Zabriskie Sketch

[Adhika Lie]

I like creating a play on classic pieces like this one inspired by Ansel Adam's Zabriskie Point. It might or might not be a very successful attempt, I would like to hear from you. I added a slight linear dodge on top to create an illusion of depths because of the flatness resulting from the longer focal length I use to create this image. When I captured this, it was really a play on shape and texture of the badlands in the area. The morning light helped creating beautiful shadows on the badlands and that was what drew me in the first place. Pretty much full-frame with a slight rotation to correct for horizon. This is the picture before B&W conversion (http://adhika.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/California-Desert/G0000OoTDEu9Csg4/I00002vEcbdXPzCs/C00005AIxKdMoi6Q). I am ambivalent to both. The B&W has a slight edge as it simplifies the picture to pretty much just luminosity and it is truer to Ansel's original image (minus the slight sepia).


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[Diane Miller]

Very nice! Lines leading right to left up to the dark formation, then back to the subdued BG. Bends rules -- I like that!

Color vs. B/W -- both are great, to me. My first thought was, how did he find some mist to soften the BG formations... All's fair in love and photography!

The light on these formations is amazing even in full sun. Someday I'm going to hike every foot of the trails across them, but I do love the view from up here, "above." I suspect it is the best one! I've always wondered where that dark vein came from.

Hope to see more from here! Heck -- from anywhere that turned you on!

[Valerio Tarone]

Hi Aditha
it works for me. The lines cross well from left to right.

[Morkel Erasmus]

Adhika, I love both versions for their own reasons. I am often the first guy to prefer B&W, but in this case the soft tones of the colour version really appeal to me.
Nice framing and lines. I am not familiar with this work of Ansel, will have to Google it now.

Kindly include your camera, lens and settings here?

[Don Railton]

Hi Adhika

I love both the images, but like Morkel I also have a slight preference for the colour. I think its because in the colour you can see the snow on the ridges, where as in the B&W their in a question in my mind if the ridge tops got blown out in the B&W conversion.. The colours are so muted also so it works a little like B&W.. What I like most is the lines and FG shapes, almost human forms lying together or animal forms walking in a herd.. Great shot..!

DON

[Adhika Lie]

Thanks everyone!

This was taken using the oldie but goodie Nikkor 35-70 f/3.5s. I don't have the exact focal length as it is non-CPU'd but the camera is Nikon D750 and this was taken at f/5.6, 1/50, ISO160.

Don, the white things on the ridges are not snow but how the badlands are actually colored. I am really glad how much this image let our imaginations wander.

[Don Lacy]

Wonderful image Adhika, The light, patterns , and shadows all work to guide the viewers eye through the image. I also prefer the color version ever so slightly over the BW but both are stellar.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Adhika, very nicely done I quite like the B&W conversion!!!