Alien Head Rock Death Valley
Along Badwater Basin Drive in Death Valley National Park you can find this unusual rock. I'm unable to find information on it so I call it Alien Head rock...
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Along Badwater Basin Drive in Death Valley National Park you can find this unusual rock. I'm unable to find information on it so I call it Alien Head rock. It's about 7 to 8 feet tall and made from heavy solid lava type rock. From different angles, the rock takes on various shapes of creatures heads. This is my track cover photo for my song "Caliber" on BandCamp.
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May, 2016Views
1031
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Awards
Winner in Night/long exposure Photo Challenge
PRO
Platinum
S_Alexandra23
November 16, 2016
Stunning image! Very unique rock formation that seems to defy nature, yet it is from nature. Wonderful tones and mood!
Platinum
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was shot in Death Valley National Park just off Badwater Basin Drive on the last day of November 2015.Time
This is a composite of 2 images. The foreground and Rock was shot about an hour before the sunset. And the night sky (with Galaxy) was shot further down the road at Badwater Basin once it got dark.Lighting
For this shot, I underexposed the daylight shot to get a dark look for the night sky. While shooting the night sky in late November, I was surprised to see the Milky Way appear in my time lapse. Thus, with my other camera, I took a few more shots in that direction to use the galaxy photo with the Alien Head Rock.Equipment
For this shot I used a Nikon D7100 camera, and Nikon 18-140 lens for the Rock and foreground. For the night sky, I used a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8.Inspiration
I had passed the Alien Head Rock many times while in Death Valley, and decided it was time to get a shot. I always envisioned the Rock in the night sky like a outer space scene. While working the scene, I noticed that the shape of the rock's head would transform into different shapes of heads. A human monster head, a horse head, a cow head, a potato head, etc... It all depended on the angle of view. For this shot I went for the human monster head look. For the night sky, I shot mostly the sky without much horizon knowing I'd be using it as a background for the Rock.Editing
For this image, I went to extremes in processing. The daylight shot of the Rock was turned into a night shot that would appear to be lit by moonlight by using contrast and lowering the exposure. For the sky and galaxy, basic routine long exposure processing with a lot of noise reduction, highlight control, contrast, and white balance adjustments were used. Once everything looked good in Lightroom. I put them through Corel PaintShop where I converted the images into raster layers, and removed the sky of the daylight shot. Then using a brush to blend in the exposures. With a little exposure adjustments along the horizon, and some contrast added to the foreground, I was able to darken the horizon even more to get the 2 images to blend well.In my camera bag
When I go to Death Valley, I go full on Landscape Photography. I bring a lot of gear to shoot 4K video, time lapse, and panorama photos. However, this shot didn't require a long hike, so I just pulled out a tripod and my camera from my car.Feedback
Capturing night photos in Death Valley is challenging and rewarding. Planning is most essential due to the extreme environmental conditions of Death Valley. Think survival if you will, not knowing about the environment your in and bad planning can lead to serious injury or death. The National Park Service has a website to inform visitors on what to expect, and what to prepare for and what are the dangers. I always follow their weather trend several days before I travel there. And, I always check the National Weather Service daily for any warnings a week before I go there. For night photography, you'll be rewarded by being in one of the darkest places in the USA. And the stars and/or moon will be your natural light. Checking apps, stellarium and weather reports for sun/moon rise/set will help you get the most out of your night photography, and you'll be rewarded with amazing night landscape shots. If you've never did night photography under the stars, I recommend you study the techniques, practice, and experiment so that you know your equipment's limitations. This should give you a better understanding of how long exposure is going to impact your photos. Anyway, thank you all for viewing my photography. It's an honor to have been a winner for this Night Photography Challenge.
