The Namib

RebeccaHelmRebeccaHelm Registered Users Posts: 57 Big grins
edited January 9, 2009 in Landscapes
Hi all! I thought I'd share an image I took of the Namib desert in the last few weeks. Truth be told, it's for the DG challenge. I've not done much "landscape work", so as always, this was a new opportunity to grow :) This shot really spoke to me, and I cropped it a little on the edges to give it the comp you see. If you have any suggestions for PP to do, or perhaps a slightly different crop, I'd be so grateful to hear them! I'm thinking of calling the image "Quiet".

451390317_MZMft-XL.jpg

Comments

  • dlplumerdlplumer Registered Users Posts: 8,081 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    I love your work R, and this is another great example. clap.gif

    Dan:D
    Dan
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  • jeffmeyersjeffmeyers Registered Users Posts: 1,535 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    thumb.gifthumbthumb.gifthumbthumb.gif
    More Photography . . . Less Photoshop [. . . except when I do it]
    Jeff Meyers
  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    i could not see the image before Jeffs post, but he could apparently....

    and i still cant see your image...ne_nau.gif
    Aaron Nelson
  • richterslrichtersl Registered Users Posts: 3,322 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    Lovely shot, Rebecca! thumb.gif
    Linda

    http://lrichters.smugmug.com
  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    headscratch.gif still i cannot see it... F5 and everything??
    well RH, it seems everyone loves it so, so do I...:D
    Aaron Nelson
  • richterslrichtersl Registered Users Posts: 3,322 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    Hey Aaron,

    She's already posted it in the entry gallery. Perhaps you can view it from from that gallery?
    Linda

    http://lrichters.smugmug.com
  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    oh, now thats an idea! sometimes the walls are thick around me...
    Aaron Nelson
  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    eek7.gif im in shock.

    that is beautiful.

    period.

    bowdown.gif
    Aaron Nelson
  • redleashredleash Registered Users Posts: 3,840 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    Beautiful and very artistic. You should do more landscapes!
    "But ask the animals, and they will teach you." (Job 12:7)

    Lauren Blackwell
    www.redleashphoto.com
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    It looks unreal to me, and not in a good way. It looks like a composite where nothing really fits together in a realistic way. Is that really one image?
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  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited January 8, 2009
    David, is it the gravitational akwardness that bugs you ?

    RH, im on my good monitor now, other than the softness on the lower edge of the fallen sand i like this image, thats the only other taletale sign i see...its really a striking image imo.
    Aaron Nelson
  • RebeccaHelmRebeccaHelm Registered Users Posts: 57 Big grins
    edited January 9, 2009
    Thanks all for the comments! They were a very nice thing to wake up to.

    David- what an interesting comment! This picture is 100% real. This small plant rests in a "pocket", and at this time of day the sun was at such an angle so that the slip face of the dune was in perfect shadow, with an equal shadow cast by the small plant. I stumbled across the scene by accident while hiking. Even the "softness on the lower edge of the fallen sand" as Aaron pointed out, is part of the real picture. (to confess all: in PS I did three things: I cropped a bit off the sides, popped the contrast by just a nudge, and cloned three footprints out that I made in the foreground before realizing I wanted to take the shot).

    So, how might one go about making a picture look "more real" I wonder? headscratch.gif If anyone has any suggestions on this or other please let me know :D
  • KurtPrestonKurtPreston Registered Users Posts: 285 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2009
    Wonderful shot! Excellent lighting and exposure and a great composition ... could be the winner this round :)
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2009
    RebeccaHelm wrote:
    Thanks all for the comments! They were a very nice thing to wake up to.

    David- what an interesting comment! This picture is 100% real. This small plant rests in a "pocket", and at this time of day the sun was at such an angle so that the slip face of the dune was in perfect shadow, with an equal shadow cast by the small plant. I stumbled across the scene by accident while hiking. Even the "softness on the lower edge of the fallen sand" as Aaron pointed out, is part of the real picture. (to confess all: in PS I did three things: I cropped a bit off the sides, popped the contrast by just a nudge, and cloned three footprints out that I made in the foreground before realizing I wanted to take the shot).

    So, how might one go about making a picture look "more real" I wonder? headscratch.gif If anyone has any suggestions on this or other please let me know :D


    It must be the blowing sands that are fooling my eyes, mostly. Aaron pointed out that the lower right looks blurred, and then along the face of the dune it looks like it's reaching the back end of the DOF, but then the horizon is sharp. Also, the light on the slipface makes the sand look like a different color, and the bottom junction of the sands looks odd to me. I guess it's a testament to the moment you caught!

    Sorry if I came off as a bit harsh. My eyes just weren't making sense of the scene, and it was niggling at me. :D
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  • TangoTango Registered Users Posts: 4,592 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2009
    RH, my guess to why others than David question is maybe the gravitational awkwardness, what i mean by that is the fall of the sand looks like its not following the path it should from the pov you have... was your camera tilted to match the bush as to being parallel when infact it was growing more on an outward slant.??

    just wondering.

    the bottom edge of the falling sand looks soft so one could suspect that it is a seem....

    i know sand is crazy, so if you find a way to present this as 100% upfront then trained eyes will not jump to conclusions...

    my .02
    Aaron Nelson
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2009
    AaronNelson wrote:
    sand is crazy


    I think more than anything, this is the answer. :D
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • annnna8888annnna8888 Registered Users, Super Moderators Posts: 936 SmugMug Employee
    edited January 9, 2009
    Rebecca, I love this shot. The Namib caught my eye and heart a long time ago when I traveled around Namibia, and this photo only reminds me again of how beautiful it is. Great work!

    Ana
    Ana
    SmugMug Support Hero Manager
    My website: anapogacar.smugmug.com
  • EiaEia Registered Users Posts: 3,627 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2009
    I too thought it was fake but neat. Knowing it is real makes it all the more facsinating! clap.gif
    ~AnnaMaria~ My little life in God's big universe
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