There must have been an enormous explosion nearby because there are fields of multicolored rocks scattered over this old lake bed. On this particular day I waited for the sunlight to come down and create a small shadow with each stone. I tried to look for a moving pattern as there were rocks everywhere without an obvious point of focus. The whole scene seemed peaceful yet delightful. I took a number of images of which I have chosen this one. Composing was difficult due to the glare on the back screen. Let me know what you think. It’s pretty straightforward as far as I can tell.
Igor, Very nice creating a subtle pattern with the rocks that pull your eye toward the center. Took me quite a while to figure it out. Love the colors as well. Seems “straight forward” but a lot of thought (and a good eye) went in to this in the first place.
Terrific detail in the dried mud in the foreground and waiting for the light to fall off provides really nice, long shadows that are not distracting but create a sense of movement through the scene. Just like your last image from this area, I love the simplicity of the blue sky and the wispy clouds. There is much to enjoy in this scene if you blow this up large and explore. The triangular grouping of rocks in the foreground pull the viewers eye right through the scene. Really well composed. I can see why you had difficulties trying to figure this out. There are a lot of foreground elements but you did well to include clouds on both the right and left portions of the sky giving good balance. Well thought out Igor. Another Baja winner!
Igor, the attention drawn to the rocks with their shadows and the dried mud in the bottom 1/3 works very well. Then my eyes are drawn across the vast lakebed with it’s subtle color variations to the distant mountains. It does feel very peaceful. It would be great hung on a wall.
My first thought was; I love the colors in the rocks and the texture created by the mud cracks, Igor. As I continued to look, I had this feeling all of the rocks seemed to be going towards the ULC. Must be as a result of the shadows, but, at least for me, this creates a wonderful sense of motion. Very nicely seen and captured.
I’m glad you noticed that Linda. I took several similar images but decided on this one for that reason. The shadows all together point to the left but once you get there a broader group takes you to the right. The end result is an S curve that’s not continuous. Despite ths being a peaceful place I felt a lot of positive energy and that’s what the composition is attempting to convey.
Interesting how much those shadows add; a fine detail nicely captured.
For me this image is evocative of just how wide open and expansive the desert can be. The scant clouds and lack of vegetation add to that emotion. It’s a bit of a paradox coming from me, but I think dropping the saturation a tad works well to add to that feeling.
Definitely a different feel to the second (brighter) version, Igor. I still prefer the first image precisely for it’s darker (bluish) feel, for me, this works better with the long shadows.
It is, thanks for posting the comparison. Opinions vary wildly on saturation, and although I tend towards eye candy on most images this one is a counter point to me. It emotes “empty” and “open” for me, so much so that those wonderful little shadows can stand out without the competition of much color. Very much personal preference and response, but I like this version.
Thank you for the comments on this image. I’ve decided that I prefer the warmest rework that I made. The light down here is very different than further north. At sunset turns everything to yellow and orange. That’s what happened to the entire lake bed and the warm image captures how it was. There is of course no need to be faithful when it comes to color but in this case I like the rich warm colors. So I guess the actual answer is that the colors are the way they are because I like them that way.
I’ve heard of people catching them from the beach there on flies. It must be very challenging. I’ve caught some there from my tin boat. Also jacks verbally and pompano.
The running along the beach fishing is usually near Los Barilles with it’s shallow beach area, further down the coast. Punta Arena a steeper beach, especially below the light, not great for easy access to the fish. I usually fish with the Lucero family pangeros out of Bahia de los Muertos at the end of the road. I love the gafftopsail pampano, dorado, jack crevalle, and yellowfin. All good food.
