Death Valley
A very old petrified tree stands alone in Death Valley in the Namib Desert. A testament to a time hundreds of years ago when a river ran through here. ...
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A very old petrified tree stands alone in Death Valley in the Namib Desert. A testament to a time hundreds of years ago when a river ran through here.
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Aug, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Deadvlei near the Sossusvlei area of the Namib desert in Namibia. The tree in this photo is a remnant of a time when this harsh desert was a lush green oasis. Slowly, over time, the largest sand dunes in the world formed, eventually choking off the river between 600-700 years ago (some estimates put it at 1000years) the vegetation died and the area became one of the driest on the planet. So dry that the trees did not decompose. Now all that is left are these dried black skeletons, they are not petrified but rather singed black by the harsh sunlight.Time
Due to the harsh sun and extremely high temperatures this area receives we visited this site in the morning. This photo would have been taken around 10:00am local time. Despite it only being 10:00am the temperature was already 38 degrees celsius.Lighting
I wanted the image to capture the harsh environment the area is known for. I also wanted to capture the bright red colour of the sand these dunes are famous for as well as the stunningly clear deep blue skies it is famous for. In order to do that I shot with only natural light and placed the sun to my left to create a shadow across the ground to draw the eye to the skeleton of the tree and add interest to the frame.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon Rebel T2i and its stock 18-55m lens. In addition I used a UV filter due to the harsh sun and extreme UV in area due to a hole in the Ozone layer nearby.Inspiration
I wanted to capture an image that captured the harsh reality of both this stunning natural area as well as the consequences of climate change (be it natural or man made). I felt the image of a sun scorched tree standing alone against the bright red sands of the desert was captivating, even more so when you consider that this area is only about 50km from the ocean. Finally the deep colours of the area were breathtaking. Deep bright red sands contrast against the most stunning clear blue sky I have seen anywhere on the planet. I really felt that this photo would truly capture the essence of this beautiful but harsh environment.Editing
This photo was minimally post processed. Minor changes to the black and whites as well has highlights and shadows were applied. As well lens distortion corrections were applied.In my camera bag
Not much. Financial constraints have limited how much equipment i can have. So i keep the camera, a zoom lens, a 50mm lens and my newest addition a new canon wide-angle lens. I also make sure to always have cleaning equipment, i spend a lot of time taking my camera to places where dirt, after and dust are factors. Finally i always keep a grey card to help ensure i get proper white balance.Feedback
Sunscreen. Lots of sunscreen. Due to a nearby hole in the ozone this area is harsh, and even with sunscreen I got a little burnt. More importantly don;t just shoot the first angle. i spent a lot of time walking around this tree and a few others until i found the perfect spot to capture the image i had imagined in my head.
