Howdy, been at FM a long time, but rarely shared any photos. Trying to make a concerted effort to get more feedback from other photographers. A couple from a Death Valley trip I just got back from. Criticism gladly accepted!
These are very unique! Both hold my attention and have some unusual characteristics, the first with your vantage point, where was this shot from? And the second with its creamy texture.
Very cool, you should post more Ken.
If you have been visiting the many exceptional images, that the amazing individuals' here produce- then you should know how well these two of yours, fit right in.
As Zeph mentioned, I'd love more info on these both.
The light, & shadows in the 1st are a wonderful capture, and that. . . white, smooth(creamy) sand. Just amazing, man.
Highest Dunes
The Eureka Dunes lie in the remote Eureka Valley, an enclosed basin at 3000 foot elevation located northwest of Death Valley. The dunes cover an area only 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, yet they are the tallest sand dunes in California, possibly the tallest in all of North America. They rise suddenly more than 680 feet above the dry lakebed at their western base. As tall as these dunes are, they are dwarfed by the impressive limestone wall of the Last Chance Mountains which rises another 4000 feet above the valley floor.
Wow - please jump and share more 'cuz these are some really nice images. I love the contrasts and tones in the first image and the second is a delightful comp of textures.
Two outstanding, gorgeous shots. Now, you HAVE to post more. I'm hooked.
One tiny nit - and it could be my eyes - there seems to be some haloing along the far ridge line in the first. My apologies if it is just my eyes, it's late here and they are tired.
Ken, I'd love to hear more about the processing on these. In the first, you've got very heavy shadows in the mountains, and very light shadows on the dunes, and in the second you've retained those very light shadows where I'd expect deeper ones. It's almost as if you shot these on a mildly overcast day, but the skies look pretty clear.
Anyways, gorgeous stuff, I'd love to hear about them.
Normally, I might think the shadows are a bit heavy in the first, but it actually works very well in this instance. The 2nd is just great. Very nice intro!
Holy wow. That first one is nuts. The amount of texture, depth...contrast is great. Awesome shot. 2nd is sensual. Great work and keep posting (700px high max) ;-)
Well it's about time, I'd say.
These are excellent! I love how you isolated the dunes with light and contrast in the 1st....wonderful layered image. The 2nd....Aaron said it....sensual.
Please keep posting.
Hello Ken, fine sensual curves and textures in the second one. I'm with Sharon on the halos in the first one. That said, I love the very dark areas contrasting with the glow of the sand. I'm not sure what is possible, but I'd like to see a version without the foreground ridge blocking the empty area in front of the dunes. Looking forward to seeing more of your work
Wow, thanks for all the very kind words! I was really trying to get a different perspective with these shots, dunes are so popular to shoot and I have a number of more conventional images from the past. I've always been blown away (sometimes intimidated even) by the talent displayed in this forum so the positive feedback is very meaningful.
Before my trip I was trying to think of what to do at the dunes and I realized one of the most amazing things about the Eureka dunes is their setting. I'd seen the dunes from some mountain vantage points in the past (which were very long hikes) so with Google Earth I checked the mining roads in the area and found an accessible (4WD) area that appeared to have some good views, foreground and most importantly would be about at right angles to the twilight glow. That's the origin of the first shot, I ended up changing my schedule and had to race a bit to get there in time but still had about 20 minutes to spare.
The second shot was actually done earlier in the afternoon down at the dunes (hence the race into the mountains). To be honest I was at the end of a long trip, had already taken a day off and was feeling a bit frustrated. I drove around a bit evaluating where the light was and was going to be and decided to explore the southern dunes for sunset. I started the long walk across the eastern apron of the dunes, and this sucks (constantly breaking through the upper crust and into animal burrows) - had trouble envisioning doing it in the dark on the way back. Thought more and decided if I actually went into the southern dunes I'd likely get "just another dune shot" - this was a great rationalization to save myself walking further. I think I stood their a good ten minutes fighting with myself in the middle of nowhere slightly pissed off. I was staring at the back side of the tallest part of the dunes (not where I was planning on going), probably 2 miles from where I stood and noticed that at this distance the huge scale of the dunes and the lighting was producing some soft curves and shadows. Seemed different from the normal razor edge close up curves of most dune photos so I shot a few very telephoto frames (400mm eqv. FL) and used that as an excuse to start walking back to the truck, changed my itinerary on the spot and raced for the mountains to take shot one that I had originally intended for the next day. I thought I had gotten something, but it wasn't until PP after my trip that I realized I really liked it.
Happy to share some technical details...
Both images:
Panasonic G1 w/45-200
Linear polarizer
Processed in Lightroom 2.5
Split tone is an attempt at a Platinum look (mod'd TLR preset)
1st image:
- Shot about 15 minutes after sunset, clear skies
- Tripod mounted, about 6 sec exposure
- Vantage point is in the mountains north of the Dunes near Lead Peak
- Some work with black point, contrast, etc. in LR
- Grayscale mixer tweaks to enhance shadows and dunes
- Gradient local edit to contrast and clarity to reduce aerial haze in distant parts
- The surreal lighting is on account of deep twilight, I love to shoot then
- I fought with this in color for awhile until I realized B&W was the answer
- You're right on the halo, I've corrected but not updated online yet - thanks!
- Lots of detail, looks nice even bigger.
2nd image:
- Shot a few hours before sunset, very thin clouds in some parts of sky, hand held.
- Not a lot of processing, mild adjustments to tone controls to keep contrast controlled.
- I think I might have even used a bit of negative clarity on this
- Grayscale controls to reduce sky contrast and match dune tones
- Shot with polarizer, but actually undid most polarizer effects in PP!
- This softer, high-key type of shot is very new for me, I'll look for more in the future!
Well, that was way longer than I intended! Again, thanks for the feedback. I will post more from the trip, but perhaps they won't live up to these. Happy to answer any specific questions.
?? The first is my favorite.
