Desert Miss the Rain II Photo

Photographer’s Note

Nestled in a remote valley between the Cottonwood and Last Chance Ranges, the Racetrack is a place of stunning beauty and mystery. The Racetrack is a playa--a dry lakebed--best known for its strange moving rocks. Okay, there is not rock on this image. I like the pattern of the dry lake under this rain cloud. It was not raining at least not where I was. If it were to rain, we are not allow to walk on this playa when it’s wet because the foot print will last for years. So I was lucky it didn’t rain but the sky was fill with nice stormy clouds. Nest post, I will show the moving rocks.

PaulVDV, mark_mk, biglad, berek, baba_flies, serp2000, Floydian, johnfreeman, janusz2054, phwall, pauloog, Wanda1, fulvio52, sevy, Dpbours, BlueRaven, avene, Philippe, shevchenko, BelCan75, cherryripe, BurhanettinMasa, riclopes, didemay, pboehringer, Angshu trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

biglad (435) 2009-04-28 10:08

Hi Way,

I like this composition with the patterns from the dry lake dominating the majority of the shot. The detail front to back is great, with good sharpness right through to the mountains at the back.

Cheers
Simon

mark_mk (246) 2009-04-28 10:08

Hi Way,
so here we are, another Desert Valley shot. I´ve seen so many images of this place (mainly from Peter Böhringer, hard to compete with his images from there), and after having been there myself I have to say you did a great job capturing the lonely beauty of DV, this is awesome!
Beautiful shot, vertical framing and showing a lot of the dry ground was a great idea. These clouds also look great and the image shows the vastness of this place. Great one, I like it a lot!

Take care
Mark

PS. Looking forward to the rocks, Racetrack Playa was something I missed when I was there ;-(

emka (21951) 2009-04-28 10:09

Hi way, Very impressive place. This fat area looks so big! Very nice pattern, like domains in crystal. amazing sharpness and clarity.

Warm regards

Maggie

yquem46 (8241) 2009-04-28 10:10

Excellent use of a wide angle with this 2/3 ground 1/3 sky compo ! We clearly see this a desert, no doubt and the mixture of blue/yellow works quite well here
Another great one Way
Cheers
patrick

berek (28965) 2009-04-28 10:17

Hi Way,
its great point of view. you caught very good perspective with this. I love background cloudy mountains. well framed picture.
Best wishes.
Burak

Pablo25 (1773) 2009-04-28 10:18

hello Way,
WOW what a long perspective here, gives a really good depth to this shot. I like mountains in the background as well. Well seen and well done.
regards
Pawel

baba_flies (8035) 2009-04-28 10:27

Hello Way! The strangest place and you wonder what goes on out here. This landscape is of outstanding rough beauty, merciless under the hot desert sun. I like your long view over the dry lakebed with the distant mountain range in the back and I guess we can see some sunlight coming through under the heavy rain clouds. It would be a shame to leave footprints and I hope this place gets not too famous but on the other hand there is no way you could visit in summer and this is when most travel. Wow, Way, you made a good shot indeed, you and Peter, you really know how to work with this place. Wonderful storm clouds by the way ... here we go again :))) My countdown starts ... less than a month from now ... I hope this flu thing does not stop us from flying to the States ... Barbara.

serp2000 (9631) 2009-04-28 10:54

Privet, Way,

I forgot The Death Valley. In my mind California is biggest oasis with Pacific, Hollywood, L.A. etc. I thought, that desert located in Nevada, Arizona...
Excellent work! Great colours! TFS!

Greetings from Russia,
Serghei

Floydian (30970) 2009-04-28 11:08

Hi Way,

The famous racetrack, strange that i visit it never myself.
Saw some stunning shots from Peter B at very low light, but also here at daylight without the stones (looking forward to see yours), looks not bad at all. It are of course the structures on the dry earth what makes it here, but for me also those clouds play an important role in the composition.
A strange but very beautiful landscape...

Regards,

Henk

migjan (2019) 2009-04-28 11:45

Eloquent and well-refined photo. Beautiful colors.

pozdrawiam.JBB

johnfreeman (2222) 2009-04-28 11:48

Hello Way,
As you say we're more used to seeing this scene (particularly the vertical compo) with a rock somewhere in it so it's interesting to see it without - in a way I think that perceived emptiness forces our attention onto the unrelenting honeycomb pattern of the lakebed stretching out to the distant horizon. I particularly like the cool colours of the hills in the distance contrasting with the ochre yellow of the earth and the threatening clouds that appear to mimic the hills themselves.
The overall scene has a pleasantly fresh, moody atmosphere.
Regards,
John

jemaflor (39597) 2009-04-28 11:52

Hi Way,
Impressive fg, well taken great depth and good graphical effect with this dry ground, well made.

gildasjan (24005) 2009-04-28 12:32

Bonjour Way
Bon cadrage vertical de ce paysage avec cette terre craquelée et bon accord de couleurs avec ce ciel.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
gildas

Jeppo (12010) 2009-04-28 12:41

hi Way,

I love the depth of this picture and the contrast between the rain promising dramatic sky and the dry sculputed soil pattern

well done
silvio

sacimar (7536) 2009-04-28 12:47

Hi Way,

I like this kind of patterns too, the perspective is really good with the mountains in the background, the dry lake seems to be waiting for the coming rain.... great colours and details, congratulations!

My best regards

Sergio

janusz2054 (917) 2009-04-28 12:57

Hi Way
Beautiful landscape.
Very original shot of death valley.Well done.

Regards
Janusz

MarianneS (14352) 2009-04-28 12:58

Hello Way,
I like this photo a lot. The perspective is incredibly graphical!
And your background works very well to contrast with this warm colours.
A very strange landscape... I am looking forward to seeing your vision of moving rocks!
Regards,
Marianne

holmertz (9849) 2009-04-28 13:28

Hello Way,
This cracked earth is a classic sight, but it's just as overwhelming, frightening and beautiful every time. The "miniature" mountains and clouds make a fine background. Superb sharpness and colours, as always.
Thanks for sharing,
Gert

MarcT (21103) 2009-04-28 13:45

Hi Way,
That's a famous desert. You were lucky with that superb sky.
Excellent pattern on the ground too.
Regards
Marc

Ultrablue (555) 2009-04-28 13:46

Hi Way!
I don't know what I can say that it isn't already said...simply I like this photo because of its perfect realization.

Regards

Elena

melmcree (2261) 2009-04-28 13:59

Love it! Excellent dof. Perfect composition. Looks like you used a grad ND to help control the sky, I'm a big fan of grad ND. Adds so much to the photo. The simple composition tells such a story about the area. Details are superb. Excellent photo!

PaulVDV (5306) 2009-04-28 14:19

Hello Way,
This really looks like a dead valley.
Very impressive landscape picture. The patterns formed by the dry earth are brilliant and this with the rain clouds in the air.
Interesting note. Never imagined foot prints could last somewhere for years.
Best regards, Paul

Wahclellaspirit (3017) 2009-04-28 15:26

Hello Way,
A grand view of the desert and mountain range together! I see the rocks have fled your camera's lens, moving on to better climate I imagine.
Very crisp image,
What is the distance between where you were standing and the mountain range in the background?
Steve

phwall (5691) 2009-04-28 16:37

Hello Way,
Amazing the way the mud dries into these semi-regular shapes, quite a striking sight.
Very nice composition having so much foreground and leaving the mountains to fill the very top of frame, it looks good.
Excellent colour rendition and overall a very good quality image.
Regards
Peter

ChrisJ (70357) 2009-04-28 18:42

Hi Way

Good repetitive patterns of the dried mud, with superb sharpness, color, & contrast. Well composed, with the vertical format suiting perfectly. Excellent warm cold color contrasts. Tfs.

pauloog (6703) 2009-04-28 21:45

Hello Way,
A view to make you thirsty, but there might be hope at the horizon ?
The dried out patchwork of soil has been rendered with great depth and detail. Good choice of a high horizon to spread out the soil and include a detailed view. And the dark clouds add an unexpected element. And the most important : simply beautiful to look at.
Well done.
Regards,
Paul

Wanda1 (11015) 2009-04-28 22:28

Hi Way,
I like this never ending expanse of cracked earth right to the distant mountains. The shot has good depth and the storm clouds add a sense of drama. Moving rocks, those sound interesing!
Regards
Wanda

HimalAnda (1062) 2009-04-28 23:25

Hello Way,

An interesting sky with these dark clouds, a strange dry lake, and a very good composition : this is a nice picture.
That's a good idea to have shot this one in a vertical format.
Congratulations !

Stéphane

rodgerg (24601) 2009-04-29 0:48

Hello Way,

Very nice view, congratulations. The use of vertical format is here a good and efficience idea. The FG with the sand have a superb graphic effect. Great prospect to the mountains in the BG too.
Have a good day,
Roger

fulvio52 (8314) 2009-04-29 1:14

Hi, Way.
A great shot, one that bears all of your well-known trademarks. Terrific in terms of textures and definition, specially the nuances you've been able to get in those mountains and skies in the far background are of outstanding quality! And the view, of course, speaks for itself. Wonderful one, TFS! Have a good day, buddy. I'll be seeing you,
Fulvio.

sevy (13750) 2009-04-29 1:44

Hello Way,

Nice composition, all in deep thanks to the vertical framing. I think it was the right choice to manage this kind of landscape.
Perhaps it is missing a ray of direct light to increase the contrast, but as it is, it is providing a special ambiance with the grey clouds in the background.

Yves.

Dpbours (220) 2009-04-29 3:04

Hello Way,

There's one rock in the distance! I'm sure it moved once you started to set your camera for this photograph. It saw you coming and it thought, 'I'm not going to be in this photograph!', and it moved ;-).
And no one ever sees them move, because they are really quick and always move on the moment that you start looking in your viewfinder. Just that split second between enjoying the landscape and moving to the viewfinder. They are not just moving rocks, they are pretty smart as well!! ;-)

Greetings,
Dennis

BlueRaven (35) 2009-04-29 5:41

Hi Way,

Another superb shot from Death Valley. Fantastic low POV - when I look at this shot, I can almost feel the dryness. The clouds are wonderful, too, although very often the rain doesn't even reach the ground because it's simply too hot.
The Racetrack is still on my list of places to visit some day so I'm curious to see your next post. I think it's not that easy to reach though, is it? But then it's maybe a good thing that it isn't located right next to the main road because there would be too many morons stomping around and stealing rocks. ;o)
Great shot, thanks for sharing - I'm looking forward to your next one!

Best,
Claudia

chawax (6120) 2009-04-29 9:49

Hi Way,
Great shot, with a fantastic depth of field. I love the graphical atmosphere of this dry ground.
Regards,
Olivier

avene (11068) 2009-04-29 13:05

hello Way,
this place definitely misses some rain, it looks so dry it makes ME thirsty :) vertical format works very well to focus the attention on the patters of dry soil in the foreground, the clouds in the background seem almost like an after-though, and as if they are intentionally avoiding this place. another thing I want to see with my own eyes :)

best,
Kristine

Philippe (11781) 2009-04-29 14:11

Hi, Way. The foreground of your picture has very good graphic qualities with the repetition of those geometrical shapes. The vertical format you've chosen gives a good depth to the image and, even though we see only a small part of it, the sky looks quite dramatic and provides good contrast with the brown tones f the playa.
Have a nice day,
Philippe

shevchenko (10008) 2009-04-29 20:43

Hello Way,
Informative note for helping us study more about this site, good pov to frame it with showing contrast between cloudy sky and dry lakebed, clear to see these natural patterns, distinct photo, well done.
Ally

BelCan75 (2420) 2009-04-29 21:29

Hi Way,

That's a great shot! I like the dry, crackled lakebed with a view towards the mountains and then the beautiful clouds above. Excellent POV with great depth, colours and details! Great work!

Greetings,
Ann

vincz (19043) 2009-04-30 1:23

Excellent use of the vertical format where you filled most the space with these patterns made out of dried mud. Tones are excellent and the mountians and clouds in the vack as well.

Tobias__Ortmann (2589) 2009-05-02 7:14

I really like this one way,
great capture.
Not that often thats rain at the dessert but very interesting for a good capture
Nice one
best regards Toba

ilvao (2248) 2009-05-02 12:43

Hi Way,

You respect the 1/3 rules here perfectly
this is a great compo of a dry place
with the sky in the background it should rain soon :-)
Ciao
Olivier

pablominto (41032) 2009-05-03 0:02

Hello Way,

An awesome and never ending repetitive pattern in the dry clay pads, acting like cobblestones!
Attractive framing and excellent colour reproduction, fine division of the frame...
And the sky promise rain...!

Greetings,
Pablo -

cherryripe (19097) 2009-05-04 11:59

Hi Way
I love the geometrical shape of the earth and how it's so sharp. Great how you've framed it vertically to show off as much of it as possible. The grey clouds contrast nicely.
Regards
Nikki

bracasha75 (22225) 2009-05-04 13:18

Helo Way
This is so from eternity to today and you have show us how this look wen desert cry for rain
Extra
TFS
Cheers,Braca

maximage (13508) 2009-05-07 14:01

Bonjour Way,
Superbe composition! L'effettrès graphique de la sécheresse sur cette terre jaune est absolument grandiose.
Amitiés.
max

riclopes (33077) 2009-05-13 2:10

Olá Way, this is the kind of scenery that excites me: desert with mountains around. Interesting to know that people can't walk here if it rains - it makes sense. This is another superb vertical composition focused on the pattern of the ground. Impressive the regular geometry. It makes me think of a dry salt lake I visited in north argentina because of the shapes that seem like hexagons, exactely like here.
ric

didemay (2435) 2009-05-16 7:01

Waaaay Helloo,
The texture of the dry soil enriches the simplicity of your compo.
Best Regards,
D:)

pboehringer (770) 2009-05-21 2:15

Hi Way,
long time that I didn't look into your collection and obviously my attention gets drawn to your Racetrack shots. The place is beyond anything else I know. Both times that it took me there I had crystal clear sky conditions. The fact that you got these thick and fat clouds is quite remarkable. I love it! It gives the place an additional eerie aspect.
The close approach to the ground to make that eye popping contact with the cracks and having just a small portion of the surroudning mountains and sky is almost a classic form to approach this landscape. The vertical format is more then natural for that.
You did a good job despite the difficult light conditions.
Peter

Angshu (33947) 2009-06-09 3:46

Sabaidie Way
The cracked surface on the playa, roughly hexagonal mimics the beehive pasted horizontally. Like the low POV leading our eyes over the cracks to the blue hills in the BG & the wonderful 3D clouds above. Despite not so good light, the contrast comes out well. I do see some of the racing stones in the distance, or maybe not? A strange place & a good picture of it!
Best regards
Angshuman