This is the delicate arch, perhaps the most photographed placed in Utah, located in Arches National Park, near Moab, UT.

This is my first attempt at HDR, or High Dynamic Range photography. This image is constructed from 3 exposures and was processed with Photomatix and then curves and people removal in Photoshop. I have provided the original middle exposure for comparison.

I processed this image several weeks ago, before I really had a chance to play with HDR, so the HDR is a little more pronounced than I would like. I prefer that HDR images don't have the "HDR" look but just the subtle advantages HDR brings to the table. It's trickier than it looks, though, and I'm not going to go back and process it again after I spent a good deal of time editing out all the people who wanted their picture in the arch.

The hike up to the delicate arch isn't long, but it's sure steep! On must endure constant ascent for the better part of an hour. I was trying to make it up before sunset, so I pushed myself a little harder than I should (in no-so-cool weather). Needless to say, it's definitely worth the hike if you're ever in southeastern Utah.

Another side note, the mountains in the background are over 12,000 ft.

categories: desert HDR landscape nature