Oliver Morton, APSA
October 2026 - Delete This Image
Original
About the Image(s)
A week or two ago, I was in Las Vegas at the PSA conference (which they call a festival). While there, I drove out to Red Rock Canyon, about 30 miles from the city. This national conservation area is beautifully maintained and has numerous pull-offs for photographers. The time of day made the lighting challenging. Nonetheless, I took the “required” photos (like a good photographer). Only a couple of the images were worth processing… and those only marginally. (See my color image in Group 5.) However, I occasionally like to take a hopeless photograph and see if I can do anything with it. Hence, today’s image. As I was about to press Delete, I decided to play with it. The final result certainly isn’t great, but I had fun with the post-processing.
I converted to B&W in Camera Raw, along with the light and contrast adjustments.
Data: Hasselblad X2D II; 35-100mm lens @ 100mm; 1/45 sec; f/19; ISO 50; hand held
9 comments posted
Pete
Were you for really thinking about deleting this image? It is a marvelous landscape and I would love to have been able to say it is mine...
The puffy clouds, the mountains with an illuminate one to draw your attention, and the scruff grass in the foreground combine to make a very nice landscape.
Your BW rendering is far superior to the color original and that is the beauty of BW - the proof is in the processing always.
Regards
Emil Posted: 10/02/2026 16:18:18
Were you for really thinking about deleting this image? It is a marvelous landscape and I would love to have been able to say it is mine...
The puffy clouds, the mountains with an illuminate one to draw your attention, and the scruff grass in the foreground combine to make a very nice landscape.
Your BW rendering is far superior to the color original and that is the beauty of BW - the proof is in the processing always.
Regards
Emil Posted: 10/02/2026 16:18:18
Emil, I don't know why the original has a blue haze. But that and the lack of an interesting focal point made me almost delete it. Once converted to B&W, I began to see it's potential. I absolutely agree with you that "the proof is in the processing always."
Thank you for your comments! Posted: 10/08/2026 13:42:00
Thank you for your comments! Posted: 10/08/2026 13:42:00
Pete, I don't know why you think this is not a great photo. I think it's pretty amazing. It really makes me want to go there, just gorgeous. Your original (color) image has a blue hue, which makes me wonder if you used a filter of some kind? I remember using filters when we used film.
IN any case, I think it's really beautiful and striking. Posted: 10/06/2026 16:00:28
IN any case, I think it's really beautiful and striking. Posted: 10/06/2026 16:00:28
Donna, thank you for your comments! I was surprised at the blue hue when I saw the original photograph. In fact, the color cast and lack of a foreground focal point almost made me delete it. After a bit of thought, I think I know why there is a blue haze. I was using point focus and exposure evaluation, which also impacts the automatic white balance. Since I focused on the red cliff in the distance, I think the camera got confused. Posted: 10/08/2026 13:54:22
Pete - you did an amazing job "salvaging" this image. In the B&W conversion you were able to remove the haze and the blue color cast affecting the original.
Invariably every landscape photograph gets compared to Ansel Adams. Considering the technology he worked with ( compared to todays ) he created images that are difficult to surpass and we all try to emulate. I particularly like the way he achieved contrast and detail without his images appearing " crunchy " . A small suggestion is to lower the clarity and contrast in the clouds especially.
Cheers
Mike Posted: 10/08/2026 10:22:05
Invariably every landscape photograph gets compared to Ansel Adams. Considering the technology he worked with ( compared to todays ) he created images that are difficult to surpass and we all try to emulate. I particularly like the way he achieved contrast and detail without his images appearing " crunchy " . A small suggestion is to lower the clarity and contrast in the clouds especially.
Cheers
Mike Posted: 10/08/2026 10:22:05
Mike, thank you! (I pale in comparison to Ansel Adams.) I played with the image a bit more, following your suggestion to reduce the "crunchiness" in the clouds. I think this looks more natural. Thanks again.
Posted: 10/08/2026 14:09:21
Posted: 10/08/2026 14:09:21
Hi Pete,
I can only echo Mike - this is an Ansel Adams in his best days. Absolutely great picture. Owning a X2D as well, I am pretty sure that you unitentionally fiddled around with the White Balance. Typically the colors are impressive even under dire circumstances. I am not an expert but your explanation with the focus point seems not intuitive to me.
Very well done. Posted: 10/12/2026 17:50:32
I can only echo Mike - this is an Ansel Adams in his best days. Absolutely great picture. Owning a X2D as well, I am pretty sure that you unitentionally fiddled around with the White Balance. Typically the colors are impressive even under dire circumstances. I am not an expert but your explanation with the focus point seems not intuitive to me.
Very well done. Posted: 10/12/2026 17:50:32
Pete,
You did an excellent job transforming a flat color image into a dramatic black-and-white photograph. The detail in the clouds and landscape, along with the crop, works especially well. I've also rediscovered several color images after converting them to black and white. Posted: 10/13/2026 11:48:24
You did an excellent job transforming a flat color image into a dramatic black-and-white photograph. The detail in the clouds and landscape, along with the crop, works especially well. I've also rediscovered several color images after converting them to black and white. Posted: 10/13/2026 11:48:24
Hi Pete,
Greetings my friend.
"Delete it" could be an appropriate option; for the original image but not after the post processing. The monochrome conversion came out beautifully. I loved the way you have cropped the image and made this a panoromic view. The sky, the mountain ranges and the composition is simply stunning. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers.
Kamal. Posted: 10/22/2026 11:56:50
Greetings my friend.
"Delete it" could be an appropriate option; for the original image but not after the post processing. The monochrome conversion came out beautifully. I loved the way you have cropped the image and made this a panoromic view. The sky, the mountain ranges and the composition is simply stunning. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers.
Kamal. Posted: 10/22/2026 11:56:50