Solitary

[Adhika Lie]

From a recent trip to Death Valley NP: Solitary. One thing that I really love about this place is the solitude that it gives me whenever I am there. It feels good to leave the so-called "connections" behind and just be present at the moment.


200mm, f/11, ISO100

160729

[David Stephens]

I like the 2:1 vertical crop here, with the diagonals consistent from top to bottom, but the piece of wood casting a shadow, parallel with the bottom of the frame. There's a tiny bit of vignetting, which is most notable at the top corners. I'd correct that out. There's lots of negative space and tension caused by that, which I feel is positive.

[Don Railton]

Hi Adhika

This is screaming B&W to me..! I like the simple composition, but i think B&W would simplify it even more.. If you plan to leave it colour, then i think the shadows bottom of screen should be black, there is a lot of blue in them at the moment..

DON

[Glennie Passier]

Adhika, I also like the solitude of the deserts, but signs of man are generally not hard to find. I like the composition and diagonal lines. I did notice the blue cast in the lower shadows.

Like it a lot!

[Adhika Lie]

David, Don, & Glennie: Thanks so much for the kind words.

Good catch on the vignetting and the blue cast. I am going to take care of the vignette. The blue cast doesn't really bother me, but I tried a black & white conversion and I loved it. Thanks so much for the suggestion, Don!

The concept that I was exploring with this shot is a break in pattern. Kinda inspired by this (http://pictures.digitalrev.com/image/upload/w_1400,c_fill,q_60/v1458172163/lkixsajpedtevfynm3uy.jpg) from the Sony 2016 Award (http://bokeh.digitalrev.com/article/sony-announces-the-national-winners-of-its-2016-world-photography-awards) or Steve McCurry's infamous Lourdes nuns (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/29/bd/21/29bd218def56e24250684bb15231f98c.jpg). Another friend photographer commented, "the struggle of individuality in a sea of repetitive patterns."

[Diane Miller]

Very well seen and executed! I love the vertical format. I don't mind the blue shadows as they complement the warm sand. B/W does sound like a great idea, too. How far did you have to slog to get away from footprints?

[Adhika Lie]

Here is a B&W repost which I absolutely love. Thanks so much, Dan, for the suggestion! I brought up a little more clarity on the top half as well.

Are you guys by any chance bothered by the "piece of wood"? TBH, I am not exactly sure what it is either. It's probably one of those dead mesquite in the areas. Some friends have commented that they wish the object is more readily identifiable.

Diane, not too far. Probably about 30-40 minutes in, but we walked from the west side and not from the main parking lot.


http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000JTADDd8JwTA/s/750/I0000JTADDd8JwTA.jpg (http://adhika.photoshelter.com/image/I0000JTADDd8JwTA)

[Diane Miller]

Yes, the west side is the way to go!

The object has to be a stump of dead mesquite. It (and its shadow) makes the image! I'm now noticing the piece of a ripple in the very LL corner...

[Adhika Lie]

Ah, that bugger. Gonna fix that right away. Thanks so much, Diane!

[Morkel Erasmus]

Works both in colour and mono for me. Not too sure about the very "high" aspect ratio (height relative to width) but probably won't be as evident in large format print.
Nice texture and use of light and line.

[Adhika Lie]

Pane #7 should have an updated image cropped a little from the right.

Thanks Morkel! Interestingly, this is actually in the 3:2 format. I think the composition makes it looks taller.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Adhika, I like both versions of this image equally well. I would remove the blue from the shadowed sides of the ripples in the color version though. I like the inclusion of the small branch, but am wondering if you tried a few compositions from a lower perspective to make it appear more prominent in the foreground. I see numerous compositions centered around the inclusion of the branch :) Nice work!