Otherworldly
Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley seem so out of place given the rest of the surrounding area, and with the right gear and the right time of day it's dow...
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Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley seem so out of place given the rest of the surrounding area, and with the right gear and the right time of day it's downright otherworldly.
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Apr, 2016Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Landscapes And Sand Photo Contest
Featured
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Genius
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Death Valley National Park in California.Time
Believe it or not this photo was taken in late afternoon, with the sun still high in the sky!Lighting
Since this photo was taken close to mid-day there was nothing particularly dramatic about the lighting in the sky. The sun was still high but there were clouds which is a plus for any landscape photographer.Equipment
This photo was shot on a Canon 6D body with a 24-105mm Canon "L" lens. I always have my trusty Benro tripod with me and this day was no different. I love that thing, battle scars and all! I also had a 10 stop ND filter on the lens and an umbrella to protect the camera from the blaring sun, and for me too of course.Inspiration
I knew I wanted a photo like this from Death Valley, I thought about it often. I follow a couple of landscape photographers on Instagram that were part of the inspiration as far as colors go, watching clouds move over a landscape time lapse was also part of the inspiration. That's why I chose the 10 stop ND filter, to simulate that movement in the sky. My biggest influences for this photo, however, were movies. Horror movies, and post apocalyptic movies that use visuals to influence a feeling. Desert scenes from Mad Max (the original) and The Hills Have Eyes were part of the thought process, as well as Dune (also the original) and Phantasm. Death Valley is vast and sparse, hot and unyielding and I really wanted to try and convey that in this photo. On the flip side of that, it's also a beautiful place to see in person.Editing
Yeah, always post-processing! The ND filter I used was giving me a weird color cast so the editing is fairly dramatic in the color realm. It's highly unrealistic that you would ever see color like this in Death Valley but, for me, that added to the surrealness of the scene and the final photo I was going for. Shadows and highlights were punched up a bit to add to the ocean-like feeling of the sand dunes and I added a bit of contrast to make the moving clouds ultra dramatic.In my camera bag
Well...my camera for starters. Used to be a Canon 6D then I switched to Sony a while back, an A7RIII. I'm a sucker for sweeping vistas and wide landscape scenes, mesmerizing to me, so I always have a wide lens. Something in the 16-35mm range, or now I'm just bringing along a 20mm prime for its weight savings. I haven't found the desire to shoot anything at a distance yet, but every now and then I'll have a telephoto lens too. Usually a 70-200mm. Then I usually have the typical camera goodies: extra batteries, lens cloth, dust bulb, couple extra memory cards, trusty tripod. I like to try to be as light as I can, I wanna get lost out there. But not "really" lost, I still know where the car is at!Feedback
Always try new things! Always be looking at photos you admire! This was one of the first times I tried a really long exposure and now I use it often. If you don't step out of your comfort zone, even just a little, you'll never grow. Lastly, as a photographer everything should be inspiration. Don't take that lightly.
