Fractured

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 13, 20183,308 views10 comments

I spent several evenings exploring these mud flats in Death Valley. They may look fragile but the ground here is as hard as concrete. It took me a lot of trial and error to start to begin to see patterns and appreciate how low I needed to position my lens.

5DSR, 16-35 f/4 IS L, single raw processed twice

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on March 13, 2018 at 8:53 PM

Very cool find with this one, Dave. Of course the clouds are fantastic and those cracks in the mud do a superb job of drawing me into the image toward the BG mountains. The large version is a must to really savor the details and textures in the mud flats. Great work.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on March 13, 2018 at 9:07 PM

Really good one, Dave. Great foreground detail and a whole lot of depth to the image, not to mention a nice sky. No suggestions here.

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

Comment posted by Mattia Oliviero on March 14, 2018 at 5:51 AM

Amazing foreground and very good composition, Dave.

Registered on August 24, 2016, 43 Posts, 254 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on March 14, 2018 at 11:01 AM

Dave, I'm seeing a large lizard head in the foreground here. frown

Your emphasis on the mud cracks looks great here. Glad you took the time to figure out how to show this off.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Williams on March 15, 2018 at 2:53 PM

Dave, this is a really interesting composition. I love the depth that you have captured with the composition here. The detail in the scaly playa is really good. I also really like the sky and mountains that help add to the dark mood.

Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on March 15, 2018 at 3:03 PM

Dave, I like this alot! The larger version is quite impressive to view with the beautiful soft light across the foreground and fantastic detail and texture. Excellent composition!! devil

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI.

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

Comment posted by Brian Schrayer on March 15, 2018 at 10:49 PM

Nicely done, Dave. The sweeping U-shaped line in the foreground pulls my eye immediately into the frame. I like how the clouds form an upside down u-shape to compliment the foreground lines. The longer I look at this I like the composition even more. Not only do I see the corresponding u-shapes in the foreground and clouds, but there are also corresponding diagonal lines connecting the u-shapes to the corners of the frame if that makes sense.

Registered on May 28, 2004, 114 Posts, 2890 Comments

Comment posted by Ed McGuirk on March 16, 2018 at 8:30 AM

Dave, fantastic image, it's very dramatic. I like the sort of cool white balance you used here, it adds a lot of mood to this scene. The amount of detail and texture in the large version is simply amazing. The time you spent evaluating this scene really paid off in a wonderful image.

Registered on November 29, 2017, 19 Posts, 260 Comments

Comment posted by Genny K. on March 18, 2018 at 3:52 PM

You got a really nice comp here! This shape is kinda scary, like the head of a python, but it makes a really cool image. Really graphic; this shows up even in the thumbnail. Nicely done.

Registered on June 5, 2006, 132 Posts, 2001 Comments

Comment posted by Jeffrey Sipress on March 19, 2018 at 11:59 AM

Real nice image, Dave. I know exactly where this is, as I spent a number of hours there myself. You certainly found the right curves and camera placement for a well balanced and interesting comp. I would consider brightening the foreground a bit.

Registered on February 17, 2004, 236 Posts, 1197 Comments