dj.tigersprout's photoblog
Out of Shadow, Into Light...
Posted by dj.tigersprout (New York City, United States) on 14 September 2009 in Architecture and Portfolio.
this shot happens to be the 3rd i ever posted on Am3 1.5 years ago.
i had just gotten back from 2 weddings -- one in Tel Aviv and one in Sydney -- all in all it was a three week trip. first flying San Francisco to Jordan via NYC for a few days, then by car, taxi and bus to Israel for 2 days, then flying back over to Amman for 24 hours before making the flight back to San Francisco via New York. 24 hours later, and a bag of freshly washed clothing it was San Francisco to Sydney, returning home 11 days later and straight back to work. so many time zones... (!) i was literally 'sick' for a week with time zone travel confusion when i got back... i couldn't sleep and wasn't very hungry... my body wasn't happy at all :(
lol. lessons learned for the future -- only so many timezones in so many weeks!
anyways, the first time i posted this i had processed in Picassa, this version is a photoshop processing with some minor modifications. this is a shot from the ~2000 year old ancient city of Petra, lost for centuries in the 'rose stone' canyons in the southern regions of Jordan, re-discovered a few hundred years (1812) ago by a swiss explorer. many of you would recognize certain aspects of this ancient city from it's strikingly exotic appearance in Indiana Jones -- the Last Crusade. these small, hand carved steps can be found midway on the 40 minute rocky uphill trail hike to the Monastery -- one of the famed (and very beautiful) archeological sites of this area.
definitely a place to put on the top of your travel list. simply extraordinary!
all work protected by Creative Commons
Paco Díaz from Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Incredible red/orange colors, a good contrast with the last one.
14 Sep 2009 5:45am
@Paco Díaz: thanks Paco!
Marion from Nanaimo, BC, Canada
The colors are delicious in this shot and the worn steps are beautiful.
14 Sep 2009 6:23am
@Marion: thank you Marion!!
Monique from Koh Samui, Thailand
These colors are so recognizable for Petra! Beautiful shades of red and a great composition! I'm wondering about the shape of those two steps ... you think someone accidentally stepped on it while it was drying?! :)
14 Sep 2009 7:02am
@Monique: lol -- :) thanks Monique!! yes, i think some naughty person snuck through the roped off area while these steps were still forming!!! ;)
Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand
Gosh...is it really so long ago you started posting...I think I started a month or so after you!! Time flies:-) You were the first person to post on my blog...all that time ago and still friends:-)
The colours and light in this image are just so warm and inviting! beauty shot!!!
14 Sep 2009 7:44am
@Linerberry: hey Liners!! :D ah -- yes, so long ago!! i cannot believe it has been that long either! what a wonderfully fateful day -- to have found your photoblog!! :) the rest is history! all the very best to you my friend!! i hope this week is a dream for you!! cheers!! xoxo
MadScientist from Düsseldorf, Germany
Watch your step! :-) Amazing shot, a winner!
14 Sep 2009 8:28am
@MadScientist: thanks heaps MS!!! :)
Evelyne Dubos from Le Mans, France
Very different of the previous one !! You play with the contrasts... B&W / colors, warm / cold... :-)
I really prefer this one to the precedent version. Sharpness and details in the palette of reds is better. Great work. :-)
14 Sep 2009 8:48am
@Evelyne Dubos: thanks very much Evelyne! yes -- thank goodness photoshop gives you so much more control over things like sharpening and contrast!! i am slowly reprocessing many of my earlier pics to achieve the desired results i had orginally wanted!! :) cheers to you!!
Mike from Lichfield, United Kingdom
Wonderful rich colours!!!! Great control of light too. Really nice work JC.
14 Sep 2009 9:33am
@Mike: thanks Mike!!
grouser from Ludlow, United Kingdom
Lovely worn steps and the colour palette is exquisite
14 Sep 2009 10:10am
@grouser: cheers mate!
@Dimitrios: thanks Dimitrios!!
zOOm from Paris, France
Very effective crop, and those colors are simply magnifiscent.
14 Sep 2009 10:28am
@zOOm: thanks Florence!
romine from Bucharest, Romania
beautiful colors. i like that you kept the mystery with that closed upper angle. well done
14 Sep 2009 10:38am
@romine: thank you Romine!
Rui from Leiria, Portugal
I ask myself how many stepped this, from centuries.... Great great processing! Fantastic colors and light.
14 Sep 2009 11:21am
@Rui: thanks Rui!!! so good to see you posting Mondays!! :)
@Yvonne Simons: thanks Yvonne!
MrsAmber from West Wickham, United Kingdom
The colour is magnificent..so many feet on the steps. Awesome.
14 Sep 2009 12:15pm
@MrsAmber: thanks much Amber!
ripple from Nottingham, United Kingdom
quite stricking colours and well worn stones
14 Sep 2009 12:53pm
@ripple: hello mate and thanks for the visit and comment! :)
@Evi: thanks for the visit and comment Evi! :)
hugo poon from hong kong, Hong Kong
Wow, Jaycee, this is absolutely amazing!!!! The angle and your wonderful play of light only help heightening the drama!
Hope you're getting better now my friend!:-)
14 Sep 2009 2:55pm
@hugo poon: thanks heaps Hugo!!
@Seb!: merci Seb!!!
@missparis: thanks Veronique!!!
@john4jack: cheers mate!
@k@: thanks much darling!!! :) xoxo
@fotografa: hello mate -- thanks for the visit and comment! :)
Calusarus from St Sorlin en Valloire, France
5 stars ! These red tones are marvellous for this shot
14 Sep 2009 5:00pm
@Calusarus: thanks very much mate!! :) cheers to you!
Ken from United States
Jaycee, this image made me think of the exotic old comic strip "Steve Canyon" and his cast of wonderful female characters... I expect the villainess, Princess Snowflower to emerge from the top of the stairs at any moment!
14 Sep 2009 5:12pm
@Ken: thanks Kenny! i will need to check that out!!! ;)
@Shahryar: hello! thanks for the visit and comment!
@Veronelle: merci Veronelle!!
@alex centrella: thanks Alex!!
Dulcie from Danville, CA, United States
Well-warn stairs...this has been there for just a wee while. ;-) Beautiful effect of light.
14 Sep 2009 6:37pm
@Dulcie: thanks Dulcie!
Curly from South Shields, United Kingdom
Love your choice of shapes and forms here, they are every bit as important as the colour in this frame.
14 Sep 2009 7:10pm
@Curly: thanks very much Curly!!! :)
Graham Russon from Cape Town, South Africa
Wow, that is stunning. The colours, composition and lighting are superb.
14 Sep 2009 7:11pm
@Graham Russon: thanks mate!! cheers!!
@dan: it was so wonderful -- it caught my eye! thanks Dan!
@Daryl Johnson: do go mate!!! do it!
MARIANA from Waterloo, Canada
Jaycee, this is absolutely stunning ! The angle and light are incredible !
[Have enough sleep with sweetest dreams !! ]
14 Sep 2009 8:43pm
@MARIANA: thanks very much Mariana!!! and happy and sweet dreams to you as well!!! :)
MARIANA from Waterloo, Canada
oh, that is the best wish you could send me - I do not dream nay more :)) only in reality :))
14 Sep 2009 9:16pm
@MARIANA: ok -- well at least you dream in reality!!! daydreaming!! :)
Michael Rawluk from Williams Lake, BC, Canada
That is magnificent. I love the way stone can wear from the mere walking of people.
14 Sep 2009 10:37pm
@Michael Rawluk: thanks Michael -- it astonishes me when i think of how many people have trodden this path... it boggles the mind!!!
Fliss from Melbourne Beach, United States
Now, this has peaked my curiosity... I have the biggest desire to walk those stairs to see what is around the corner... hate not knowing what is around the corner...
14 Sep 2009 11:40pm
Andrew Gould from Sydney, Australia
I agree with Evelyne above, that side by side, this one is the winner, as you've brought out even more of that beautiful detail. However, looking in isolation at your first attempt in processing this image, that one can certainly be considered to be very sucessful in its own right.
15 Sep 2009 12:37am
@Andrew Gould: thanks very much Andrew! all of my early photos were all picasa -- which though i liked, obviously lacked a good amount of control with light, color and sharpness... so their impact wasn't what i had originally visualized. thank goodness photoshop gives me the ability to back correct!! :) thank you!
Elaine- from Canada
so it's a FAMOUS lost city, been in the movies and all that :) i love the pink steps, i would like a house made out of pink stone :) they look very good next to the orange walls too, like candy!! just beautiful my friend, lots of xoxoxoxooooxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxox :)
15 Sep 2009 1:54am
grant from kansas city, United States
amazing shot jaycee - the color, composition, and light, not to mention the place.
15 Sep 2009 2:02am
John Maslowski from Dallas, PA, United States
Can't even imagine traveling that many timezones, I have a hard enough time adjusting to the hour shift from daylight savings time. This is truly a fascinating image dj. Really excellent use of light with such beautiful tones. The way you framed this shot is outstanding. Definitely a great image.
15 Sep 2009 2:04am
@John Maslowski: hehe -- lol, thank you john. :) i remember that i was sooo excited with that itinerary!! :P afterwards i realized that i had over done it! lol. i won't be that ambitious again... at least not while working a 9-5... lol (!!) cheers to you mate!
Steven from Chicagoland, United States
An inviting flight of stairs to take to check out the light. Love the colors here.
15 Sep 2009 2:10am
akarui from Kagoshima, Japan
Beautiful colors and old stairs. Many people seem to have used them looking especially the 2 eroded stairs. Amazing!
15 Sep 2009 3:02am
One from Açores, Portugal
Outstanding ! Superb brightness and colors. A place that I would like to visit .....
15 Sep 2009 4:00am
Laurent from Lyon, France
gorgeous colours and wonderful light for those 2000 years stairs.
I prefer your 2009 version to the 2008 one (that was still beautiful)
15 Sep 2009 4:51am
@Laurent: thanks much Laurent!! :)
Magda from Vancouver, Canada
It looks like a painting. The tones and light are absolutely outstanding!!! Nicely framed
15 Sep 2009 5:32am
Brian Chen from Seattle, United States
Beautiful work done here, there is so much dynamic range here. Its a feast to the eyes.
15 Sep 2009 6:38am
@Brian Chen: thanks Brian!
@Ana Lúcia: thanks Ana!
Ivar from Indianapolis, United States
Very cool, the colors, the composition... the unknown around the corner sparks the wanting to see whats around the corner creating that color and light. Very nice.
15 Sep 2009 11:04am
shoti from Everywhere in the, Philippines
fantastic colors and light! what's inside this cave is intriguing :)
15 Sep 2009 2:29pm
Stephen Phillips from San Francisco, United States
Well deserved 'redux' of this magnificent image, Jaycee. Not just the light but the flow of colors give the image a transcendent quality. Five stars, my friend!
15 Sep 2009 4:13pm
@Stephen Phillips: thanks very much Stephen!! i don't know why but these stairs mean a good deal to me -- i feel i really captured what was in front of me -- the visual magic that i was seeing! thanks again!! :)
Howard F. from South Pasadena, Calif., United States
You are so well-traveled- that's two extremes of the globe. The bonus is capturing all these beautiful pictures such as this one. Great color, composition... I like the arch hiding the pathway, feels like you're at the end of the tunnel and the exit is just behind the arch. Great shot.
15 Sep 2009 8:27pm
@Howard F.: thanks very much Howard, it was a trip i will never forget for several reasons -- but i am very happy to have come back with these photos!! cheers!
Steve Rice from Olympia, United States
This is simply fabulous! The colors, composition and processing are all top quality. Love this image!
15 Sep 2009 10:38pm
@Steve Rice: thanks much Steve! i had seen a picture online somewhere that i had googled and was looking for these stairs while there. i had literally just given up that i was ever going to find them and we turned a corner and there they were. it was a faaabulous moment! :)
akarui from Kagoshima, Japan
Thank you for all your comments on the Antartic and South Georgia serie. I really appreciate.
16 Sep 2009 12:38am
willow from Chelsea, United States
Oooo!!!! So much mystery and intrigue... Maybe that's why the stairs are so worn? Everybody had to climb the stairs to see what was up there.
16 Sep 2009 1:01am
@Stefan: thanks Stefan!!!
Laurie from New Jersey, United States
That was some intense travel itinerary. This is quite beautiful.
16 Sep 2009 4:59pm
@Laurie: thanks Laurie!! :)
Francesc B. from région parisienne, France
This one is much better... good processing and adjust... and fabulous warm colours
16 Sep 2009 7:26pm
@Francesc B.: thanks heaps Francesc!!! :)
bluechameleon from Vancouver, Canada
Is this real? Oh my goodness how I would love to sit here and take it all in. Simply fantastic in colour (of course) and the shadow and light play. Awesome!
21 Sep 2009 12:41pm
manel from Girona, Spain
Muy buen encuadre y el color... MAGNÍFICO!!!!.
Un abrazo, dj.
21 Sep 2009 7:03pm
peter from new york, United States
that rich color reminds me of my time in jordan. nice shot jaycee!
22 Sep 2009 2:51am
10Fraction from Rennes, France
oh my, you had such a trip, you're a real globe trotter mate!
I adore the light and shadow play here, the picture is excellent
22 Sep 2009 4:19am
Emilio Garcia from Pleasanton, United States
Agree. This version is much improved. The colors are more subtle and the light treatment is beautiful. You have come a long way in your photographic "career" and what a fabulous places you have visited! My wife has family in Israel, next visit we need to make it to Jordan.
30 Sep 2009 11:06pm
Eric Rousset from Grasse, France
Fantastic colors n lighting m8, really luv it !!
9 Oct 2009 12:26pm
Canon EOS REBEL XT
1/20 second
F/5.6
ISO 400
41 mm