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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Three: Using light and color to define and contrast textures > Red autumn, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 2007
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08-NOV-2007

Red autumn, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 2007

Hundreds of cottonwood trees flourish on the floor of Canyon de Chelly. As the evening draws near, the lowering light coming out of the west bounces off the canyon's eastern wall, changing all within to reddish gold. In the process, the reflected light also reveals a rich array of texture – bark, leaves, even the ground, seems dimensional and inviting to the touch.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/80s f/3.2 at 15.8mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time08-Nov-2007 16:30:38
MakeLeica
ModelV-LUX 1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length15.8 mm
Exposure Time1/80 sec
Aperturef/3.2
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias-0.33
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis11-Dec-2007 20:05
Thanks for noticing the role played here by the small green trees in the distance, Patricia. They add a contrasting layer to the photograph that, as you note, strengths the reddish-gold glow of the trees that dominate the image.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey11-Dec-2007 18:06
The strength of the golden glow of the trees in the foreground is heightened by the presence of green trees in the background. Beautiful!
Phil Douglis19-Nov-2007 19:04
Instead of shooting the canyon walls, which were brilliantly illuminated, I looked for the effect of the light reflecting off those walls on the trees and foliage on the canyon floor. As you can see, Rusty, the reflected light is luminous, rich in coloration, and worked particularly well on the red leaves and brown trunks of these trees. It is not hard to see this -- the key is disciplining the eye to look away from the obvious (the light on the canyon wall) and looking instead at the more subtle effect of reflectivity.
russellt19-Nov-2007 06:27
beautiful light = beautiful photograph. well maybe it's not quite that easy. just finding and seeing the beautiful light can be difficult...
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