I never get tired of exploring and photographing in the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes of Death Valley. Although they typically yield iconic and easily recognizable photographs, the shapes and colors can vary tremendously, both simplistic but also emotionally complex. We were fortunate that there had been some strong winds the night before that smoothed out the all-too-common tracks and footprints. Other times, I have had to spend a lot of time trying to edit out all the blemishes.
Colors out in the dunes can also vary quite a bit from the strong magenta tones of a lightening sky (but before the sun has risen), to the warm tones seen in this shot (from the first rays from the sun actually hitting the dunes), to cooler blue and gray tones. One of my favorite shots from a few years back had very strong magenta tones from a rising sun and a cloudless eastern horizon (not yet above the horizon) hitting the underside of cloud cover directly overhead.
I strongly recommend visiting in the afternoon or evening and recording a GPS track (like in GaiaGPS) that you can follow in the dark the next morning. Beginning to take shots in the first light and continuing until you decide the light is too bright and flat, will guarantee many long and rewarding editing sessions back home on your computer.
Specific Feedback Requested
I darkened the mountains in the background to keep the context visible but perhaps could have included a little more at the top and bottom and possibly cropped in a bit on the sides.
White balance may be mostly personal taste, and this shot also looks good a little cooler and with a slightly lowered exposure. Fun to pay around with it.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
1/40 sec @ f/11, 270 mm, ISO 100, Canon R5, RF 100-500 @ 270mm
I love this image! And I agree, the M-dunes are an amazing place. I was there in December. You really captured the scene nicely here and I love the comp and color. I think the mountains in the BG are just fine. The only thing that caught my eye, and it may be an illusion is the “horizon” line between the desert floor and the mountains. To my eye it looks crooked. Again, probably a straight photo, but my eye keeps going there. Great job!
Lovely view of the dunes! They are a special place and worth the trouble to get to the good spots at good times!
I’d definitely vote for a CW rotation. BGs like that are frustrating in that they compete with visual compositions in the dunes themselves, but they do grab too much attention when they are off-level. Similar situation to water with a non-level ripple.
Thanks for pointing out the tilt. I always use the in-camera level indicator with the camera on a tripod, but apparently, I wasn’t paying attention then or later looking at the image.
Very nicely done. The muted yellows and the lighter blacks give this a more serene look than the drama most photographers seek here. I personally don’t feel the image is tilted. I would have experimented with abstractions that eliminate the bg entirely. Good work.
This is very nice. This is a great perspective and you’ve got great detail in the ripples in the foreground. I love the cool tones in the foreground shadows mixed with the warmer tones of the lit dunes. If you have more room at the top of the image I would add it back in. The composition cuts right through the background ridge in the URC that I find a little bit troubling. I am with Igor on the tilt of the image . I think it’s the background hill that are not level (I have been here many times and those don’t run flat near the bottom) creating the illusion that the photograph is tilted. I think if you tilted this with a CW rotation the dunes themselves would appear to be off kilter. Otherwise, this is a really impressive dune image. Oh, one more thing, I would burn the bright spots in the very URC on the hillside as they catch the eye.
For me, even an appearance of tilt is a distraction. If things don’t look right with the camera rotated, sometimes it works to pretend you had a view camera and use a distortion. The BG could also be minimized by lowering its contrast and detail.
Rick,
The lighting is wonderful and has created some lovely lines and shapes in the dunes. I like the way the shadows have created some additional depth to this desert landscape. My only suggestion would be to crop the darker BG along the top as I think it competes with the graceful lines of the dunes. I hope you do not mind, but here is a repost with what I was thinking. Just my opinion of course.
Thanks for the feedback, Ed. The only problem with your version is that the top feels a little crowded and we’ve lost the skyline of the far sand ridge against the background. I created a new version where I darkened the far valley and cloned out some bright spots. To my eye, the far valley (darkened) creates a bit of context and a frame. Curious as to what you think.
I do like your last repost much better, Rick. That bit of darkening brings those shadows more in line with the others in the scene. On the original my eye stayed up top because of the lighter tones. I was going to add a little canvas up top because I too thought it might be a little tight, but I just ran out of time and had to leave.
For me, @Ed_Lowe’s version is wonderful! I didn’t realize it until I saw his, but the complex shape of the farthest dune ridge is out of sync with the others. His crop isolates a harmonious set of lines to make a beautiful image. I would crop just a tiny bit higher than he did and fill it in to look like it was all one even face. That’s changing reality, but since it’s not a recognizable icon, it would work for me. I’m sure some others wouldn’t agree – just my 2 cents.
