Thank you all for the comments and feedback on my previous post. The following photo was captured on day 4 of my trip to Death Valley. I returned to an area I call the Dot District, and captured a gloomy sunset. Just before the sun dropped below the true horizon, a small beam of light shot out from behind the mountains. This particular location does quite well with "gloomy" sunsets because the salt reflects light in such interesting ways. The strong blues in this image are present in the original sheet of film, and indicative of the conditions. I enjoy shooting Velvia in these conditions because it conveys a lonely feeling, which seems right for this location.
Thanks for sharing Ben. I like the blue hour feel here. Most people won't show this type of mood, and it really works for the Death Valley vibe. It's nice and simple, but interesting. We should get out there together one of these days with the 8x10's.
So good man. I honestly think your twilight images are the strongest in your porfolio, and they make me want to try film solely for these type of shots.
Did you overexpose this and then drop it down in processing? Im pretty sure I remember you doing that on the older dot district shot.
The mood captured in this scene (and last year's Dot District image) is perfect. I've got to admit though, I do find them both a bit unsettling...kind of like I need to get inside quickly because there is a storm approaching. Don't know if that's a good or bad thing, but I do know that you've conveyed the darkness very convincingly; well done!
pretty cool shot here, Ben. No one else has mentioned it so maybe it's just me, but I feel like it falling to the right a bit. I'm not sure if it's the horizon or light fall of causing this, but it's kind of unsettling for me.
Amador wrote:
pretty cool shot here, Ben. No one else has mentioned it so maybe it's just me, but I feel like it falling to the right a bit. I'm not sure if it's the horizon or light fall of causing this, but it's kind of unsettling for me.
Thanks for the feedback. I suspect the darker patch on the right side is what gives the feeling that it's leaning a bit. This location is tough to make visually level because the light and dark areas don't span all the way to the horizon. I'll try giving a bit of rotation to see if it settles the shot a bit. I have a photo from the next morning that will probably balance out a bit better as well since the light is different.
Nice shot! There is nothing like 8x10. I looked at some of your videos and it sure is quite a hassle to carry, setup and use the 8x10 rig but the results are quite distinctive. They just have a richness and depth digital does not have. The closet I have gotten to it is with my Phase IQ160 back and Rodenstock lenses.
The larger formats are just perfect for the expansive shots around dawn and dusk you seem to go after and a lot of people love.
Great shot. Simple and dark: perfect mood setting and I appreciate that you kept the color cast in this one. After my experience with 4x5, I never question the horizon line from any shot composed on a ground-glass grid
Love the way you "manage" the Velvia 50 shots in very low light.
I wasn't so successful of late.
Thanks for posting
Dan
P.S. Did my usual scroll test & the image has not tilt.
Really cool image. Like the red beam in behind the ridges. You nailed the blue feeling out and the vignetting effective worked well too. Thanks for sharing.
Im always amazed at the precision and mood you capture in your images. Even those of us that shoot digital wouldn't be able to capture the scene in the 2-3 frames that you probably took. I know you say that the exposure was unrecorded but was it seconds, minutes?
Compared to your previous dot district image i am drawn more to this one. There is a bit more contrast in the dots and the subtle color contrast of the blue scene and a little flare of red is killer.
Sneakyracer wrote:
Nice shot! There is nothing like 8x10. I looked at some of your videos and it sure is quite a hassle to carry, setup and use the 8x10 rig but the results are quite distinctive. They just have a richness and depth digital does not have. The closet I have gotten to it is with my Phase IQ160 back and Rodenstock lenses.
The larger formats are just perfect for the expansive shots around dawn and dusk you seem to go after and a lot of people love.
Thx for posting again!
The 8x10 setup is certainly bulky, but I'm now very well acclimated to it. I'm starting the process of getting ready for my next shooting trip, which will be my 3rd backpacking trip with the 8x10 setup. I loaded up my bag yesterday, and it was only 63lbs including all my camera gear as well as camping gear. I'm a bit slower on the trail than otherwise, but my leg muscles have built up quite well over the years. I love the look I get with film, so I just see using the 8x10 as what it takes to get the look I like. Death Valley is definitely a great place for LF. The wide open expanses are ideal for the movements of LF.
Justin Grimm wrote:
So good man. I honestly think your twilight images are the strongest in your porfolio, and they make me want to try film solely for these type of shots.
Did you overexpose this and then drop it down in processing? Im pretty sure I remember you doing that on the older dot district shot.
Thanks Justin. With this photo, I was able to expose it very faithfully to the scene. Other than the strong blues from Velvia, this is a very similar brightness to how the eye saw it. My shot from last year was after sunset so it was very dark to the eye. Recording that scene on film resulted more with a "daylight" looking exposure that I needed to darken down to make it look more like a night shot. I just have to be careful not to lose my shadows, otherwise there is no way to get them in print.
