Desert is my Ocean
Mesquite remains in Death Valley National Park. These trees seem out of place in the middle of the desert. They are mainly found near the Stove Pipe Wells are...
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Mesquite remains in Death Valley National Park. These trees seem out of place in the middle of the desert. They are mainly found near the Stove Pipe Wells area in the Mesquite Sand Dunes. These trees remind me of the Kiawe trees that populate the Waianae valley on Oahu, and the coastal are of Barking Sands on Kauai. Nevertheless, The Desert is my ocean. March 2015.
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Jul, 2016Views
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Awards
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was shot at the Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley National Park. Death Valley is one of my favorite places to do landscape photography.Time
This was shot on my hike out to the large dunes. It was about 1 hour to sunset in late March 2015, and the clouds looked like it was going to put on a show.Lighting
The slight overcast made this photo an ideal candidate for B&W (Monochrome). I learned photography in college shooting 35mm B&W film and making prints. Nevertheless, once I clicked on the Black & White button in Lightroom and saw the textures, I knew this shot was going to work well in Monochrome.Equipment
I used a Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, and hand held. For this shot, I got up real close to the branch on the ground, aimed down, and took the shot.Inspiration
On my hike out to the large dunes, these Mesquite trees reminded me of similar trees on the beaches in Hawaii. The trees in the sand made the Mojave Desert feel like a Beach on an Island. Thus, I wanted to capture the feel of a late afternoon on a overcast beach in the Pacific. Much like the Pacific Ocean, this desert is huge, dangerous, unpredictable, and commands great respect. The Desert is my Ocean.Editing
For me, post processing is a huge part of landscape photography. With this B&W, I did the basic clarity, contrast, and color tone darkening/lightening in B&W. I also use radial filters and brush in Lightroom to enhance the foreground, and create more depth and dimension around the foreground. I also increased contrast in specific areas of the image to create a dark mood, and make the trees stand out over the sand. The ultra wide lens helped the footprints create texture around the tree branch, so I enhanced the footprints with more contrast.In my camera bag
I normally pack light for landscape hikes. On this hike, I had a Nikon D7100, Tokina 12-28mm f/4, a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, a 3LT Tony tripod, with nodal rail, and 'L"bracket for panoramas. Also, a jacket, dinner, a lot of water, head lamp for the dark and other day-pack survival stuff.Feedback
If you like Landscape photography, I highly recommend taking a trip to Death Valley National Park. It's one of the largest and most unique Landscapes in North America. Also, plan to shoot in the sunset, sunrise, twilight, or night for the optimal natural lighting conditions. Avoid the daylight, and avoid the heat. Also, plan well, and follow the weather patters for the best shooting weather conditions. The National Park Service has a lot of information online. While online, you can get an idea of what to expect when you visit Death Valley, and what to prepare for. If you like solitude you can find it in Death Valley. Also, Thank You to everyone who voted in the photo Challenge.
