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Morkel Erasmus
10-24-2010, 04:38 AM
I have just come back from a short trip to the Kalahari desert. We spent one afternoon in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the midst of a typical Kalahari thunderstorm.

After the storm had passed over, leaving only a trinket of the first summer rains which this arid place desperately needs, this rainbow appeared in the sky. The sun was also just peeking through the storm clouds on its descent to the horizon and illuminated this harsh but beautiful land nicely.

I had to compose from the SUV window as getting out here is not allowed and could also result in me becoming lion-food (although there were no lions around in the immediate visible area ;)).

What I've found in the Kalahari as well is that your landscape shots are typically either busy and cluttered with no strong focal point, or minimalistic like this one with a distinct tree or dune.

All critique most welcome...

Techs:
Canon 1000D with 10-22mm USM @ 22mm
f6.3 @ 1/25 SS @ ISO-200
Exp +1
Circular Polariser attached

Roman Kurywczak
10-24-2010, 10:35 AM
Hey Morkel,
In this case I think the minimalist approach works and conveys the feel of the Kalahari nicely. Looks like yo had the 2nd rainbow forming also and it was a wise choice to place the tree where you did in the frame although it does have a slight halo around it (easy fix). I know you left the room up top because of the 2nd rainbow and while t I do feel it would still work with a crop off the top....I think it would lose some of the mood....so in this case my preference would be to leave it as is. Fix the halo and this one will work very nicely!

Morkel Erasmus
10-24-2010, 10:56 AM
thanks Roman - I'm working on a non-calibrated laptop at the moment so I don't see the halo...will rework once I'm on my regular screen again...

Bill Randall
10-25-2010, 09:04 AM
The feeling of the lone tree standing in the vast openess draws me to this image. I as Roman said would leave the space as is. The placement of the tree wrt rainbows is interesting also. I think this image would work even without the rainbows and would be dynamite in b and w. I also can see the halo around the tree.

Robert Amoruso
10-26-2010, 06:16 AM
I agree with Roman's comments on your image Morkel, well framed and composed - minimal works best.

Dennis "Curly" Buchner
10-27-2010, 08:40 PM
Nice Morkel, I wish I had lions too worry about

Morkel Erasmus
10-27-2010, 11:53 PM
thanks for your comments Bill, Robert & Curly...:)