Dave Dillemuth and I were out in Death Valley in February, wandering the dunes.
D850, 70-200mm
6 Likes
This is spectacular, Harley. I need to get back into dunescapes. I just love the near to far layers, each with a differently oriented structure or texture, and the shadows (perfect) along with the bright ridgelines. The massive background dune just adds to the scale and majesty.
I thought I had no nits, but in looking at it bigger, there are a couple of bright-spots of sand or streaks and maybe one funky clone/heal that don’t add and perhaps subtract. I included a marked screenshot.
Of course, the suggestions are just based on the assumption that you will want to print this huge (which is what I would do!)
ML
Thanks for the comment and good eye. What looks like a bad clone job is actually a bush out in the dunes. I never even noticed it until you pointed it out and I just had a look on the master file. It is gone now.
Excellent, Mr. H.!
The composition is spot-on to me. The tonal values look great. I especially like the dune shadows going from more open to very dark which lend a great deal of depth. The huge dune in the background is a fitting backdrop for the textures and curves in the foreground.
Nicely done processing, too.
-P
Harley, the far most dune that serves as a backdrop to all of these layers is gorgeous. I really like that part of the scene. I must confess that the layers are a bit complex to me and it takes a while to get used to. I see an interesting tension between the darker UL and lighter LR and the ripples are all wonderful. I had a bit of a hard time putting the pieces together until I stepped back and looked at it from a distance. Then, depth starting to show in the image. A sense of traveling from foreground into the background. My nit is the darker/higher contrast area in the LR corner. It kinda pulls my eyes and perhaps could use some work.
Harley, I love the range of tones here, complemented with the series of curves. Having just returned from my first trip to Death Valley, and my first sand dunes photography, I can really appreciate what you’ve captured. Great eye!
Excellent my friend. Fascinating layering brought out beautifully by the high contrast BW rendering. The composition looks very well balanced to my eye and the processing looks spot-on. No suggestions.
Harley, excellent all around image. The repetitive dune sequence in the composition really provides some wonderful depth to the scene. The B&W choice here was a given. No thoughts for changes for me… 
Harley I love dune images and this one is quite unique, in a good way! It is a bit of a mind bender with all of the layers. I agree with @Adhika_Lie regarding the depth perspective that for me is also challenging, but I find that a good thing as it is interesting, intriguing and ultimately satisfying to piece the layers together.
Well done!
Wow, this is amazing Harley. I actually like the complexity of the composition, it encourages the viewer to get engaged with the image. It creates a strong initial reaction, but then your eye wanders through all the elements here and you find even more subtle things to enjoy. For example, I really like how the far background dune looks in the URC, it creates such a strong 3D effect. There is a lot to love above this image, great work.
And most amazing of all, no footprints to boot !!!
Lots to like here, Harley: the light/dark contrast, layering, all the different shapes, the BW treatment and overall tone…lots to keep the eye roving around the image, well done.
Very striking and overall I feel this is a spectacular image! My initial impression when I first looked is to want to see either more of the background (area behind the tallest pointy dune) or none of the background. With that said after looking at the image longer, I enjoy getting lost in the layers!
Spectacular dunescape, Harley! This scene has a wonderful depth to it with all of the layers of dunes and the range of tones is wonderful. I also like the interplay of light and shadow you captured in this image. You guys were fortunate to catch some dunes with no footprints. No suggestions from me.
I think that’s an outstanding image. There are so many appealing layers front to back. Nicely captured and processed.
This is awesome Harley - if not fascinating and mesmerizing. The depth, layers and light/shadow play are fabulous. And I’ll repeat - that bg dune makes quite the statement.
Hard to be critical of anything here, but I’m almost wishing I could crop the forward dune out - but there doesn’t look like a clean way to do that as the next dune is impacted. So, I’ll just stick with awesome.
Lon
Harley: One of my favorite subjects and this is so well captured and presented. Spectacular image. >=))>
Splendid! Dunescapes can be fascinating and this certainly is. I love the b&w and I am especially attracted by the hypnotic layer (third from fg, I think) of small aeolian ripples, together with the barely appearing one at the fifth layer. Excellent…
Harley, I’m loving the strong sense of ebb and flow with all the ridges and the changing drama from front to back. Well seen and well processed.
What an incredible number of layers in this!! Also, the difference in appearance of each layer is amazing. I’m really glad you chose B&W for this as the tones are wonderful. I only have one question/nit. In the near midground there is a layer that appears fuzzy. Is this caused by wind blowing the sand off the top of the layer or something else? It’s somewhat distracting. If it’s just wind, is there a possibility of bringing that section from another shot of the same sequence and replacing just that section? Just wondering.
Hi @Harley_Goldman, very inspiring monochromatic shot. I love composition with its leading lines. I mean the subject is in the background, i would like to vignette a little bit the foreground. Really good shot, thanks for sharing.