One of the classic shots of Monument Valley is Teardrop Arch. It has an elegant shape, and in the afternoon the sun illuminates the landscape seen through the rock opening. I shot this many years ago with film when HDR wasn’t even a sparkle in anyone’s eye, but now with digital technology it’s possible to capture complete detail in the shadows and highlights of this contrasty situation. This doesn't look contrasty because of the technique I used, but normally the arch would be considerably darker than the background and much of the beautiful detail in the foreground would be lost. This is a 7-frame HDR composite, and I used f/22 for complete depth of field. It was essential that both the arch and the distant landscape be sharp. I used 640 ISO, and the shutter speeds varied according to the bracketed exposures.
2 Comments
Oct 14, 2016, 12:18:09 AM
Jim - Hi Steve, I used a 24-105mm lens set to 70mm, and I was about 25 feet from the arch. No, I didn't use an app. I just closed the lens all the way down to f/22. I focused on the arch, and because of the distance I was shooting from, I knew I'd have complete DOF.
Oct 13, 2016, 12:43:34 PM
Steve D - Hi Jim, Nice Shot… What Focal Length did you use, and how far back from TearDrop Arch were you??
Did you use an app to determine the Depth of Field you wanted?
-or - did you convert the focal length into feet and then shoot for optical infinity?
(Photo Insights, June 2016)
Thanks