, when in fact that means the edit is overdone. I also think the landscape is too colourful, the saturation seems to have been boosted, unnaturally. Ease back on these things and I think it will be better. Perhaps an hour later or so, when the sun was even lower in the sky, even setting, might have helped as this is just a bit dull, as is, and that might be why you have raised the saturation.
I can't help thinking that by walking forward and to the right and looking into the sun, perhaps there might have been a better shot, but obviously I don't know what the landscape in that direction looks like.
Thanks for the feedback Ian. Sorry for the late response...I was out of town on business.