Dali's Lagoon

Dali has nothing on you! Hahaha. I really like this, Mike. Very surreal and makes me scratch my head trying to get a grip on what I am seeing. I like that. The blues here are amazing. Cool, too, that you trekked multiple days barefoot. I think that is something special for us urban land dwellers.

Stunning work Mike! The turquoise water and dark blues of the stormy sky are beautiful. The white sands of the dunes mind bending.

Crazy Beautiful! Definitely a surreal scene, and indeed looks like a Dali painting. Amazing work!

Surreal! One minor nit is that I wish there was something in the image to give it some scale, but it is great as is. Looks like it could be from another planet.

That is magnificent Michael. I am well into pastels any way and this really floats my boat.

Are we still talking about photography? It is a great surrealistic work of art!

Peter

Great comp! I'll let you know when I figure out what I'm looking at!

Mike....surreal and fabulous image. But to be honest, it is not abstract enough that I can ignore the context...the blue stuff looks like water, and yet seems to defy laws of hydrodynamics! The water surface should be a flat plane if in an enclosed boundary, yet this curves over at a relatively steep angle....what am I looking at?!

This is really something to look at. I can't quite put it to scale, but I guess I don't have to. It is amazing to look at and I really like it. I think I figured out that it is just the curve of the sand that makes the water look like it is not flat. I can see how this would have been magical to witness. Look forward to the video, Michael.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Surreal is right. I can't figure out what I'm looking at.

Max

Mike,

Pretty awesome! It feels a little "tight" at the top for my tastes. I know it's sand, but what the heck is that blue thing in the middle there? Anyways, lovely colors and wonderful. I like it very much!


Michael

A uniquely beautiful scene, perfectly composed.

Kartik,

I purposely composed this to maximize the optical illusion of the lake bending downward. The illusion is all in the lines, as well as the fact that the textureless white sand gives you very little reference for depth. Shooting the scene at twilight also hides some of the sand textures that would give your eye more visual reference. The left side of the photo is a steep dune that drops down to the edge of the lake which is out of sight behind the edge of the sand There is no photoshop trickery here. This is exactly as it appeared in camera with minimal processing other than removing a couple wild goat footprints. This is a massive dunefield that fills with rainwater every year in the wet season, creating crystalline caribbean colored lakes in all of the depressions. It looks like a desert, but the average yearly rainfall is quite high.

Thanks for all of the commentary! I appreciate it.

Hi Mike....Thanks for the explanation. I never doubted that there was no photoshop trickery ....I'm a bit allergic to that term, because it's the sort of thing that non-photographers imagine we landscape shooters do to produce great images! That said, I know we shooters use the optics and optical illusions to our advantage. There's more optical distortion created by a wide-anlge lens than anything photoshop can create. Like the famous "Fire-roof ruins" image from Mule Canyon in UT. No photoshop required - just a wide-angle lens positioned low to the ground and angled up....it turns a 6-foot high ceiling into a seeming inferno towering 100s of feet high! I figured your image here was an optical illusion, but couldn't help wondering if the wide-anlge distortion was not strongly exaggerating that. While we photographers always issue the disclaimer that what is shown in the image is what we see in the camera, that is not the same as saying that is what one would have seen in the flesh. Nothing wrong with that of course, I value artistic merit over "realism" anyday.

Magical and the perspective is surreal!

Incredible Mike! Looks like a jewel in the sand. Looking forward to your video!

Wow! This really shines Mike. You're right - very surrealistic. Stunning image.

Your work never ceases to blow my mind, Mike. This is no exception. The soft colors and crazy landscape are phenomenal. "Bare foot trek across the sand dunes"? I've never known anyone with as many once-in-a-lifetime experiences as you. Just awesome.

Beautifully composed and well executed! I always enjoy seeing your photographs from your worldly travels and this unique image doesn't disappoint. Great stuff!

Beautiful photo Mike, the shapes and shades are excellent. I can see the resemblence to Dali's paintings.

Gary.

Nice colors, very strange...but interesting.

Great shot. This really gives a feel that you were the only one out there for miles and miles. Good colors and top notch processing.

What a mindbender! Odd, Unique, Gorgeous! Looks like a pool of water...

This is stunning Michael. Lovely pastel feel.

Ian

That is pretty wild, Mike! Very Dali-ish indeed.

It is beautiful.

But I'm also having a VERY hard time understanding what I am seeing! Looks like water is rolling off the earth...

Lower sky blue seems like it could come down a tad in saturation.

Mark

Fantastic shot, Michael! I see the Dali in there too. It reminds me of the one with the clocks melting into odd shapes. Beautiful color in the pool that contrast nicely with the light sand.

Chris

I just love the color scheme in this - and the ambiguous feeling of the composition makes it feel very surreal as you say. Great job Mike.

Phenomenal, Michael. Absolutely phenomenal. The illusion you have created with your composition is truly stunning. Mind boggling is a better term.

unique area Mike,

wow, waiting for the video brother

No that's a really puzzling shot with the lake seemingly hanging down - great find, Michael. The comp is solid and the sky adds a lot of drama. I'm not sure about the colors. They look a bit flat and muddy, but I don't know how the situation really was over there.

This is shot of the year right here!

So surreal...it feels like the water is about to run out of the frame any second...

Impressive as always, Michael!

Abstract and surreal. What a fascinating place and a beautiful image. I like the understated processing.

Guy

Gorgeous! I've never seen anything like it.

Beautiful work!

Saw this on your flickr site - loved it there, love it here. One of the more unique images and landscapes I've seen in quite a while.

This is wild, Mike! Looks like you found paradise. Excellent capture!

Stunnig and a real pleasure to look at.

Even ignoring the inherent distortion from the perspective, what an utterly remarkable landscape! I'd love to examine a print.

Dude, simple & insane... This is why you rank as a top visionary artist in my book.

This is very inspiring - the bending lake!

Well, here's another case of hearing your artistic voice loud and clear. Great vision, Mike!

This is truly a surreal image - great work.

Mike,
this is an absolutely stunning image with a phantastic composition. A piece of artwork that allows the mind to travel as my first impression was it could have been taken on the Greenland ice cap with a turquiose meltwater pond on it.
I add this images to my favorites!

Christian.

Surreal Indeed ! Leaves me in awe and intrigue every time I stare at it.

really impressive, nice catch!