I’m really happy with this photo from Upper Antelope Canyon, but it really needs to be seen as a large print to fully appreciate the subtle tones and details. The flowing texture of the Navaho sandstone create lots of movement, and the sunlight reflecting back and forth creates wonderful colors. Right in the middle there is a small shaft of direct sunlight, and you can even see the diffusion caused by dust in the air. But all of that detail is hard to make out on a computer screen.
Some photos require lots of work, and others seem to nearly fall out of the camera ready to go. The earlier photo from Antelope Canyon that I posted a few weeks ago was an example of one that took many hours in Photoshop, most to correct lens flare that resulted from the dusty environment. This photo is just the opposite, it needed very little work to create a fine art print that I’m happy with.
We all approach our photography differently. I’m the sort of artist who will happily spend many hours perfecting a single great image, rather than trying to generate a lot of good images. In the end, I only want to show the photos that I consider to be my best work.
But, I have to be careful that the time I spent doesn’t affect my judgment. It’s too easy to end up liking one of your own photos based on how difficult it was to produce. In the end, no one really cares how far I had to hike, how long I had to wait, or how many hours I spent on the computer to create a photograph. The image has to stand on its own and be judged for what it is – or isn’t.
