Believe
Burning Man desert landscape, at sunrise
Burning Man desert landscape, at sunrise
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Dec, 2016Views
244
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Awards
Zenith Award
People's Choice in The Burning Man Festival Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1Categories
EEllis
September 12, 2017
I almost used the "Believe" photo I took as the cover photo for my Burning Man challenge. Loved the sunrises and sunsets at BM!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in 2013, on the 'playa' at Black Rock City, the city built for the week long Burning Man festival. Believe is made out of metal, and was created by American artists Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg, as part of their large words series.Time
I took this photo at sunrise; people were out and about enjoying the rising sun, and heading back to their camps after a night of music and dancing. I woke up early, despite the dancing, as sunrises are always a wonderful sight at Burning Man. There is often a hush and a special feeling, everyone is enjoying the sights with fewer people about.Lighting
The dusty air, a feature of the desert at Burning Man, gives a hazy light which seems particularly enhanced during sunrise and sunsets. It gives the photo an ethereal feel, and accentuates that slight 'other wordly', Mad Max feel to it.Equipment
Canon EOS 1d mk II - this was my previous camera, which although heavy and cumbersome to a degree, I absolutely loved! No other equipment used.Inspiration
I had been to some all night dances and spotted the Believe sign - at the time, and perhaps still, there were aspects of my life that meant I really wanted to believe in love, people...seeing this giant word that meant something to me at that time, I knew I wanted to photograph it, and that sunrise would give it that extra quality.Editing
There was very little post-processing with this series of photos, other than making it slightly lighter and removing some dust noise.In my camera bag
I had limited equipment at Burning Man, as the alkaline dust there is known for playing havoc with it! I carried my camera and spare lens in several plastic dust covers, and avoided all heavy dust storms...now I carry my Canon EOS 5D mk III with a 24-70mm and a 70-300mm lens, and a small tripod.Feedback
I almost always carry a camera with me, apart from the ubiquitous phone camera! That way, if you see something you love, you can take the photo there and then, or plan to come back to it with the light you want, such as sunrise, etc. Although Burning Man isn't for everyone, it is a place that really lends itself to beautiful photography, not least because of the amazing installations and art, as well as a very special desert light, so I would recommend going! Finally, always go with that gut feeling about taking a photo that means something to you.
