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Rooted in the vlei
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Rooted in the vlei

by Vincent Grafhorst

Gallery: LandscapePosted July 6, 2010538 views35 comments
Not a very unique take on this famous place, but I was after a 'classical' Dead Vlei shot for a fine art print. Out of all the dead trees in the vlei, I kept coming back to this particular one for its very long exposed roots which nicely 'mirror' the tree branches.

Dead Vlei, Namib Desert), Namibia.
Camera Model Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Shutter Speed 1/100 Sec.
Aperture Value f/18.0
ISO Speed 200
Lens EF16-35mm f/2.8 L II USM @ 18mm + CP
FF, HH

Comments

35 comments
Comment posted by Winnie Ho on July 6, 2010 at 11:11 AM
hey Vincent....you are right, these trees have so much character and the challenge is to capture this somehow. I think you have done this very well. I especially like the radiating tree branches and roots inviting the viewer into the scene. Hard to find any suggestions for improvement here, but if it were my image, I would try to bring out more detail and texture in those cracks in the foreground.
Registered on January 6, 2008, 93 Posts, 1788 Comments
Comment posted by Andreas Resch on July 6, 2010 at 11:21 AM
Excellent shot, Vincent. I love the bold colors and you nailed the comp too.
Registered on November 14, 2007, 322 Posts, 6101 Comments
Comment posted by Koveh Tavakkol on July 6, 2010 at 11:25 AM
Beautiful!
Registered on September 1, 2009, 41 Posts, 608 Comments
Comment posted by David Cobb on July 6, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Wonderful comp with stark contrasts, I also like the swirling clouds above.
Registered on December 14, 2007, 312 Posts, 3243 Comments
Comment posted by Luis Argerich on July 6, 2010 at 11:33 AM
Hi Vincent,
Terrific Image, the repetition of tree shapes is amazing and the colors incredible.
This is stunning!
Registered on December 22, 2009, 91 Posts, 1349 Comments
Comment posted by SimonRumford on July 6, 2010 at 12:25 PM
awesome shot, great PoV, and depth of field, you framed it perfectly very captivating.....well done
Registered on June 25, 2010, 28 Posts, 80 Comments
Comment posted by Steve Sieren on July 6, 2010 at 12:37 PM
I love seeing the roots in detail here Vincent!
Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments
Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on July 6, 2010 at 12:40 PM
I'd say you chose the right tree. This is certainly classic, and your shooting angle brings the sky into the frame very effectively. Wonderful shot.
Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments
Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on July 6, 2010 at 12:47 PM
It's hard to pass up the classic look of this place - and you've made a very fine rendition. I like the roots as well, it certainly adds something more to the image.
Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments
Comment posted by Kory Lidstrom on July 6, 2010 at 1:16 PM
Beautiful shot with near perfect compo.
Registered on November 19, 2008, 49 Posts, 1035 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Dark on July 6, 2010 at 1:33 PM
This should make a splendid print, Vincent. I so enjoy landscapes like this, and you do them so well. Only nit is the watermark on the large version. :smile:
Registered on May 27, 2005, 148 Posts, 1121 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Pelton on July 6, 2010 at 2:00 PM
Wise choice, Vincent. Outstanding composition.
Registered on November 25, 2003, 380 Posts, 4647 Comments
Comment posted by Kevin Trinkner on July 6, 2010 at 2:38 PM
This really is a special place, the more images I see from here the more I long to visit. Wonderful comp with great colors. Nice work.
Registered on June 30, 2008, 203 Posts, 2641 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Chambers on July 6, 2010 at 2:58 PM
Absolutely wonderful Vincent. Great comp and color, and the sky looks super.
:toast: :toast: :toast:
Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Metternich on July 6, 2010 at 3:15 PM
Great! Love the roots included here and the repetition of the trees speckled around. :toast:
Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments
Comment posted by Jason Kim on July 6, 2010 at 4:06 PM
Wonderful composition, Vincent. Perfectly executed.
Registered on July 1, 2006, 60 Posts, 1233 Comments
Comment posted by Eva McDermott on July 6, 2010 at 6:43 PM
Beautifully rich colors Vincent. Add that to the fact I love the stately prescence of dead trees (especially in this image), this is one of my favorites. Beautiful presentation.
Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments
Comment posted by Margo Pinkerton on July 6, 2010 at 6:46 PM
There are many elements that make this photograph so successful. The complimentary colors of blue and orange set each other off. The clouds echo the shapes in the composition. The main subject tree is nicely placed in the photograph. I respectfully disagree with the last comment and would not bring out more detail in the cracks, as I think that would complete with the roots and branches. As it stands, it remains a nice texture, If I had a tiny suggestion (and this is really minor in the whole scheme) if you ever do a shot like this again, try not to have converging lines as in the upper right branch of the next largest pair of trees that run into the hillside beyond. Raising or lowering the camera 4-6" would have avoided this.

This image really stands out. Beautifully and artfully done!
Registered on October 18, 2007, 39 Posts, 214 Comments
Comment posted by Nick Bristol on July 6, 2010 at 7:29 PM
Beautiful image. So well done.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, Wi
Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments
Comment posted by Christopher Maun on July 6, 2010 at 10:15 PM
This is awesome! HTe FG texture and the wide angle perspective with the front tree really bring this life.

Chris
Registered on January 28, 2009, 8 Posts, 47 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on July 6, 2010 at 11:13 PM
Vincent,

While we've become familiar with this place over time, it doesn't diminish the stark uniqueness and I think you've captured that goal of yours beautifully. You couldn't ask for a better sky; the combo of colors is wonderful and the added dimension of the radiating roots tops this off. A great capture for sure.

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on July 6, 2010 at 11:22 PM
This must be the best vlei there. The sky really makes this one special.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments
Comment posted by Ben Horne on July 7, 2010 at 12:03 AM
Great eye on this one. The tree is indeed very interesting with the roots. You have a wonderful sky, and the outstretched limb toward the upper left corner makes for a great leading line into the scene. This looks more like a surreal painting than a photograph.
Registered on August 27, 2009, 51 Posts, 959 Comments
Comment posted by Pramod Viswanath on July 7, 2010 at 12:03 AM
Superb composition Vincent! Loved this image a lot.
Registered on December 4, 2008, 60 Posts, 697 Comments
Comment posted by Loulou Beavers on July 7, 2010 at 3:04 AM
Perfect compo, amazing shot, wow...
Registered on June 21, 2008, 73 Posts, 205 Comments
Comment posted by Roberto Fernandez on July 7, 2010 at 3:24 AM
Hi Vincent

I think the sky is the key cause it's not common to have those there. Congratulations for the digital process, you got a lot of details from the white ground of dead vlei with that strong light I remember.

Nice shot
best regards
Roberto
Registered on November 21, 2009, 36 Posts, 95 Comments
Comment posted by Kent Mearig on July 7, 2010 at 4:34 AM
I like the way the shadow looked like more roots at first and gave me something to figure out. Obviously, there are a lot of other things to like as well.
Registered on September 4, 2006, 237 Posts, 4748 Comments
Comment posted by Harley Goldman on July 7, 2010 at 6:45 PM
Great tree and beautifully captured and composed. Very fine image, Vincent.
Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
Comment posted by Morris McClung on July 7, 2010 at 7:31 PM
Classic, yes, but for a reason. Outstanding color and comp.
Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments
Comment posted by Russell Colletta on July 8, 2010 at 12:29 AM
Great shot!
Registered on October 31, 2009, 114 Posts, 1008 Comments
Comment posted by Gary McGhee on July 8, 2010 at 6:06 AM
Spectacular shot Vincent, you couldn't of asked for a better sky.

Gary.
Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments
Comment posted by Matt Anderson on July 8, 2010 at 9:44 AM
Your composition on this image is outstanding.
The color work together perfectly.
I'd dodge the top branches a bit.
:toast:
Registered on September 6, 2007, 346 Posts, 2696 Comments
Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on July 8, 2010 at 11:16 AM
Superb Vincent, I really like the long exposed roots here! Definitly a place one sees more and more in images, but it's a 'classic' for a reason! I'll be sure to hop on the fauna gallery soon :wink: :toast:
Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments
Comment posted by Tyson Fisher on July 8, 2010 at 7:43 PM
Wow, an outstanding image. Seems like a very different take on this place to me. I especially like the exposed roots. The shadow of the fg tree looks like more roots. Awesome rendition you have here.
Registered on September 17, 2008, 44 Posts, 623 Comments
Comment posted by Geoffrey Baker on August 24, 2010 at 6:29 PM
For me, this image really stands out in your gallery, it's really lovely, the shapes and colours work really well.
Well done :smile:

Geoff.
Registered on August 20, 2010, 192 Posts, 980 Comments