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White Salt Flats with dramatic sunset near Salt Lake City, Utah



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I drove to see the salt flats with my wife while on our trip across the United States. I waited until the sunset to take this shot, because the sky had many bea...
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I drove to see the salt flats with my wife while on our trip across the United States. I waited until the sunset to take this shot, because the sky had many beautiful clouds. The landscape was majestic due to the vastness of the area and the blue sky. We were also lucky to see a supermoon rising from the salty horizon behind me while I took this photo.
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Behind The Lens

Location

This is an image of Bonneville salt flats located in Utah about two hours from Salt Lake City. These salt flats formed after Lake Bonneville dried up many many years ago. The area is very popular among photographers, video makers and car racers, which try their engines to beat world records of speed.

Time

The photo was taken right before the sun went behind the mountains, around 5pm. My wife and I drove for about 2 hours to be there several hours before the sunset to enjoy the view and capture multiple shots and timelapses.

Lighting

I took multiple shots of this view, but this one stood out most as the sun was slowly hiding behind the scattered clouds, creating distinct rays shining through the sky to the ground. I was lucky that day because of the cloudy sky, which typically creates dramatic and colorful sunsets.

Equipment

I used a Nikon D810 on a Manfrotto tripod with a 14-24mm Nikon f/2.8 lens.

Inspiration

I have heard and saw multiple pictures of the Bonneville salt flats, but actually experiencing this view was nothing short of out of this place. My wife and I were on a trip around the USA, which lasted for a year, and specifically stayed in the Salt Lake City area to see and experience this place, which was totally worth it.

Editing

This image was processed with typical adjustments to clarity, contrast, vibrance and saturation. I also made sure that the salt looks more contrasting by separately using a curves adjustment just on the ground. Another thing that I did was to add more contrast and sharpness to the sky with a high pass filter. This way, the sky and clouds looked much more dramatic after processing the photo.

In my camera bag

I have a fairly compact backpack to which I almost always attach my tripod. For landscape images, I mostly use my Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens, which is one of my favorite lenses for its sharpness and ultra wide-angle capability. I also have a Nikon 70-210mm f/4 lens, which is an old version of Nikon telephoto lenses that I hope to upgrade to a new one some day. I also have a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, which is great for street and portrait shots. I also carry a shutter release cable, and neutral density and polarized filters in case I need to alter the exposure or reduce glare.

Feedback

What helped me to take this photo was timing the right moment right before the sun was down. However, unpredictable weather and luck also play a large role here too. If not for the scattered clouds, the image would have looked starkly different. Besides being there on a sunny day to capture the sunset, I also recommend photographing these salt flats after heavy rains. Googling images of Bonneville salt flats and rain will show you what I mean: surrealistic images with massive reflection of the sky up above.

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