Monumental Panorama [Explored--finally!]

Monument Valley, Arizona

 

Best viewed in Lightbox, i.e., press "L" on keyboard or click on the expand arrows at upper right.

 

A month ago (March 2022), I uploaded a color version of this photo which can be found here : www.flickr.com/photos/80014607@N05/51941362163/in/datepos... . At the time, I felt the B&W version would be better, though I liked the color very much, thinking it one of my most dramatic photos. A fair number of people thought so too, either commenting or favoriting. Nonetheless, I was a little disappointed in the response. I saw other photos--competent photos to be sure--of this scene with hundreds more responses, even though these photos included a blank blue slate for a sky and some with far less dramatic lighting. Go figure. In any case, when I took this photo, I envisioned it as a B&W first. Initially, I found the processing more difficult for the monochrome, which is one reason why the color version made it into my stream first. FINALLY, as you can see, I "finished" the B&W ("finished" is in quotes because for me, the processing never ends). I consider it to be a contender for best photo in my stream. We'll see if others agree, though my opinion will be unchanged regardless.

 

Originally, the color version differed significantly in more than just the color. The two boulders in the foreground were off center. I explained in that version how I happened to stand about two feet from the perfect position when I took this (actually three shots combined in Lightroom). I had earlier taken several other photos of these three buttes from different locations. Here, I intended to shoot just the Mittens, and so positioned the two boulders appropriately for that shot (actually two). But then, on a whim, I took a third photo, including Merrick's Butte on the right. Looking over the pics later, I preferred the resulting panorama including all three buttes, in spite of the misplaced boulders. In finishing up the monochrome, I decided to correct my error and move them to the right a tad. My young nephew calls this "cheating." But he has yet to understand what Ansel Admas once said, "You don't take a photograph, you make it." :-) In any case, I finally got off my lazy backside and performed the magic of moving the boulders in that color version as well.

 

So, on or about April 24, 2025, this photo was picked for "Explore." This is the first photo of mine so chosen. Though I will be the first to admit that some of the photos one finds in Explore are better than any of my photos, I've also got photos that are better than many of those found there. It was a major bone of contention for me that none of these photos had ever been picked for inclusion. I am still not entirely mollified. :-)

Done