This was the Surprise Valley, in northeastern California, east of Cedarville. I found the wandering tracks of the geese so amusing. I have more detailed shots of the tracks, but I wanted to put them in the perspective of the wide open space of the playa.
I included the rocky edge of the playa because of the contrasting texture and to give more depth. Does that work here? Any other critique always welcome.
Specs: Sony a7, 24-105mm @27mm, 1/160 sec, f/16, ISO 200, hand held.
Edit: Per @Bill_Leggett’s comment, I’ve added a version without the rocky foreground. I’d have to agree that eliminating the rocks puts more emphasis on the tracks. And there’s still that sense of open space.
The tracks of the geese do give this perspective and tell a wonderful story, Bonnie. I like the expansive view and the clouds top everything off rather nicely. I also like the depth in this scene.
Very interesting take, Bonnie. As to the layer at the bottom, I think I would not show it, because all the tracks make for a more interesting comp. Look forward to some of your detailed images.
Bonnie, I agree that the repost with it’s emphasis on the tracks even as it shows a vast space works very well. I also find the pastel colors in the repost create a different feeling relative to the more saturated sky in your original post. Both views are very attractive, they just make very different statements (part of the fun and art of photography).
I definitely prefer the cropped version, Bonnie. The foreground rocks actually tended to stop my eye before it got to the tracks and kept them from leading into the image. The second version is great.
A really fascinating image and story. I like how you cropped out the foreground in the revised version. That helps simplify and make this a minimalist scene.
Very nice wide open scene Bonnie! The tracks do add a lot of extra interest. I like the first version because it shows a more global and grander context but I like the second version because it brings the mountains closer for more detail, highlights the tracks and has a more artistic feel to it. Clearly fits the challenge and both are very nice!
