Selecting a picture to edit today allowed me to reflect on one of my favorite subjects to capture, desert landscapes. I have many examples of these scenes in my library and when I look at one I remember the vivid beauty in my minds eye. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) I was just beginning my journey into photography at this time so many of the pictures I have taken of desert landscapes don’t fully capture the beauty I remember. Sure I can artistically edit the photos to make them look better, but I am limited by the exposure, composition, and white balance that was shot at the time.
The fortunate part of this is that I have these examples to examine and determine how I would shoot them differently with what I know now. Then when I get venture back out west I have the opportunity to recreate these photographs and see my progress. For example shooting desert landscapes can be challenging with the bright sun which can blow out the saturation of the scene and whitewash everything. This wasn’t something I was aware of when I took the photo years ago. So one thing I would change is getting to the scene during golden hour to have better overall lighting for the picture.
The unfortunate part of this is that I currently live in my home state of Ohio which is quite a ways from Arizona and with a global pandemic I’m not sure when I’ll get the opportunity to revisit these hikes. However I am certain that time will come and it will be exciting to note the changes in the pictures!
Until then I will enjoy editing my existing desert shots and remembering the peaceful hikes that were the origins of the pictures.
As always, thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy the photo and the story!
This picture was shot on an iPhone 5 and was edited in Lightroom. I started by applying a flat s-curve preset and adjusted the individual color saturation from there in an attempt to bring back some of the vividness from my memories.
