This is a Sand Tufa at Mono Lake. These formations are distinct from the Tufa towers that abound at the lake in that the process of their formation is quite different.
In the case of Sand Tufa, carbonate-charged groundwater flows through pumice sand that was deposited during a volcanic eruption long ago. Once the water drains out of the sand layer, the carbonate solidifies. Wind then eroded the unaffected pumice, leaving these weird formations.
This is an older image, originally in color, that I recently worked up in B&W.
Chamonix 4x5
Schneider Symmar-S 210mm Lens
Astia 100 F
Original image made in 2013 in the company of Harley.
Any thoughts or suggestions you may have are always appreciated.
–P
This turned out quite nice. I would be tempted to brighten and add a little more contrast to the midtones, but I am loving the depth, detail and textures. I remember this outing. Real nice take from it.
Preston, as rutty as this old beast is my first draw is the symmetry. You did an excellent job of making the image totally about this very graphic formation…Excellent…
This work very well in BW. It really brings out the amazing textures. The tonal aviations are great. Very well composed. I find this photo fascinating.
I know these sand tufa well, Preston. I really like this b/w intimate view, great detail. A little mid-tone brightening might work, worth trying anyway. I haven’t been able to come away from here with an image I like, you have, well done.
Details are exquisite. Reminds me of bracket fungi and strangler figs (lower parts). The black and white treatment is fine as presented. I like this one as presented. Awesome sandscape!..Jim
Preston,
This is a wonderful BW that I thought was some form of fungus. The textures are so interesting. I have not seen or heard of a sand tufa, thanks for geology lesson.
I’m stuck at home with a mild upper respiratory virus. (As a leader in Novel Corona, we’ve had three deaths here in Clark County, we are practicing an over abundance of caution with any upper respiratory illness here in Washington State.) I was just going back through my images and wondering which ones might work well as B&W. Great minds think alike!
Lots of power in this one Preston. It has a true alien creature look to it.
This is really rich in detail. It makes me think of Baroque art. The upper left area is catches the eye a bit because it doesn’t match the flow of the rest. A crop off the top fixes the issue.
Other than agreeing with Igor on the UL corner, I think this is quite awesome. I have never thought about this detail when I am in Mono Lake. The vertical striation feels like veins pulsing through an alien body!
Preston,
The lack of scale here lets the mind work overtime trying to figure out what it is viewing. I like the B&W conversion for this scene as it lets you concentrate on the tones and intimate details instead of color. Thanks for the backstory on how these formations are created.
This is excellent on several fronts. Great job with the tight composition. It really allows the viewer to enjoy the rich detail and features of the geology. And the comp works great with just how everything is positioned, lined up, etc. I like the curved “shelf” that kind of juts out then with the lining up with the verticals below. Just looks good - don’t know how else to describe.
I also like the tones too - great job with the scan and processing.
The only real minor suggestion would be to CA-fill in the very small black areas on the top edge, about 20% in from either corner. The top is tight enough as it is and certainly wouldn’t want to crop. Not a big deal at all though.
This is a great abstract. The black and white version is perfect. I personally find the sand tufts the most interesting. They are so fragile, though, it is surprising they weren’t roped off to protect them some time ago. That, however would be unfortunate for photographers.
That’s super cool. I love the fact that it’s impossible to tell the scale (except that I know those features) and the scene could be huge or small. Always good to challenge peoples’ neurons. I think the b&w conversion for this is a good call, just looks great all around.
