Medano Meditations II

Gallery: LandscapePosted May 3, 2010199 views21 comments

My last post was taken about a half hour before sunset; i figured there was no hope for any color at sunset since everything was obscured by a thick cloud of sand/dust. Miraculously, just at sunset the winds died down enough for some slight clearing, enough for about two minutes of color in the clouds that appeared. I got greedy and was hoping for the color to intensify, but within a minute of taking this shot the winds picked up again and it got very monochromatic and dark very quickly. This turned out to be my last shot of the evening. Medano creek, the seasonal creek flowing here along the dunes, is only about 2-3 inches deep. I used the sand dune on the left side of the shot to shelter me from the wind--so i didn't pick the comp, it picked me!
5Dmkii; 17-40; 2 exp blend at f/16
C&C Welcome!

Comments

21 comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on May 3, 2010 at 8:35 AM

stan, i like this one a lot. the colours are enticing and the comp works very well. i might snip off that bush on the far right. not sure what's happening with the tree in this web presentation - some colour aberration or sharpening artefact?

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on May 3, 2010 at 8:42 AM

Thanks, Stuart. Inoticed that with the tree, must be compression since it doesnt appear in the large version.

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on May 3, 2010 at 9:00 AM

I really like this one Stan. This is one of those that is just nice to look at. I love the colors and that amount of water over the sand looks great. Very nice!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, Wi.

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on May 3, 2010 at 9:48 AM

I love the textures you captured in the water. The light is wonderful too. I also think there is a vertical here; the central portion of the photo is especially nice.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on May 3, 2010 at 9:54 AM

This is really nice. Magic in the magic hour. Very appealing comp and colors.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on May 3, 2010 at 10:19 AM

Stan, i like this shot a lot. The colors are nice and i like how the color reflect in the creek. Good textures in the water....and great composition. Good job

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

Comment posted by Bruno Silva on May 3, 2010 at 10:39 AM

beautiful light and water lines/textures you got here, Stan! everything seems so natural to my eyes. very nice comp!

Registered on May 6, 2009, 132 Posts, 1406 Comments

Comment posted by Timothy F. Hale on May 3, 2010 at 2:52 PM

Stan, a very nice shot under the conditions. Only been there in the summer. I might need to alter some plans!

Tim
Concrete, WA

Registered on December 10, 2003, 282 Posts, 405 Comments

Comment posted by Luis Argerich on May 3, 2010 at 3:15 PM

Really nice Stan! Those ripples are really nice and the color is fantastic. Great shot!

Registered on December 22, 2009, 91 Posts, 1349 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on May 3, 2010 at 6:53 PM

Oh, gracious, this is beautiful, Stan! I think the scene and you made a great team, whoever did what.

The light, with the position of the cloud and the way the river fills the fg and vanishes into the upper reaches of the frame makes the view majestic and spacious. Great feel, great look. Fine work, as usual!

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on May 3, 2010 at 7:25 PM

Nicely done Stan - The water ripples add a nice element to the FG and balance the sky nicely.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on May 3, 2010 at 8:35 PM

Like everything about this one!

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

Comment posted by Michael J Greene, on May 3, 2010 at 8:39 PM

Stan,

You are fortunate to live in such a wonderful area.The scene is very naturally rendered and the light is certainly special. I like the fact you chose not to blow out the clouds. Your composition is enticing too.

If it were mine, I try to experiment with slightly cropping the left hand side of the image and then clone out the rest of that half cut off bush. Also, the blue tones in the sky in the ULC look a little uneven and dark to me - I probably try to even them out a bit. I hope this helps because this is certainly a keeper

Registered on June 18, 2009, 86 Posts, 2317 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Pelton on May 3, 2010 at 9:14 PM

Nice composition anyway. Beautiful sky and reflection in the water.

Registered on November 25, 2003, 380 Posts, 4647 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Leakey on May 3, 2010 at 10:37 PM

This is wonderful. Well done.

Registered on November 13, 2003, 2 Posts, 92 Comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on May 4, 2010 at 1:07 AM

Wow, wonderful Stan. This is very much about the light, and the clean and simple composition.

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on May 4, 2010 at 2:39 AM

Thanks, folks!
Michael--yep, i fixed the corner, it was due to the cp i think (i needed a filter to protect my lens!) not worth a repost. thanks.

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on May 4, 2010 at 12:22 PM

Love the warmth this conveys Stan. Nice textures on the water's surface as well.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Verena & Georg Pop on May 4, 2010 at 12:46 PM

sweet light and colors. looks like someplace in the Sahara. (not that I know, never been there...)
georg

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

Comment posted by Doug Roane on May 4, 2010 at 10:33 PM

well done, Stan. Good comp and nice color!

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

Comment posted by Anil Rao on May 5, 2010 at 2:12 AM

This is really nice, Stan. Excellent composition, specially the relative placement of the clouds within the frame.

Registered on November 15, 2003, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments