I confess to succumbing to one iconic view while searching for abstracts in White Sands National Monument. The rain-pocked sand lends it a subtle distinction, but it’s still the quintessential White Sands photo.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
I’m comfortable with the limited processing I was able to do, but for me those curving leaf shadows are eye catchers. In future processing I hope to bring them into greater prominence. Any suggestions?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
I like the way the yucca shadow falls in line with the sweep of the background dune shadows. Is that a striking element for anyone else?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Nikon D750 and Nikkor 24-120mm f/4 handheld.
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
Hank I think you’ve balanced the composition in this one. To me the comp is contemporary as opposed to Quintessential It’s almost dissonant but is harmonised.
Wonderful! I love the composition, and I agree that the yucca shadow complements the dune shadow (or vice verse). The shadows are quite prominent to my eye - not sure I’d want to accentuate them any further.
Hank, in some dune images that we see, it is the ripples in the sand that act as leading lines. I like what you have instead done here by using the shadows as leading lines. The shadow of the yucca has just a marvelous shape. The processing looks good to me as presented, but I also agree with @Bonnie_Lampley that I would not go any further with the black point in the shadows. If you wanted to push the contrast further, it would probably work okay in B&W, but to my taste this is as far as I would go in color. While this image works very well in color, I think it would also make a quite striking B&W too.
Quintessential but definitely not boring, Hank. The pinching in the shadow of the yucca makes it look like there is some kind of curvature to the dunes and I think it is very pleasing. I agree that this is as much as I would go in terms of processing it as a color picture. Looks like a very well thought out composition, Hank. Thanks for sharing this with us.
It is a very strong image, I like the way the two dark shadow areas intersect at almost right angle the patterns of sand ripples, and the whole regular texture is interrupted by the yucca… Thanks for sharing, it is very inspiring.
Most definitely a fine dunes image, Hank. The strong sidelight works well, not only with the yucca and the shaded part of the dune, but the ripples in the sand give it a pleasing texture, and the whole comp balances quite nicely. It’s also notable, as compared to other White Sands images I’ve taken, that the golden hour color gives it a warmth that one might often miss most any other time of day. It seems like a B&W would work very well. My only suggestion, I think it could benefit from a little more space below and to the right of the yucca.
Interesting thought Bill, and I’ll explore. I have a couple framed that way, but felt the “balance” between the yucca shadow and dune shadow was diminished. Gotta contemplate again! Thanks.
