7 Year Fix - Badwater

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Archive 2010 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Steve Sieren
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p.1 #1 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Every so many years we get the El Nino weather pattern which dumps more then the usual amount of rain into the Badwater Basin of Death Valley. It doesn't happen every seven years, I just needed a title and I'm sure the last seven ears has created a lot more photographers then any other 7 year period. Catching the moon and the water was enough to keep me happy since you'll only have maybe 2 more chances to do this in 2010, who knows how long we'll have to wait for the next El Nino.

*The moon's size has not been altered in this image. If anyone thinks I should make it bigger, I loved to hear your opinion and no I won't thrown in the rings of Saturn into the shot, well maybe

Info on El Nino http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/el-nino-story.html
I didn't know it was a global thing.

I have a blog post with info on the water out there in badwater.
www.SteveSieren.Wordpress.com

Edited on Feb 12, 2010 at 03:31 AM · View previous versions

Feb 09, 2010 at 06:20 PM

Henry W
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p.1 #2 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Really cool to see so many factors come together - and then have your talent to capture it.

Feb 09, 2010 at 06:32 PM

hugh
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p.1 #3 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Hello Steve, strange to see the desert structures holding water. Good work.

hugh

Feb 09, 2010 at 07:01 PM

bshamilton
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p.1 #4 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

What a great catch, Steve. To get the water and also the moon almost full.....priceless!!

Feb 09, 2010 at 07:09 PM

David Leask
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p.1 #5 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

That's a real keeper Steve - expertly captured and presented

David

Feb 09, 2010 at 08:11 PM

ragebot
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p.1 #6 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Thx for sharing the pix.

Last time I remember this was in 2005 and the wildflowers afterwards were a joy to see. Hope you get to capture them as well.

Feb 10, 2010 at 01:32 AM

Charlie Shugart
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p.1 #7 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Steve,
A beautiful and unusual photograph. Well done.
It looks to me more like where West Valley Road crosses the drainage than Badwater. Those polygon shapes must form faster than I thought.
About the size of the moon. If this is a wide-angle shot, the moon appears much smaller here than it really was when you took the shot, in which case enlarging it the correct amount isn't really "fudging." Is it?

Charlie

Feb 10, 2010 at 01:41 AM

Gary Hart
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p.1 #8 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Pretty scene, Steve. Please don't change the size of the moon. I'm so tired of people doing something that takes zero imagination and all of two seconds, and labeling it "art." I was at Badwater two mornings before this and watched a beautiful moonset that was unphotographable without digital intervention so I just stood and watched. And as you were photographing this I was in the Alabama Hills photographing the same moon setting behind Mt. Whitney (my current blog post). As this images demonstrates, the moon makes a fabulous accent for a scene and doesn't need to be enhanced. Thanks for sharing.

Feb 10, 2010 at 01:43 AM

Steve Sieren
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p.1 #9 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Sorry Gary, what has been done can not be changed, I was really just asking for the purpose of this joke. Pretty important to stick with ethics nowadays. Thanks Gary, I'll drop by your blog.

Charlie, I don't replace skies so I don't fudge the moon. If we shoot a wide angle scene we don't fix try to reverse the focal length back to 50mm(on a 35mm sensor) the way our eye saw it do we? I guess there is fudging that you can get away with and there is the obvious but it really just depends on who is holding the mouse. If they think it's ethical or don't care about it being somewhat of a real moment in time opposed to what was imagined, it just contibrutes to the whole problem of why digital photography isn't taken seriously.

If you look at the photo long enough the Don't worry be happy face will pop up here soon.

Feb 10, 2010 at 02:27 AM

Ray Still
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p.1 #10 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Steve

Your rework is just perfect every aspect of the planets and their relationship to Badwater is so precise dang talk about right place right time

. Oh back to seriousness #1 is beautiful love the POV here and the light on the peaks is just wonderful nicely seen

Ray Still

Feb 10, 2010 at 02:34 AM

nugeny
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p.1 #11 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Steve,
It is amazing your real world picture, I meant the reworked one. that is how I see our real world. It is amazing place to live. thanks for your creativity!
Bob

Feb 10, 2010 at 03:05 AM

thapamd
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p.1 #12 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Lovely shot! The moon looks awesome!

Feb 10, 2010 at 03:14 AM

JimFox
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p.1 #13 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Hey Steve,

What a cool shot! Love the water in Bad Water! The reflections are cool.

You definately have taken your photo to another level with your superbs capture of the moon and Saturn, infact I am heading to Walmart now to see if I can find your photo in their fine arts section...

Jim

Feb 10, 2010 at 04:32 AM

David Patterson
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p.1 #14 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Steve... am on my way to DV as I write this from an overnight in the airport in Indianapolis. Looks like there are some unique conditions in the park, and am hoping to catch a glimpse of Saturn just like you did

PS. The first is pretty darned impressive.

Feb 10, 2010 at 04:44 AM

Matt Tilghman
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p.1 #15 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

LOVE your rework!! Was that taken during an eclipse??!!11!

Feb 10, 2010 at 04:52 AM

kabluey
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p.1 #16 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

If you can tone down the red in the moon in #2, the shot would look a lot more natural and will just be perfect! Oh, the first one is not too bad either. You even got a reflection of the moon in the water -- nicely done.

Feb 10, 2010 at 06:25 AM

jviegas
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p.1 #17 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Great job! I caught it all together and made an excellent photo.

Jose

Feb 10, 2010 at 08:25 AM

Steve Sieren
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p.1 #18 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Jim, it's there and earns a profit of 3 cents per unit sold.

David, have fun out there in DV there is a lot of water out there so you picked the perfect year. Just keep in mind that water might not be there next time.

Feb 10, 2010 at 05:33 PM

teked
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p.1 #19 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Hi, Steve. Great planning on this one. Really a quite different take than the norm. Beautifully done.

And, I glad you're making a potful of $$$$$ on this at Wal-Mart.

Cheers,
Ed

Feb 10, 2010 at 08:48 PM

mccaf
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p.1 #20 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

I love it!

Feb 10, 2010 at 08:50 PM

Charlie Shugart
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p.1 #21 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Steve Sieren wrote:

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Charlie, I don't replace skies so I don't fudge the moon. If we shoot a wide angle scene we don't fix try to reverse the focal length back to 50mm(on a 35mm sensor) the way our eye saw it do we? I guess there is fudging that you can get away with and there is the obvious but it really just depends on who is holding the mouse. If they think it's ethical or don't care about it being somewhat of a real moment in time opposed to what was imagined, it just contibrutes to the whole problem of why digital photography isn't taken seriously.

I'm actually against digital manipulations. Perhaps I didn't express myself well- As I was enjoying your photograph it occurred to me that a wide angle shot that includes the moon is intrinsically distorted, with the moon getting smaller and smaller as the coverage gets wider and wider. If the intention of the photographer IS distortion- that's fine. But if a wide angle was used to incorporate more of a beautiful scene, is a smaller-than-real moon desireable?
I don't know- I meant only to raise the question.
Charlie

Feb 10, 2010 at 09:21 PM

Ben Horne
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p.1 #22 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Sweet shot Steve! I'm curious what day you shot this? I just got back from DV, and I was there since the first of the month.

Feb 11, 2010 at 02:35 AM

Tim ONeill
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p.1 #23 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Looks like the salt polygons are trashed again for the next few years. I'll be giving Badwater a pass next month. Super shot Steve.

Feb 11, 2010 at 04:15 AM

thw2
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p.1 #24 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Really cool landscape. Great!

Feb 11, 2010 at 03:22 PM

Steve Sieren
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p.1 #25 · 7 Year Fix - Badwater

Ben, I was there Sunday Jan 31st, we just missed each other.

Charlie, Thanks for the clarification, I appreciate it.

Tim, There is too much there for people to ruin "all" the hexagons. You might just have to walk a little further.

I have a blog post with info on the water out there in badwater.
www.SteveSieren.Wordpress.com

Feb 12, 2010 at 12:08 AM


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