Sky Fire
First light before sunrise over a dried and cracked wash feeding into Badwater Basin in Death Valley.
First light before sunrise over a dried and cracked wash feeding into Badwater Basin in Death Valley.
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Feb, 2018Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 22
Contest Finalist in Terrains And Textures Photo Contest
Spinlight360 Extreme
Contest Finalist in Pattern Games Photo Contest
Celebrity Award
Contest Finalist in Social Exposure Photo Contest Vol 15
Staff Favorite
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in one of the washes between Furnace Creek and Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park.Time
This particular frame was appropriately 20 minutes prior to sunrise in mid February. A buddy and I set out for the day around 4 AM and set up our chosen compositions under flashlight based on GPS tags we had made during a scouting trek the day before. Once the sky started turning, I dialed in focus. At first look, the sky was cloudless and lackluster, but just enough clouds rolled in to pull some color from the sunlight breaking over the mountains.Lighting
Lighting was all natural light based on the few moments before sunrise where the sky grabs direct light and the ground is still in shadow.Equipment
This was shot on a Nikon D750 with the 14-24mm f/2.8. I don't recall the exact f/stop used, but I imagine it was between f/5.6 and f/8. A Fotodiox Wonderpana 66 frame was used to hold a Formatt/Hi Tech 3 stop reverse GND to tie the light levels together.Inspiration
I hear people say all the time that you can't get good shots at national parks because they've all been done. I've also heard people describe Death Valley as nothing but ugly brown rocks. I wanted to show how inaccurate both of those statements were.Editing
This image, as with most of mine, has minor adjustments to curves and exposure with Adobe Photoshop.In my camera bag
It all depends what I'm shooting for the day, and how far off the grid I plan on trekking.Feedback
Shoot wide, shoot low, and shoot early. Pick your composition and wait for the light, don't try to chase it.
