Catavina morning scene

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 31, 2010112 views11 comments

I know this scene is not very dramatic, but I woke up in the Catavina desert (Baja California, MX) one morning to some very nice light. There is so much clutter with the vegetation that it can be difficult to find a good shot if you're in a hurry - here I cropped the sides to get rid of some intruding branches, etc. This is a long (10 sec) exposure to smooth out the clouds as well, which fit the ethereal feeling of that morning.
Canon 40 D
f14
Vari-ND
10 sec
17-85 lens @ 17

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Doug Roane on March 31, 2010 at 1:33 PM

very attractive side lighting, and I agree with you about the mood. The cut off stalk does bother me some - would have liked to have the whole thing in the frame, but that would change the comp entirely

Registered on December 12, 2008, 213 Posts, 2226 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Plant on March 31, 2010 at 2:03 PM

blurring the clouds is a nice touch, great warmth to this scene, nicely done!

Registered on July 7, 2008, 271 Posts, 1657 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on March 31, 2010 at 3:49 PM

To smooth out the clouds was a good idea. i like it here. Beautiful warm light. The cut off stalk distracts me a bit - it were nice if the whole thing was within the frame

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Cartamil on March 31, 2010 at 4:18 PM

Thanks for the comments guys - the reason I cropped off the bottom was because of a really ugly little bush at the base of this tree...

Registered on November 15, 2007, 50 Posts, 601 Comments

Comment posted by Laurent Baig on March 31, 2010 at 4:24 PM

Very nice image. I like the composition as is and find remarks of "id like to see the bottom of the plant" remarkably stupid. This is really nicely done, with the front boojum? tree making a strong focal point as if you were right there. Maybe u should be dinged for not showing the roots of the plant

Registered on January 12, 2005, 206 Posts, 6784 Comments

Comment posted by Angela Classen on March 31, 2010 at 4:45 PM

I like the strong vertical lines created by all those cacti. Great sidelighting.

Registered on June 13, 2007, 434 Posts, 2742 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Smith on March 31, 2010 at 8:13 PM

I like this! And it is dramatic! Nicely presented. Wonderful light.

Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on April 1, 2010 at 1:08 PM

Dan! This is my favorite so far from the Catavina but I can't call it your best since I have not seen all your work. I see the comp comment and the nice reply there, tall things like this always get cut off at the top or bottom or even both. The atmosphere speaks!

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce King on April 1, 2010 at 3:00 PM

Beautiful shot. I try not to make negative comments regarding comp too often because we never know what the situation is exactly, sometimes it's obvious but usually it's not. Anyway I think the composition is very good. Steve nailed it with his comment about parts of tall things being excluded in some way another. The light is almost mesmerizing and the subtle tones are outstanding. Could almost be a Singh Ray ad for the Vari-ND. Well done.

Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on April 1, 2010 at 9:50 PM

Nice comp and geat light!

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Verena & Georg Pop on April 2, 2010 at 4:36 AM

the plants, the light, the mist, the mood - all reasons why catavina is high on my list to come back to!
I like it. this tall stuff is hard to frame in a perfect manner for sure. can't please everyone, but I think you did it right.
georg

Registered on July 5, 2006, 272 Posts, 2823 Comments