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Mesquite Dunes - Repost
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Mesquite Dunes - Repost

by Dave Dillemuth

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 15, 2016204 views14 comments
I spent a night in DV on my way up to the Eastern Sierra last Dec. Upon arrival I headed into the dunes for an evening shoot but struggled to find any areas that were not marred up by footprints. That night strong winds arose and in the morning when I headed back out at sunrise - all the footprints had vanished. The wind was still blowing sand around so I didn't dare change lens. For perspective blowing sand can be seen in the URC. 

5DII, 16-35 f/4L @ 16mm

ISO100, f/16, 1/15 sec. 

Comments

14 comments
Comment posted by Harley Goldman on February 15, 2016 at 9:35 PM
Cool perspective and depth to the image. with the dune lines very nicely leading me through The scene seems to go on forever.  Hard to say what is up there, but I would not mind a little more room for the sky. 
Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
Comment posted by Ed Lowe on February 15, 2016 at 10:05 PM
Great lead in lines with the sand ripples and I love the combo of earth tones and blue sky in this image, Dave. This is awesome as is and I could also see this working with just a bit more sky. The soft lighting works beautifully here.

Ed
Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Fach on February 15, 2016 at 10:52 PM
Dave: I spent several days in DV in October and worked the dunes pretty hard since heavy rains had forced closure of much of the park. Love this view and that you got a clean scene. Well done.>=))>
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on February 16, 2016 at 9:31 AM
Dave, I'm sure enjoying the long view and great details in this first dune and how that transforms into the dune series in the distance.  The blowing sand in the urc adds a nice touch.  The distant mountains and sky provide a strong sense of distance and the mountains open up nicely in the larger version.  Funny thing about us NPNer's, as I'm the opposite of Harley, in thinking that a view with the sky cropped out and just a thin strip of mountains along the top works well as an alternate view.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Roel Wijtmans on February 16, 2016 at 11:52 AM
Not a conventional comp, but it really works for me. My eyes are going around the whole photo exploring all the goodies, but not in a bad way of course. Foreground looks really nice too, and the amount of sky looks good to me.
Registered on September 30, 2012, 116 Posts, 2257 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Metternich on February 16, 2016 at 12:10 PM
Nice straight forward day scene at the dunes. Nice job. 
Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments
Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 16, 2016 at 1:07 PM
Nice work Dave! I like the composition you came up with here and the light and colors look very nice. The large version has such a nice feel and looks beautifully natural and inviting. Nice textures and details seen in the large version as well. The comp works great just as it is for my taste.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI
Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments
Comment posted by David Schoen on February 16, 2016 at 7:19 PM
To me, this images initially all about the dunes. The textures and wave patterns in the front of the image along with the pyramid shape of the anterior dune just says follow the ridge line and look at all the sand. The mountains are just icing on the cake. I'm fine with the amount of space you provided. The large view is really nice.
Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments
Comment posted by Albert Darmo on February 16, 2016 at 10:42 PM
Hi  Davecrying   Nick's  comment echoed  my thoughts perfectly ..  excellent photography !!


Albert Darmo
Canada
Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments
Comment posted by Ryan Shain on February 16, 2016 at 10:53 PM
Good evening Dave,

These dunes are beautiful Dave, and the leading lines bring me right into the scene. There is so much to explore and the depth is sweet in this fine capture. I too am curious if you captured an image with more sky up top. This image works beautifully in emphasizing the lines in the sand, and really brings out the depth in this area.

Beautiful work
Registered on February 20, 2007, 226 Posts, 4571 Comments
Comment posted by Stephen Stanton on February 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM
So that's what it looks like from the top...nice perspective, a great look at all the curves and undulations. Nice clean sand some wonderful lines. Large image does the photo justice, Dave.    
Registered on March 1, 2015, 54 Posts, 453 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on February 17, 2016 at 11:58 AM
Dave,

This is excellent.  I'm really enjoying the "bigger picture" here; so many times images are just focused on the dunes themselves, shapes, patterns, etc.  But it's refreshing to see the entire landscape.  I especially like the scattered bushes and playa remnants.

Processing is spot on and I'm with Harley on wishing for a bit more sky, but that's minor.

Well seen and captured,

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Dave Dillemuth on February 17, 2016 at 1:10 PM
Thanks for all the comments/suggestions. Here's a version with a sliver more sky (all I've got in the RAW). I've also dodged the background dunes a bit as they seemed a bit dark to me on closer inspection.
Registered on December 10, 2015, 104 Posts, 1112 Comments
Comment posted by Jeffrey Sipress on February 19, 2016 at 11:56 AM
Fine imaging, Dave.  Nice to see the dunes refreshed themselves for your morning visit.  The semi-soft light brings out the colors nicely and gives an early morning feel to it.  I don't  mind the sky, more would be nice but good as is.
Registered on February 17, 2004, 236 Posts, 1197 Comments