01 Grand Canyon, Bright Angel Canyon
1942 Ansel Adams shot of Bright Angel Canyon
2022 Andy shot of Bright Angel Canyon (Nikon Z7ii 28mm f/8 1/25 sec ISO 200)
This photo was taken at Yavapai Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon facing west on January 20, 2022 comparing to Ansel’s photo of this same spot he took in 1942. At the time I thought I had nailed this one as an easy example of what I was hoping to accomplish and this simple canyon showed me how very hard this exercise is going to be. I will get into the details, but what appeared to me to be a no brainer was so much harder. While I saw the right canyon in front of me the conditions were tough. It was about 32 degrees outside and made the comfort drop almost instantly. The framing was wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on why that was. The only think I can tell is that Ansel must have actually been lower than the viewing platform allowed, and this gave him the vantage point to see a flatter canyon view. Additionally, he was about 10-20 feet to the left of where I shot from which gave him a better view to the right side of the frame. Once I got home, I started learning about more post processing effort, and that’s where pandora’s box opened up in earnest.
Photo Details: Nikon Z7ii 28mm f/8 1/25 sec ISO 200
Location: Here I give myself a 10/10. The scene was exactly what I had hoped to find. The canyon is beyond imagination and I could have stood on the rim all day long.
Perspective: This I thought I nailed until I got home and took a look at the captured frames. Initial impression was a 10/10, but afterwards and evaluating what I was doing I think I get a 5/10. He was decidedly below where I was that only becomes obvious when you look at how deeply I can see into the canyon versus what he sees.
Framing: Since this is all subsequent to the previous two scoring criteria I have to look at framing as a function of what I was capable of at the time. After understanding more of what I screwed up with perspective I was able to crop to the right level of detail I was hoping for and would give a 7/10. I should have added more sky in hindsight.
Exposure and Lens Selection: Here I think I did well, and would go as far as a 7/10
Post processing: This is easily the weakest point of my whole photography workflow. I have started learning these techniques in the past week and just beginning to apply them. I understand many of the mechanisms individually, but appreciate it is with the careful and subtle application of them that cumulatively these techniques can create truly stunning photographs. In this case I have dodged and burned the frame, adjusted exposure overall, and turned it black and white. Other than that it is untouched.
Artistic quality: Overall, for my first attempt at this process, I’m thrilled. I am trying to not be overly critical, but keep an honest eye on my goal. I was happy with my picture of the Grand Canyon here, and remain in awe of this incredible place. I spent the next 20 minutes on the rim of the canyon sitting quietly and trying to stay warm. The color version of this photo is below that captures more of what my eye saw, but still doesn’t come close to expressing the sheer scale and grandeur of this place.
Out of my control: Ansel had found a time that had incredibly unique cloud coverage roll through that I tried to capture as best as possible. His shots don’t convey time of year that I could tell, but I was there in the dead of winter. In fact, it snowed at this site the day after, but otherwise the site remained untouched from what he saw while he was there.
Andy’s take:
Nikon Z7ii 24-70mm f/8 1/25 sec ISO 200 Andy (c)