Esther Steffens
January 2025 - Mesquite Flat sand dunes
About the Image(s)
In October, I went to Death Valley, California with Awake the Light Photo Workshops and Tours run by Mollie Isaacs. Midday was still hot in October so we went out before sunrise, late afternoon and before and during sunset. It is the hottest, driest and lowest National Park and covers over three million acres and hundreds of miles of paved and unpaved roads.The photo was taken in the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes on 10/22/24 at 6:49 PM.
Canon 90D
Tamron lens 16-300
This round’s discussion is now closed!
6 comments posted
I took a similar image! This is very close to Stovepipe Wells, there is a good contrast between desert and the distant mountains. My only suggestion would be to crop the sky out of the composition - it adds little in the way of content. Posted: 01/21/2025 16:00:21
I love the contrast of the flowing smoothness of the dunes against the sharp contours of the mountains beyond. I personally disagree with David. Seeing the peaks of the mountains adds additional contrast to the dunes, and the sky isn't the interest but the sharpness of the mountains is. A very interesting an excellent travel shot. Posted: 01/23/2025 08:15:53
Lovely image of Death Valley--one of my favorite places. I agree with Michael--the sky enables us to see the tops of the peaks. The image has a nice contrast of textures and the
light on the dunes is very nice. Well done. Posted: 01/25/2025 12:05:11
light on the dunes is very nice. Well done. Posted: 01/25/2025 12:05:11
Death Valley is wonderful, but a difficult environment. I've been there on multiple occasions. The smooth shapes and texture of the dunes here contrast well with the jagged crags of the mountains in the background. The shrubs in the foreground help to anchor the composition. Posted: 01/25/2025 21:03:11
Esther Steffens
I submitted this image in my photography club and it received a 23 out of 27. The cut off was 24 so it wasn't accepted. I like this a lot and will enter it again in a couple months. Thanks for your comments. I like the sky and will leave it in. Posted: 01/26/2025 23:42:50
I think your image is just lovely, Esther, and love the layers to the image. The foreground with shrubs, and the various ridges of the dunes, the darkly shadowed area, and then the mountains against the lovely sky. Yes, to me the sky adds another layer too which adds interest to the image. Your composition is wonderful and the image is very sharp. Great job! Posted: 01/30/2025 23:25:05