Blue/Purple ("Serenity")

I know dune photos are a dime-a-dozen, but this is the first image I found that fit to this weeks Analogous Colors theme :slight_smile:
Beautiful early morning light over Death Valley Dunes.

Specific Feedback and Self-Critique

As always, all and any feedback is welcomed.

Technical Details

1/25sec, f/11, ISO 160, 120mm (24-120) Nikon D 850

1 Like

Hi Fritz,
I can’t get enough of dune photos. It may be because I can’t shoot anything like that close by.

I like all those diagonals and triangle shapes in your image. I really enjoy the different sand patterns. The white balance you chose perfectly matches the mood of the early morning.

If I had to change something about the picture, it would be two things:

  1. I would crop the image on the right side to improve the overall balance a bit.
  2. The small dark rocks in the middle ground on the left distract my eyes. I would try to lighten them or even remove them.

Really a great picture. Well done!

Fritz, the mix of strong, angled lines and subtle color/brightness changes looks great. The eye pull from the darker area lower right to bright, upper right works well. The tiny dark bits make an interesting contrast to the smoothness of the rest fo the image.

Soft, subtle beauty. Curving lines, straight lines, ripples and rocks. I love it all. But mostly, It’s the very soft pastel blues and purple/pinks that is so provocative. I love the composition as well.
Great dune photos are not a dime a dozen and this one really stands out. Well seen and well executed, Fritz.

I had a chuckle reading that, having been in Death Valley a little over a month ago. To me the wonderful thing about dunes is that there are infinite possibilities, much like seascapes. The color palette for this image helps make it stand out for me. I like it.

Hi Jens,

Death Valley is actually my favorite place to photograph; dunes are my favorite subject. Thank you for your suggestions, Jens. I have removed the rocks in the left/center, but as a matter of personal preference, I like just a little something to anchor the viewer. Perhaps if I printed this, I would remove them. As for the crop, I had tried that as well, but came back to this version, as I did not like losing the line leading into the TR corner, and it also took away from the spacious feel of dunes. Again, personal preference :slight_smile:

I am glad you like the image, and I very much appreciate the feedback. There are many things I have learned through these exchanges. Vielen Dank!

Thank you Mark. Very much appreciate the comment.

Thank you, David. I do happen to love photographing dunes, so it is nice when they are appreciated. :slight_smile:

1 Like

I do agree, Dean. there is no end to dune compositions, one of the many things I love about photographing them.