This is an old shot that I took while I was hiking around Torrey Pines State Reserve in California. You can see the old shot here. I decided to redo this shot because I thought the old one had more potential. I had gone here a couple of times before and could never find this spot. This spot kept showing up in numerous pictures that I had seen on various photography websites. I tried each time I went to find it on my own to no avail. The funny part is that I had found it on this particular occasion because I took a brochure. Sure enough, the brochure’s front picture was this spot.
I quickly followed the designated path and finally found this spot, and it only took me about three visits. Ultimately, I had to find a weird way down because the actual lookout was sort of on a cliff. The texture, which was likely from erosion, provided for great leading lines. However, capturing them was tough. For this shot, I was actually on a weird corner thing which was extremely uncomfortable and awkward. However, the end result was worth it.
Unlike my last attempt, I did not use Photomatix this time. Instead, I used Photoshop and Lightroom. I stitched two images together to include as much detail that I could. Then, I applied a gradient map to the whole image to sync the color. I applied various other enhancements and this was the end result. Let me know what you think!
