A couple from the desert.

Kory LidstromKory Lidstrom Registered Users Posts: 251 Major grins
edited July 9, 2009 in Landscapes
These are a couple of leftover shots from my big road trip out west last fall. I'm not sure how I feel about them, so please gimmie some honest feedback. Do you like 'em or not?

#1 Hidden Autumn Oasis

Kory_20081028_7359Master.jpg

(For some reason, my image host sapped some of the saturation from this shot. Click here to see the normally saturated version on my site.)

Would you believe that this was taken in a barren, desolate, desert region of western Texas less than 50 miles from Mexico? It's true. Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a lesser known, but very special National Park. The mountains of the park are the highest in Texas. Melting snow from these mountains creates and nourishes little hidden oases deep in the valleys of the park. There you will find pockets of deciduous trees -- extremely rare in this part of the country. Every autumn, these forests put on vibrant displays drawing visitors from all around.

Rattlesnakes, cacti, yucca plants, sand and... maple trees. Who'd have thought?

28mm, f/16, 1 second, ISO 100


#2 Teddy Bear Sunset

Kory_20081031_7594Master.jpg

Taken in a Teddy Bear Cholla cactus garden near Joshua Tree NP. Despite being extremely careful, I still got stuck by one of these little buggers. OUCH! It hurts more than you'd think. I almost entitled this image "Teddy Bear Nightmare".

16mm, f/16, 5 seconds, ISO 100, 3-stop hard GND
I see the world through a 3:2 rectangle.

My site:Fine Image Photography

Comments

  • schmooschmoo Registered Users Posts: 8,468 Major grins
    edited July 9, 2009
    rolleyes1.gif Teddy Bear Nightmare? What a fantastic name, and I think it would suit your story perfectly. I think the first is a bit busy, although the explanation ofo where it is and how unlikely such a scene exists aids it. Maple trees and rattlesnakes! Sounds like a cornucopia of life. thumb.gif

    I do like the second shot quite a bit, though I think it could be just a touch underexposed. Great colors in the sky!
    SmugMug Editor / News Flash!
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  • thapamdthapamd Registered Users Posts: 1,722 Major grins
    edited July 9, 2009
    Great, great shots! I love the colors in the first and the subtlety of the 2nd.
    Shoot in RAW because memory is cheap but memories are priceless.

    Mahesh
    http://www.StarvingPhotographer.com
  • dlplumerdlplumer Registered Users Posts: 8,081 Major grins
    edited July 9, 2009
    I really like them both. Great colors in the first, and I am a big fan of teddy bear chollaclap.gif

    Dan
    Dan
    http://danielplumer.com/
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  • TheLuckyPhotosTheLuckyPhotos Registered Users Posts: 4 Beginner grinner
    edited July 9, 2009
    Beautiful sunset shot at Teddy Bear Cholla!
  • BBiggsBBiggs Registered Users Posts: 688 Major grins
    edited July 9, 2009
    I really like your second photo!!! Nice work on that one!!!
    Brenton
    http://www.alluringnatureimages.com/
  • Kory LidstromKory Lidstrom Registered Users Posts: 251 Major grins
    edited July 9, 2009
    Thanks all. Seems like the second image is more favored. Funny, because I would've thought the opposite. But, that kind of feedback is precisely why I posted them in the first place. thumb.gif
    I see the world through a 3:2 rectangle.

    My site:Fine Image Photography
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