Climate Change, a photo from Oshikoto, North

Photographer's Note

We hear much about climate change and global warming and our influence on or lack thereof is a hotly debated topic. Our planet had undergone both physical and climatic changes since its birth and will continue to do so until its death. Do we play a part? The jury is divided.

It’s difficult to believe but 300 million years ago, what we now call the Etosha Basin, in which the Etosha Pan is situated, was covered by and scoured out by glaciers. This was the time of the Gondwana Ice Ages. Glacial action lasted about 20 million years and then the climate changed to one of heat and aridity. Glaciers melted and dune fields took their place. That is just the beginning of the story of the pan’s formation. For those interested I recommend an excellent and easy to follow article - www.completenamibia.com/Geology.htm

This photograph is copyright of Rosemary Walden - © Rosemary Walden 2013. All rights reserved. Any redistribution or reproduction of the image in any form is prohibited. You may not, except with my express written permission, copy, reproduce, download, distribute or exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system

kasianowak, danos, timecapturer, spigola, chanteuse, chrislo, krzychu30, HimalAnda, ktanska, marabu61, jjcordier, papagolf21, trevormoffiet, Noel_Byrne, tyro, delpeoples, Hansaphotos, mvdisco, Gigidusud, Cricri, tatadalou, Curious_Eye has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

SteveH (6155) 2013-03-09 1:42

Hi Rosemary, the wide angle was a good choice, showing both the cracked earth and soaring sky. Very different to my recollection of etosha when it was dry. Nice work. Cheers, Steve

npecanhuk (53919) 2013-03-09 1:42

Hi! Very interesting and attractive natural details! Very beautiful picture where the highlights are the colors, vertical format, chosen pov and composition! Cheers, Neyvan

kasianowak (2271) 2013-03-09 1:45

Hi Rosemary
Classic shot with lovely combination of colours and well-chosen proportion between foreground and the sky.
Thank you for the interesting note.
Best wishes
Kasia

danos (74064) 2013-03-09 2:11

Hello Rosemary,
nice the good reportage shot from the climate change,as we can see the dry bottom on the foreground.
I like the excellent light and colour management as the clarity of the image.

Regards,Danos

carlo62 (12666) 2013-03-09 2:35

Ciao Rosemary
una discussione infinita con il solo risultato che, quando la natura lo vorrà, farà ciò che vuole, distruggendo tutto ciò che abbiamo creato e che non fa parte della natura stessa.
Bellissima immagine, pende leggermente a sinistra, ma il risultato è eccellente.
Saluti
Carlo

manrezaei (1710) 2013-03-09 2:40

Hi Rosemary,

A unique image of cracked ground.

Cheers

Mansour

[workshop] [compare]

timecapturer (30394) 2013-03-09 2:51

Hi Rosemary
a stunning mix of elements here and an evocative subject that will run and run till extinction I suppose. Love the way you have created this image with sharp fg detailing and striking colours especially the blues in the sky. It is a wonderful mix and a spellbinding presentation. Love it!

Enjoy the weekend - Brian.

spigola (333) 2013-03-09 4:06

Dear Rosemary,

Here is the perfect combination of earth, water and air - the vital elements that we so carelessly ignore is everyday life.
Your picture is a sublime hommage to nature itself and what mankind can do to endanger it.
Congratulations,
Adina

Sergiom (39336) 2013-03-09 5:21

Bonjour Rosemary

J'aime beaucoup ce beau cadrage vertical qui donne beaucoup de profondeur à l'image. J'aime le cadrage sur ce très beau ciel avec ses reflets dans les eaux calmes.J'aurais aimé une plus longue exposition pour voir l'effet de flou dur l'eau.

Amicalement

Serge

yquem46 (32323) 2013-03-09 5:37

Hi Rosemary
Not so convinced by your 400th, so I'm glad glad to have this one that I like much better ti wish you many more quality posts in your gallery and thank you for your involvement in this site
have a nice WE, best regards
patrick

chrislo (2173) 2013-03-09 6:21

Hello Rosemary,
A very simple but eyecatching landscape of this African drought stricken region. I like the long vertical POV, the amazing perspective and the texture of the cracked earth. You've managed to really add a great sense of depth to the image with fantastic detail from the foreground all the way to the wonderful deep blue sky. A very appealing composition with great light and chromatic contrast. Very well done.
Kind regards,
Christian

ACL1978 (5793) 2013-03-09 7:45

You've struck on a vigorously contested topic in the US, certainly, Rosemary. I tend to side with the overwhelming body of evidence from climate scientists that point to human intervention and influence here, but either way, it is a deepening catastrophe that will have great impact over the globe. Sadly, places like this - just on the border of an inhospitable climate - will be among the worst affected, and the specter of increased drought especially in Africa is one of the worst possible outcomes.

An interesting look at this geologically fascinating place - I like how the reflections almost erase the boundary between land and sky here. The dry, cracked land makes a starkly different FG. Very successful and interesting shot - thanks!

Andrew

dkmurphys (36857) 2013-03-09 8:26

Hi Rosemary,
A perfect capture to illustrate your idea. I think even we accelerate it or we stand apart, nature has it's own logical road.
Enjoy the weekend.

Daniel

krzychu30 (8935) 2013-03-09 8:54

Hello Rosemary,
I feel like you took us in a journey showing us how has changed the climate in the history of the Earth.It´s hard to imagine,that in this place was once a glacier and today the place looks so dry.And the photo itself-even if it show us adverse changes of climate-still appeals to me much.I like especially the way you composed and framed the scene creating different layers.At the bottom we have dry land than the shallow water and the sky.Color scheme of the image is really delightful.I enjoy how different,vivid colors contrast with each other.

Have a nice weekend
Krzysztof

COSTANTINO (42746) 2013-03-09 8:57

Hello
it is a perfect capture taken from the
best point of view showing strongly
the climate changes,interesting and
attractive nature details,shot with
great ligtness and sharpness
classic capture of the cloudy sky
with a lot of impressive details
you did your best
regards
Costantino

HimalAnda (5632) 2013-03-09 9:20

Hello Rosemary,

Congratulations for this beautiful picture, very graphical, playing with the different textures.

Stéphane

JFS (32189) 2013-03-09 11:38

Wow! what a marvel! I get lost between the earth and the sky...It can't be more impressive and delightfull, thanks Rosemary, your works never let me indifferent.
Cheers,
Juan

ktanska (21527) 2013-03-09 12:15

Hi Rosemary,
That looks amazing! It seems that the region has finally received rain. While background is covered with water, foreground shows dry and crumbled terrain. Impressive sky too.
Kari

marabu61 (3952) 2013-03-09 15:23

Hello Rosemary
Now for me there is no doubt that man has his fair share in the present climate change. Never has the temperature of the planet risen so fast in such a short period.
Funnily enough this phenomenon creates colder winter in Europe due to the melting of the polar ice.
This is a great shot. I like how the parched foreground gradually merges with the amazing sky and thus creating the perfect illusion of water.
have a good sunday
Daniel

ifege (9450) 2013-03-09 20:15

Hi Rosemary - I think that the jury has decided - just some people refuse to accept that they might have to change their ways. Good photo with the detail of the dried cracks and you've brought up the cloud detail very well as well.
cheers
Ian

jjcordier (62394) 2013-03-09 23:44

Rosemary
Sublime photo de cet étonnant endroit. Une merveille de technique et d'esthétique. J'en reste bouche bée!
Amicalement
JJ

papagolf21 (76611) 2013-03-10 1:35

Bonjour, chère Rosemary,
Vous avez un talent consommé pour nous offrir des images sortant des sentiers battus.
Ici, encore, le résultat est superbe, une impression de fin du monde ou inversement !
La beauté générale est spectaculaire.
Amitiés.
Philippe

trevormoffiet (925) 2013-03-10 3:26

Hi Rosemary,
Great photo. I like the gradual merging of colours and textures from foreground through to sky.
Regards,
Trevor

Noel_Byrne (7450) 2013-03-10 7:44

hi Rosemary
Thank you again for your excellent note which compliments your excellent picture so well.
The arid foreground is food for thought, the dry cracked ground like that is something I never see, so its quite amazin to see it presented like this.
Amazing how the water has taken on such a soft mirror like sheen, reflecting that incredible sky. THe sky itself leaps out of the shot. A beautiful contrast of colours, thanks as always for sharing
All the best
Noel

karacabeylis (1287) 2013-03-10 7:58

is there a better image to emphasize the importance of global warming. a perfect composition and ideal colors.
super shot!

tyro (13149) 2013-03-10 10:09

Hello Rosemary,

A very interesting and informative note you have given us here. And, whether the human race is or is not partly responsible for climate change, I suspect it is going to be some time before you can cool off on a glacier during a Namibian summer.

A beautiful photograph which owes much of its appeal to its stunningly simple composition and the juxtaposition of just two complementary colours - blue and yellow/brown. The textures in the dry, cracked earth are stunning and coarse, the reflections on the calm waters of the pan are beautifully soft and smooth and the characterful sky tops it all off magnificently.

Gorgeous light and colours, perfect exposure and stunning details and clarity.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

P.S. I'm just wondering - did you use a ND graduated filter for this one? Just a question/thought that crossed my mind.

delpeoples (45018) 2013-03-11 0:18

Dear Rosemary

Wow, this is not just a stunning photo, it's so much more than that. It shows what is happening to our planet in such a dramatic and visually impressive way. Superb vertical frame, amazing textures and the soft pastel colours are like a beautiful dream. Superb shot, thanks for sharing.

hugs
Lisa

Hansaphotos (5449) 2013-03-11 7:38

Hello Rosemary

Good use of the wide angle lens. The cracks in the foreground and the amazing clouds has a great visual impact here. Interesting topic. I think there is combination of both antrophogenic and natural variations in climate. It`s great that it has been established supranational organizations that deals with these issues. There`s also a very attractive combination of colours in this fabulous shot. Thanks for sharing the link. Excellent work:) TFS. Have a great week.

Best regards, Erling

batalay (32868) 2013-03-11 15:21

Hello Rosemary,

At the outset, I want to apologize for addressing you as "Ann" in my last critique. I had just completed writing a note to Ann Jackman, and I must have been fixated on the name. This is a superb package for Trekearth, both for the essay and the note. As a professor of physics, I have a sense of the deleterious effect we might be having on nature, but I cannot be entirely certain. Most of the work done in this field is not good science, and the contentious arguments are more in akin to religion than science. (It was preposterous that our former Vice-President was given a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts, including writing a book on the subject, when he is not even a "bad scientist.") Yours is a very balanced presentation, and a first rate example of photojournalism, as short as it is.

Warm regards,

Bulent

mvdisco (16458) 2013-03-11 21:57

Bonjour RoseMary, hi,
A beautiful landscape with beautiful tone of colors and light,
Nice POV. and DOF. with a sharp presentation,
great details and composition,
Nicely taken and done,
Michel

Gigidusud (8106) 2013-03-15 13:59

Hello Rosemary,
Beautiful landscape with nice colors and splendid sky reflections on the sea.Great choice format and interesting note.
Thanks for sharing.
Gigi

emka (58224) 2013-03-15 23:41

Hi again,

Fantastic shot from Etosha made in the end of the year. Amazing to see it with water. Fantastic depth, marvelous delicate colours. Striking contrast between the dry earth and smooth water surface. Magnificent image.
Malgo

Cricri (86535) 2013-03-18 7:12

Hi Rosemary
Un paysage merveilleux, profond, inhabituelle et impressionnant a voir,une autre vraie beauté de votre pays
Belle journée
cricri

tatadalou (3273) 2013-03-18 14:41

Hi Rosemary,
It looks like a surrealistic paint ! The sky and the lake seem to merge on the horizon. Nice light managemennt and colours.
Regards,
Delphine

abmdsudi (26311) 2013-03-20 9:28

Hi Rosemary
A good shot full of drama to impart a feeling of a landscape and turbulent atmosphere, a minimalistic and evocative shot almost no signs of life that looks desolate. Having said that I totally like the image and understand the message you are portraying through your write up. Well done
Kind regards

macjake (39235) 2013-03-24 9:25

Hi rosemary
There sure seems to be alot of photo opps in Namibia! Looks like a beautiful country with such oddly nature scenes. Love the mix of colors here and of course the textures along the bottom area of the frame. Great sharpness and all with a unique subject. Good work as always
Cheers craig

Curious_Eye (864) 2013-03-29 2:06

Hello Rosemary,

This is a cracking picture - literally and metaphorically. Your use of the natural lines is superb with a very dramatic result. Love the depth of field and the details in the foreground. Congratulations and thank you for sharing!

With best regards,
Izabela