Canon 6D MK1
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II
Single Shot
16mm - f/11 - ISO 100 - 1/60 sec
This image was taken at the Mesquite Sand Dunes, in Death Valley National Park, just after sunrise. It also happens to be my first attempt at truly processing an image in B&W. In processing, I tried to emphasize the contrast between the darker foreground mud tiles with the lighter tones of sand in-between them, to make them look like arteries reaching toward the light in the background. I then did some dodging/burning to draw the viewers eye up through image, to the mountains and dunes in the background.
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Jimmy, your emphasis here on the cracked mud while showing it’s surroundings works very well. The eye pull into the image is quite strong and the textural contrasts between the mud, the dunes and the mountains is good. I do wonder how a modest reduction in contrast in the mud cracks would look. The drama here is palpable, but I also find myself wishing for a bit more detail in the bottom half.
Dramatic and almost surreal, with the way you’ve handled the light on the mud cracks. The sweep of the cracks and the dune coming in from the left are lovely. Because the mud cracks are such a large part of the frame, like Mark, I’m wishing for a bit more detail in them. Great perspective, though.
Jimmy: I like this very much. I can see the comments regarding the FG contrast but this still works well for me as is. I find it interesting that the flow of the image is bottom to top in a landscape oriented shot. When I see scenes like this I tend to compose in portrait orientation. My vision in general tends to see portrait comps more readily than landscape. Your presentation does make me think and the result is all the better for it. Superbly crafted image from capture to processing to finished product. >=))>
@Mark_Seaver@Bonnie_Lampley@Bill_Fach, thank you all for the kind words and for taking the time to offer some constructive feedback. Now that you have pointed it out, I agree that reducing the contrast in the foreground to reveal more details is a good idea. I have played around with opening up the shadows in the foreground.
Bill, I don’t know if it’s necessarily a good thing that I’ve had you rethink your portrait orientation, as your images are quite lovely. If that rethink contributes to better images, you can thank me. Otherwise, I’ll deny any knowledge of that influence.
Here’s a re-work of the image with the foreground shadows opened up, which has results in more details coming through (hopefully, I didn’t swing the pendulum too far in the other direction, as I often tend to do):
I love this image. At first glance, I’m not sure what I’m looking at but that doesn’t matter. The light lines leading the eye up through the image to the “surprise” of the dunes on the top is terrific.
@Chris_Baird, I sincerely appreciate your words of encouragement and confirmation that you like the improvements in the re-work. I’m grateful for the feedback from @Mark_Seaver, @Bonnie_Lampley, and @Bill_Fach, which helped me see how much detail could be extracted from the foreground, by opening up the shadows. Cheers!
As for the “unusual perspective” of the DVNP dunes comment, I take that as a great compliment, as some of my favorite photographers tend to flout the rules of composition. Cheers!
@Bill_Fach, thank you for your kind and generous feedback, regarding my image and the re-work, as well as for taking the initiative to change the title for me. I was not even aware of that practice, so I appreciate you bringing it to my attention.
@bob13 Thank you so much for sharing your read of my image. Yes, I understand what you mean when you say “I’m not sure what I’m looking at”, as even when I would look away from my monitor, stand at a distance from it, and look again, it almost felt like an exaggerated foreground of a beach or something of that nature. This is what led me to emphasize the contrast between the mud tiles and sand, in-between, as it looked like streams or arteries reaching toward the background, at a glance. I’m happy to hear it was pleasant surprise for your eyes to be led up to the dunes. I consider that to be confirmation of success, as most of my time processing was in an effort to organically lead the eye up to the main dune and then explore the contrasty dunes and mountains on the right side of the horizon. Cheers!
Really nicely unusual dune image. I think your conversion works quite well and I like the reposted version. No other suggestions here, really well done.
Many thanks, @Harley_Goldman! I’m grateful for you taking the time to look over my image and offer your kind feedback. Since this was my first attempt at a B&W conversion, it’s really helpful to hear that it works well. Having checked out your web site, I’m honored to receive that feedback from you, as your B&W images are incredibly refined.
It looks like you reside around Santa Barbara. I’m just a couple hours south, near Newport Beach. If you ever want to meet up to shoot together sometime, I’m always game. Cheers!
This is a really stunning composition, as well as a “wow” B&W treatment. I love it, and as others have said I like the foreground lightened up a bit. A very unique view of a Death Valley scene. Congrts for seeing this!
Hi @Mark_Muller, apologies for the delay in response, as I’ve been offline for the past few days and just getting back onto NPN. I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude for the positive feedback and the further confirmation of the B&W conversion, as well as the opened up shadows in the foreground. Everyone has provided very helpful insights. I appreciate the “Congrats” and your kinds words. Cheers!
Cheers!