Inner Sanctum

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 23, 20094,722 views40 comments

“Inner Sanctum”
Desert Dreams, Southern Utah / May 2008

This scene was photographed while hiking in the desert with my good friend Tony Kuyper.

FIELD NOTES: At first I was overwhelmed by the location. Its raw beauty was mesmerizing! Realizing fully well that I wouldn’t find any images in that state of mind, I climbed up to a nice spot overlooking the canyon and decided to have a snack. Three sandwiches later, I still didn’t see anything that I would like to photograph, but at least I was no longer hungry. I knew if I had any chance of making a picture there, I’d have to allow the environment to soak in. So, I left the camera pack behind and started exploring the many nooks and crannies. After a couple of hours, I was finally able to see things. Many of the shapes, textures and colors, that had totally confused me earlier, were starting to make sense.

Pentax 67ii, 45 mm, Fuji Velvia 100F / Drum-scan, Photoshop

Thanks for looking. I eagerly anticipate your thoughts.

Comments

40 comments

Comment posted by John&Patty Benway on March 23, 2009 at 3:27 PM

Wow Anil, what a beautiful piece of work .You really had the eye for this, love it.
John

Registered on May 12, 2006, 626 Posts, 8700 Comments

Comment posted by Mohsen Al-Dajani on March 23, 2009 at 3:37 PM

This image presents a lesson in "how to see photographically". I like how all those lines lead to that stone...well done!

Thanks Anil for sharing.

Registered on August 23, 2007, 160 Posts, 432 Comments

Comment posted by Gaurav Manglik on March 23, 2009 at 3:40 PM

i think your field notes section is a great lesson for learners like me who tend to "rush to shoot" before taking in the environment. Very nice ...

Registered on December 2, 2005, 191 Posts, 2126 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on March 23, 2009 at 3:48 PM

This is sweet, Anil! Really like the lines and textures throughout. The composition is great at letting me explore for detail all over and it has a nice flow. Good work processing too. Well done!

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on March 23, 2009 at 3:53 PM

Beautiful simplicity here, I love that area. I would like to see a non-square version of this if you have it since the square format generally doesn't work for me. In any case, still a wonderful image.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Vance Gese on March 23, 2009 at 3:58 PM

This is just beautiful Anil. You have such an incredible eye for design in your compositions and this is just phenomenal. Beauty of line, beauty of form, beauty of tone. Outstanding. This is fine art photography at its very best. Thank you for sharing the story behind the image.

Registered on November 13, 2008, 298 Posts, 6629 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on March 23, 2009 at 4:12 PM

Beautifully seen, captured and presented. Yes simple and fine art.

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

Comment posted by Chris Hodney on March 23, 2009 at 4:16 PM

Great simple image. The highlights and shadows in the folds really work well for such a focused subject piece.

Registered on September 4, 2007, 14 Posts, 199 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Kayne on March 23, 2009 at 4:20 PM

yep!!!!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 573 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by fernando brito on March 23, 2009 at 5:03 PM

Great composition, fantastic image! Reading your notes remids me what happens to me, especially in the first and second day in the field...
Really great work

Fernando Brito

Registered on December 21, 2003, 124 Posts, 486 Comments

Comment posted by Jack Brauer on March 23, 2009 at 5:12 PM

Beautiful all around! I love how the lines lead you to the little rock on its pedestal. Perfect.

Registered on September 12, 2005, 40 Posts, 627 Comments

Comment posted by Prashant Khapane on March 23, 2009 at 5:28 PM

this is fantastic anil

Registered on November 1, 2003, 492 Posts, 4580 Comments

Comment posted by Jason Edlund on March 23, 2009 at 5:38 PM

wonderful shot, I really like the textures and lines to this

Registered on February 9, 2009, 21 Posts, 284 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Dolde on March 23, 2009 at 5:45 PM

Love it Anil. That rock is just in the right place.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 305 Posts, 3900 Comments

Comment posted by Steve France on March 23, 2009 at 5:55 PM

Ive always really liked this one Anil...still do....wonderful image!

Registered on September 26, 2007, 89 Posts, 1477 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on March 23, 2009 at 6:05 PM

Anil, this is a real gem of an image! And it's interesting to think that the one element which seems out of place among the rest of the environment is the very same element that makes the image as nice as it is. Excellent choice of composition, and the texture and light are wonderful. I like the square format, but of curiosity, since you have the strong vertical components, would it be possible that you have a vertical framing?

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on March 23, 2009 at 7:16 PM

beautiful textures and tones

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on March 23, 2009 at 7:44 PM

Looks like one of the Wahoop hoodoos. Very cool shot, Anil, i like the simplicity of form and pattern here.

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

Comment posted by Mark Pelton on March 23, 2009 at 8:12 PM

Wow, this is a powerful composition.

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

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on March 23, 2009 at 8:21 PM

Fantastic Anil, and the square comp works perfectly. Superb image.

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

Comment posted by Ian Cameron on March 23, 2009 at 9:23 PM

Gorgeous Anil and Velvia works so wonderfully well with a limited palette of colours and even light.

Registered on August 6, 2004, 1125 Posts, 3318 Comments

Comment posted by Wade Hardy on March 23, 2009 at 9:25 PM

I love the quality of light and the simplicity of the scene. Great eye to see and capture this.

Registered on May 2, 2006, 121 Posts, 1824 Comments

Comment posted by Alex Mody on March 23, 2009 at 11:56 PM

Three sandwiches, huh? Wow!

Just kidding. This is so simple, and so beautiful. Very well done.

Registered on December 25, 2007, 163 Posts, 1896 Comments

Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on March 24, 2009 at 12:43 AM

Anil,

The last time I looked you had just posted this and there were a few views but no comments. I could not look at that time, and then I come to see that in no time at all you have an overwhelming number of comments and this made me eager to see it.

Wow! This is just stunning. The texture, lines and light come together in such an indescribable manner to bring the attention to that dark stone sitting on the little pedastool of cracked mud.

I really enjoy your thoughtful work.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments

Comment posted by Reno DiTullio on March 24, 2009 at 1:27 AM

Gorgeous, Anil, love the textures, light and wonderful lines, that little rock is "killer"

Registered on November 14, 2003, 130 Posts, 1644 Comments

Comment posted by Jimmy Gekas on March 24, 2009 at 2:38 AM

Ah, this is very, very nice. Anil, I really enjoy the simplicity of this image. However, I know how difficult it can be to find such a great composition that tells the story you want. You did an excellent job with this one.

Registered on July 26, 2007, 244 Posts, 2807 Comments

Comment posted by Giovanni Allievi on March 24, 2009 at 3:13 AM

This is just gorgeous, Anil.
One minor point to me is that the left side is a bit too bright to me, maybe a more cloudy day would help. Oh well, this is just an excuse for you to return there...

Giovanni.

Registered on March 26, 2008, 87 Posts, 379 Comments

Comment posted by Anil Rao on March 24, 2009 at 3:26 AM

Thanks for all the comments so far. I really value and appreciate the feedback.

Floris/Bill L.: I had envisoned this as a square composition from the get-go (to be extracted from the center of a horizonal frame). I am sorry but I don't have other versions.

Giovanni: Do you think it could be an issue with your computer screen? On my monitor I can see full detail in the hightlight regions on the left side. The same is true in the printed image.

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

Comment posted by beth summer on March 24, 2009 at 11:06 AM

This is fantastic, Anil. The square format is ideal for the placement of the stone in the image. Textures, lines, DOF, scale...it all comes together beautifully. Very well executed and well seen. Just goes to show that one can see simple and beautiful images on a full tummy

Thanks for sharing this.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 437 Posts, 5220 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on March 24, 2009 at 3:32 PM

Anil,

Great to see a post from you. This is outstanding. Your contemplative approach and absorbing yourself in the environment has really paid off. Texture, lines, form... this is just wonderful. And the placement of the rock is perfect. At first thought, it looked placed and perhaps out of place, but a closer look reveals the cracks beneath the rock telling a story that the rock had been there for quite some time.

Great work as always.

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Cory Freeman on March 24, 2009 at 9:56 PM

excellent image Anil and on par w/ your style. I love the subdued play of highlights and shadows and the cracks under the lone rock that Lon pointed out.

Registered on December 16, 2003, 107 Posts, 1341 Comments

Comment posted by Jose Suro on March 25, 2009 at 8:24 AM

Great composition and lovely play of light and shadow - adds great dimension to this. Great work.

Jose

Registered on June 24, 2006, 267 Posts, 2273 Comments

Comment posted by Kevin Trinkner on March 25, 2009 at 8:40 AM

Beautiful image Anil, wonderful lines and nice light. Love the simplicity you managed to capture. I went through the same feelings on a trip to Utah a few weeks back, I was completely overwhelmed when I arrived there, luckily I had several days to settle in and really start to "see" the landscape.

Excellent work and great willpower taking your time to connect with the environment.

Registered on June 30, 2008, 203 Posts, 2641 Comments

Comment posted by Julian Barkway on March 25, 2009 at 1:57 PM

Damn, this is good. No, this is really good. One of the best images I've seen here, period. Such clean simplicity - something I really struggle to achieve in my own work.

Registered on January 18, 2007, 344 Posts, 1961 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Marcellini on March 25, 2009 at 6:09 PM

A definite winner. Not a single nit, just a finely crafted image.

Registered on November 27, 2007, 250 Posts, 2468 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Benner on March 30, 2009 at 7:02 PM

Beautiful and very interesting composition. Congratulations.

Registered on December 8, 2003, 482 Posts, 1868 Comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on March 31, 2009 at 7:09 AM

Glad this won the EP... I missed it in the regular forums. Wonderful composition and detail.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on March 31, 2009 at 12:19 PM

Anil: I want to know what was in the sandwiches! Wonderful vision, wonderful result. >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Kirk Greene on March 31, 2009 at 3:10 PM

Wonderful vision and execution. Thanks for sharing the story behing the image. I am often overwhelmed when I first visit a new location. Slowing down and absorbing everything is often the only way I come away with anything creative. Congrats on EP!

Registered on May 12, 2004, 191 Posts, 1578 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on April 3, 2009 at 3:27 PM

This is a really unique image Anil, very well seen and congrats on the EP!

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments