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!

Incredible, especially the second. Thank you for sharing.

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.

Ken,
Those are both spectaular.

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.

WELCOME.
--Can't wait for more/others.

Bob

--Added Link-

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.

Oh man.
These are luscious.

What's to criticize?? The first is my favorite.

This is good work here!

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.

Very nicely done.

Alan

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.

Thanks for posting these. I love them both.

Sharon

Killer shots. That first one just rocks! As Sharon said, we are hooked. Post mere and soon.

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) ;-)

aF

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.

Barry

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

hugh

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.

Ken

Great set, I especially like second, very interesting work.
Karl

One of the most beautiful shots of Death Valley I have ever seen.

Great work!

Jason

Great B&W tones...especially in the first one which is beautiful. Nice work! You need to share more often with such quality work. Jarv

I love that first shot, but I would love it even more without the halo along the horizon

No Criticism just great shots that keep you looking.

great composition, tones and texture. wonderful images!

Just wanted to drop in and say that these are both very wonderful photographs - congratulations! I'll bet that both of them will make wonderful prints.

Since you asked for C&C I'll just offer a few very small technical observations regarding the first image:

- I think I see a bit of sharpening halo along the edge of the sky and in one or two other locations along edges.
- some of the dark areas go just a bit too close to completely black for my taste, though it may be that this is an artifact of viewing onscreen jpg versions, and related to this...
- to my eye the area at the lower left foreground seems to have a bit more contrast than what seems right to me.

These observations probably all belong in the "nitpicking" category, but since you asked I thought I'd answer.

What I like about these photographs - an incomplete accounting:

#1. There is a wonderful sense of distance/space in this image, perhaps the result of low angle light, very clear air, some filtering (in post?), and some work with contrast/curves. There are several interesting and perhaps subtle s-curve shapes in the composition that lead up and back and forth starting at the bottom left or center. The dynamic range of the image is wonderful and the lighter colored dunes stand out against the darker, more dramatic mountains.

#2. It seems that you paid a lot of careful attention to composition in this one, especially along the right/left sides where you have positioned various elements just inside the edges of the frame. Time of day and low light again worked in your favor I think, and the result is a photograph with tones, form, and texture that seem almost "creamy."

Dan

Super images, Ken. The second is quite ethereal.

Bob

hugh wrote:
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.

Hi hugh, sorry I almost missed your post as I think you posted right as I was writing my previous response. Thanks for you kind comments.

I actually don't have a blank foreground shot, though the area I was in could have produced one - I choose that area ahead of time because it looked like I could get foreground elements or not depending on exactly where I set up. As it turned out from a practical standpoint I had to commit one way or another as getting an open foreground would have involved a fairly lengthy class 3 to class 4 scramble along a ridge line and by the time I got there I wouldn't have time to come back if I didn't like what I saw. I decided I did want a foreground and walked around to get the best vantage I could. In the end I liked this perspective because it matched a frequent experience in these parts - that of climbing a ridge and being unexpectedly dumbstruck by the vista in front of you. Sure, you climb further and higher and the view opens more, but that first "discovery" as you clear the ridge and see the view emerging from the foreground elements just sticks with you. I was sort of trying to evoke that here as I had "discovery" tucked in my head as one of a few key themes to focus on during this trip.

But yeah, I'm still curious what that open foreground view looks like - I didn't have the opportunity to see for myself.

Ken