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Sunset in the Bisti Badlands
Sunset in the Bisti Badlands
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Oct, 2017Views
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Awards
Fall Award 2020
Top Choice
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Emotions
Impressed
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo deep in the heart of the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Badlands, about 3 miles walk in from the main road. The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Badlands in New Mexico is a wilderness unlike any other I have ever seen. It is a strange and wonderful place full of rock formations, petrified wood, and photos just waiting to be taken. It was quiet, there was no noise, no cell phone reception, and empty of all the distractions of modern day living. I can’t wait to go back!!!Time
I was on a photographic workshop with Santa Fe Workshops out of New Mexico and we were all waiting for the sunset and waiting for the lighting to change. None of us wanted to get rained on, but the weather events made for some really great photo opportunities! This photo was taken right around sunset and this place comes alive with colors and shadows and excitement for a few moments.Lighting
It was getting close to the last day of the workshop, we had spent a few days out there already and on the last day we wanted to spend some more time in the wilderness waiting for the sun to give us the display that only a painted desert could respond to. The clouds were a nice touch as it gave some layers to the photo and most of the time we spent out there the weather was sunny with no clouds. As the sun started getting closer to the bottom of the horizon on our side of the world, it wouldn’t disappear without giving us the beautiful hues and colors we all love to see.Equipment
I was using a Nikon D3x at the time, I was using gear that was on loan to me for training and I had on a kit lens of 24-120 and was handheld at the time. I would love to go back with some macro lenses, 16mm lens and a tripod with tracking head to get some beautiful night shots. Maybe it is time to plan a camping trip back to the badlands?Inspiration
Looking at photos here on View Bug inspired me. I get more inspiration from the wonderful photographers here both amateur and professional alike. Some photos are simply breath taking and inspiring. This is definitely a place where I love to spend time looking at photos and think about how I would get certain photos, and learn about new techniques. I have learned some things since I was at the Santa Fe Workshop and I would certainly love to go back and try some new things in Badlands, have I mentioned already how much I would love to go back?Editing
I did do some editing in Lightroom, I don’t have any special filters or anything fancy like a neutral density filter, but what I did was expose for the landscape and used some Lightroom to bring out the sky and the colors a little better. When I go back to the Badlands, I will be taking a graduated neutral density filter with me. It was on that trip that I learned from another photographer the beauty and magic of editing in Lightroom.In my camera bag
On this trip I had access to a lot more equipment than I do now, but right now I keep in my kit a Nikon D850, a 24-120mm f4.6 kit lens, a manual 35 mm f2.8 prime lens, a SB600 flash, some 550 cord, and spare batteries. I am working on building up my kit as I no longer have access to the stuff I was borrowing when I took this trip, but I have had some great mentors help me to learn to use what I have.Feedback
The best thing I have heard lately is that luck is just where preparation meets opportunity. Have a plan for what you want to shoot, make a list of photos that you think you can take with the equipment you have and then go and do it. I knew that this area would be perfect for sunset photos and was eyeing it in our wanderings around the badlands and I made a mental note that somewhere in Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness was a beautiful sunset photo waiting to be taken and this just happened to be the spot.
