Mexican Hat

[FrankMi]

Mexican Hat is a curiously sombrero-shaped, large house sized (60-foot wide by 12-foot thick), rock outcropping in Utah. Now that we see it, what can be done with it?

[GrahamH]

Gotta say it.
Doesn't look like there is mush room up there.
Sorry.
Obviously sky is blown out (no detail) and an interesting sky would increase visual interest (at least for me).
Lots of detail in the rocks so that's you like good. If you have a sky (lit from similar position, up and to the left, slightly in front of you) you can repalce fairly realistically. Ideally you would have takena couple of shots (one exposed for the sky) and you could use the original sky. Alternately, return to the location, wait for a better time of the day and conditions and capture a shot with all the necessary details in. Or replace sky in PP.

Graham
Here's a replaced sky (quickly done)


Plus some limited PP (levels and saturation)

[FrankMi]

Hi Graham,

I find it very odd that if this was someones elses image, I would have immediately thought 'that sky needs to be replaced with something better'. However, as it was my image, I so utterly and totally missed the obvious! Thank you!

I'll crawl back into my hole now, get another hour's sleep, splash cold water on my face, and try to get my wits about me! LOL!

[Dave Humphries]

I find it very odd that if this was someones elses image, I would have immediately thought 'that sky needs to be replaced with something better'. However, as it was my image, I so utterly and totally missed the obvious! Thank you!

I did wonder, Frank
Nah, I'm kidding - we all do it from time to time

The sky doesn't look to be blown, at least not from the histogram now, just (almost) completely featureless

Cheers,

[FrankMi]

The sky doesn't look to be blown, at least not from the histogram now, just (almost) completely featureless

...and that is typical of a lot of days in the American Southwest. When we do see clouds, they tend to be high Cirrus and not very often Columbus clouds. I'd love to get the chance to go back and reshoot many of these kinds of locations now that I have learned more about photography from CiC and have a DSLR. <sigh> maybe someday...

[GrahamH]

When we do see clouds, they tend to be high Cirrus and not very often Columbus clouds. ...

Is he the same one that bumped into America?

[FrankMi]

Is he the same one that bumped into America?

I think maybe that was Christopher Columbus with his head in the clouds.

I was refering to the columbus clouds that normally bring rain. http://www.blurtit.com/q4261956.html

[GeorgeM]

So they aren't called cumulus any more?

[FrankMi]

Hi George, yes, cumulus is the most common name for the white fluffy rain clouds that occur below 6,000 feet. I'm not sure where the name columbus clouds comes from and it may not even be an official name. It's altogether possible that columbus is really a mispronunciation of cumulus, and just because there are a number of articles referring to columbus clouds on the internet it doesn't mean that its an officially recognized name. I've heard both used.

[ktuli]

NOAA doesn't list Columbus as a type... http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=cloud_classification

- Bill

[FrankMi]

NOAA doesn't list Columbus as a type... http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=cloud_classification

Thank you Bill! I wasn't sure once it was questioned and when I found it listed in several places on the web... Oh well, I guess you can't always trust the web and now I have the correct information. Thanks again!

[Viana]

Thank you Bill! I wasn't sure once it was questioned and when I found it listed in several places on the web... Oh well, I guess you can't always trust the web and now I have the correct information. Thanks again!

Trust, but verify.

I saw it immediately, but hesitated to point it out. There are many such errors on the web and CiC as well, every day. Often, if you correct, people think that you are a grammar or spelling Nazi and say so.

[FrankMi]

Ah yes, when we first meet someone, our intelligence level is at its highest - and goes stedily down hill from the moment we open our mouths and say something stupid! LOL!

I think I now need to change my Avitar!

[Mark von Kanel]

Dont worry Frank in the UK we have Drake clouds

[GeorgeM]

Dont worry Frank in the UK we have Drake clouds

Well, you guys came up with the cloud naming system to begin with.