Valley of Shadow of Death, a photo from California, West

Photographer's Note

This photo was taken in the middle of a sandstorm in Death Valley National Park. The wind was blowing hard (30-40 mph) and it was a challenge to protect the camera from the stinging sand. The glow in the distance is created by the setting sun through a crescent shaped crack in the clouds behind me.

I had to wait about 45 minutes for the light conditions to be just right. I huddled behind some bushes trying to shield myself from the "stinging" sand. When I saw the sunlight poring through clouds, I ran up on the crest of the dune with my tripod and a camera. Needless to say that I was perhaps the only one standing on a crest of one of the tallest dunes in middle of a sandstorm (there was one other car parked on road beside mine).

I would do it all over again if I had to...:-))

Golden_Eagle, pascal13, limaz, Manuel1982, pboehringer, gypsygirl58, kabel oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

Golden_Eagle (545) 2006-11-28 9:09

Great Shot Jay!
nice and 'crispy'... good composition, excellent light/shadows/colors... well it was worth waiting for this one!
Regards,
Daniel

blue-velvet30 (6524) 2006-11-28 9:12

Hi Jay,
You have very artistic soul ;-) Fantastic colors, POV and composition. Brawo!
regards
Dorota

pascal13 (2100) 2006-11-28 9:16

Bonjour Jay,
Superbe photo,les couleurs sont magnifiques.Image presque surnaturelle.
45 minutes ŕ attendre dans une tempęte de sable,tu as beaucoup de mérite.
Deuxičme photo,toute aussi belle que la premičre.Sacré début de parcours sur TE,on attend les suivantes avec impatience...!!
Amicalement.
Pascal

ben4321 (9875) 2006-11-28 9:35

This is absolutely stunning work, Jay. The light is incredible, as is the richness of the colours.
You captured a great range of tones and textures in the sand dunes, and that golden light below the horizon... What can I say? I'm speechless.
Powerful stuff.
Cheers,
Ben

scalerman (26900) 2006-11-28 9:35

Jay: don't see how you could go wrong with this one. It's an amazingly timely capture. And as you say, the light was perfect. regards, c

voightlanderfan (0) 2006-11-28 9:38

Hi Jay,
Patience paying has I can see. Bravo superb light and a nice use of sunset light.
Steph.

limaz (406) 2006-11-28 9:39

Hi Jay.
This was definitely worth the wait. The light in this shot is great. The sun set golden burst is spectacular. I like the detail you got with the lens, love the lens:) I like the partially underexposed look.

Good capture

Cato

mlopes (494) 2006-11-28 9:43

Goshhhh what an image, it worth every sand you ate that day :D

really unbelieveble, nature keep surprising us isn't it? i LOVE this photo.

Albrecht (11283) 2006-11-28 10:55

Hi Jay
What a very special light cimming out the depth there...I like the picture and the landscape and colours. Well captured moment.
grs.Albrecht

Manuel1982 (1142) 2006-11-28 11:29

Hi jay,
fantastic shot. Colours and light are just amazing. Congrats for this awesome shot
TFS
Best regards
Manuel

danyy (0) 2006-11-28 13:00

Salut Jay,
Une vue originale de cet endroit si connu et qu'on n'a pas l'habitude de voir avec de telles couleurs.
Merci de nous proposer en partage cette superbe réalisation.
Bien ŕ toi,
Daniel

pboehringer (770) 2006-11-28 14:20

In my short career as an amateur photographer I learned that one of the most important aspects of getting a stunnign result is not necessarily the equipment and know-how but certainly the patience. With this shot and your story around it you demonstrate that virtue of patience. You're right, waiting out there against all odds is not everyones cup of tea, but you were gifted by the gods of photography for your virtue of waiting ... I don't know how many hours I already spent at the exact place and went absolutely dry (literally) ;-)
The picture shows a high level of grain with low shutter speed and relative low shutter aperture. I wonder what was the sensitivity set.
Timecatcher.com, huh? Wonderful!
Welcome to TE!!!
Kind Regards, Peter

Cpamoi (10391) 2006-11-28 14:25

Hi Jay,
Superb light, colors are great

Raphaël

gypsygirl58 (1329) 2006-11-28 17:54

Hi Jay,
Wow stunning shot!! Great composition. The range of colours is fantastic and the cloud formations are great too. Well worth the wait. Welcome to TE and TFS :-) Cheers Tina

greecelightning (284) 2006-11-28 20:23

Excellent colors, clarity, and perspective! Well-worth the effort! Great job!
Taso

howardc (331) 2006-11-28 20:27

This is a great shot. Good exposure.

mdetay (4929) 2006-11-29 9:36

Hi Jay,
Nice picture of the valley of shdow and death.
Great composition and colors.
Well done. Great capture. Good idea.
Cheers from Hong Kong.
Michel

nicoz (1979) 2006-11-30 7:51

Hi Jay,
Crazy shot! The light you shot is just awesome! It looks quite mystical! The texture of the sand in the foreground is great!
Well done,
Nicolas

lucinka (9976) 2006-12-06 11:26

Hello Jay and welcome on TE. I can see that probably Adam has told you about this forum :-) Great shot to start with, it is indeed very special lighting situation and I am sure it was worth waiting even in the blowing sand. I had a same experience recently and the result was also worth it.. Welcome and keep posting. Lucie

gelarsen (437) 2007-01-21 22:00

The photo sends chills up and down my spine, its so good! What's wrong with it? Nothing! Once again, someone shows us that an apparent image of "nothing" can become a most delightful composition.
Gary

derek3755 (2341) 2007-03-02 7:26

Hi Jay

Absolutely Stunning! Incredible Light! Love the Composition! And well worth staying on the Dunes to get the shot. Well Done!

Derek

rajhema (1873) 2008-05-25 14:50

Spectacular and timely short. All your pictures were awesome. Why have you stopped posting or why so less pictures? Please post your pictures. I specifically liked "Finding Neverland"

Rajesh

julia74 (954) 2010-10-16 11:46

Une ambiance superbe ! Et des teintes trčs originales
Bien vu

Photo Information

Copyright: Jay Patel (Phantom_knight) (420)
Genre: Miejsca
Medium: Kolorowe
Date Taken: 2005-02-00
Categories: Natura
Camera: Canon EOS 10D, Canon 17-40mm f4 L
Naświetlenie: f/8, 1/6 sekund
Details: Tripod: Yes
Wersja zdjęcia: Oryginalna wersja
Temat(y): Iconic Western USA National Parks photos, CLODO's SELECTION XII [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-11-28 9:01
Ulubione: 4 [Widok]