Looking down into the canyon below Zabriskie Point in Death Valley as the sun begins to penetrate it reveals wild shapes and colors. Zoomed in it’s hard to get a sense of scale but a fellow photographer creates a context for imagining being there.
Anything.
Is this a composite: No
Without the person standing there, the level of awe would be diminished. With that, it’s pretty jaw-dropping. While I have been to DV, I didn’t explore it in as much detail as I might have liked. Scenes like this bring that home. The subtle variations of gray and tan are really interesting. And that little kiss of sunlight brings up so much texture. Nice.
A very cool take on Zabriskie. This is quite fresh and I agree that the human for scale aspect of this image is important. I also think the processing is on point!
What an awesome abstract, Rick. When I opened the larger image, my jaw just dropped at the scale of the scene. Wow. No changes that I can see, this is stunning.
Stunning image with a criss cross composition. I think I may have shot from where that man is standing. The two sweeping diagonal together with the highlights make this for me. The two bright areas in the upper corners are a question mark. Personally I would remove the sunlight from the left one but keep the right one.
I appreciate your comments, Igor. I had done some burning to de-emphasize the bright areas on the edges, but I agree they could use a little more toning down.
Kristen, Adhika, and David: Thanks for your generous comments. It is always interesting to discover what speaks to other photographers (who have a different perspective from the average viewer).
I’ve never seen this view of Zabriski before. Nice to see something new. The leading line of the path and person standing in a puddle of light makes for a wonderful focal point. Tonal range and contrast are super. Very nicely done.
Chris,
This view is from the ridge North of Zabriskie Point (I think from the trail heading up to Red Cathedral) looking back down into a canyon with a trail heading down from the Point into a canyon. I believe the trail in the photo is the Zabriskie Point Trail or perhaps Golden Canyon.
-Rick
Wonderful view/composition! The other photographer is icing on the cake and well positioned in the frame. The lighting is amazing and the processing spot-on.
I’ve shot from near the viewpoint but obviously missed out on the different views from up the trail! The dark formations place the location. Next time…
When I first saw the thumbnail of this image, I thought it was a small scene but I guess that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I’m really glad that I chose to include that person there because it really helps to show the sheer size of the scene. Really well done!
What a splendid and fresh look from this iconic location! Great capture @Rick_Alway! Great balance of contrasting light and shape!
Hey Rick, great shot! Neat having a human in the shot to give that sense of scale to the landscape. The only comment I might make is the bright rock in the upper right grabs at my peripheral vision, pulling me up in to the right corner. If you want to keep people more focused on the person and central part of the image, maybe darkening or cropping that bright area might help lessen distractions. Thats the only thing that jumped out at me.
Great stuff!!!
