Citadel (BW)
A holy place, never mind exactly where, where spirits lurk
A holy place, never mind exactly where, where spirits lurk
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Nov, 2020Views
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Awards
Fall Award 2020
Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
Taken in the Jacumba Wilderness area in southern California, near the border with Mexico. This area is replete with granite spires rising out of the valley floor, which is an ancient lake bed. Every time I walk through here, I'm reminded of old cathedrals in Europe, or abandoned castles built out of mountainsides in the south of France. Spirits live here.Time
The only time you can't take a good image in here is the middle of the day at the height of summer. But then, the temperature is probably over 110ºF, so you shouldn't be out anyway. Because of the multiple fissures and crevices in the spires and the eroded holes to caves, there are always interesting shadows. This photo was shot in the late fall as sunset approached.Lighting
It's late in the afternoon, the shadows are long, and each crevice is a mystery.Equipment
Canon 5Dm4, 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens, and using a Peak Design travel tripodInspiration
The first time I saw this area, I felt a deep emotional connection. It's similar to Joshua Tree NP in a way, but much more remote. I love the shapes, the shadows, and the way that life persists in such harsh environments.Editing
Some tonal adjustment in Lightroom, then Black/White adjustment layers in Photoshop, where I can fool around with the color channels to affect the contrast; this particular image, I also used Nik Silver fx.In my camera bag
Canon 100-400mm F/4-5.6, Sigma 14mm f/1.8 for astrophotography, Tamron 150-600mm lens for wildlife (bighorn sheep on the rocks), remote shutter release, intervalometer, sometimes I use CP or ND filters, not often.Feedback
Fall in love with the landscape. Love requires patience, and sometimes hard work to get there :) Look for the places where no one else goes.
