Pointing to the Past, a photo from Hardap, South

Photographer's Note

Deadvlei must surely be one of the most photographed locations in Namibia. It is an ‘otherworldly’ place where the skeleton trees point back to a time of plentiful water. The bottom of the ‘remnant pan’ displays polygonal mud cracks, which were formed by the shrinkage of clays during the drying process. The dead camelthorn trees give a radiocarbon age of ca. 900 years

Sossusvlei is often wrongly called a saltpan. Those who have seen the Etosha Salt Pan, will immediately recognize, that Sossusvlei represents another geological situation, the formation of a clay pan. The water of the Tsauchab with its dissolved salts quickly oozes away into the sands (the opposite to the Etosha Pan), thus no time is available for salt precipitation on the surface. This water collects in pore spaces in the underlying Tshondab Sandstones and is funneled along old river courses, which are the remnants from when the Tsauchab still poured its floods into the Atlantic, underneath the dunes to the coast. These now subsurface ‘rivers’ are the explanation for the fresh water occurrences along the Namibian coast for example near Meob Bay (Tsauchab River) or south of Walvis Bay in the Sandwich Lagoon (Tshondab River).

The line of camelthorn trees, which you can see along the broad valley of the Tsauchab River on your way to Sossusvlei show evidence of the subsurface flowing water occurrences of the Tsauchab. The many dead trees prove however, that in more recent times lots of water courses in the subsurface have dried up. The reason for this is not only the poor rainy seasons, but also people have caused a general drop of the groundwater level in the area of the entire Namib Desert by ever increasing extraction. Therefore, even the good rainy seasons which fill up Sossusvlei with their water masses do not changed the long-term situation.

mkamionka, jjcordier, brianmcc, brianmcc, Royaldevon, bayno, timecapturer, williewhistler, krzychu30, annjackman, tyro, lregoli, lgir, lakshmip1949, bukitgolfb301, adores, josepmarin, baddori, Cricri, Didi, Graal, adidas5nb has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mkamionka (24537) 2012-05-07 0:11

Hi Rosemary,
yes indeed it is a very unique and recognizable place. It is my dream to visit it one day. I like the amazing colors. Blue sky goes so well with the orange sand and dried earth. The silhouettes of the dried trees and their shades work very dramatic. You were also lucky to have some nice cloud pattern.
Beautiful composition,
M

ifege (9440) 2012-05-07 0:13

Hi Rosemary
The location is justly popular for photography and your photo must rate with the best of one taken there. Great composition with foreground tree and shadow. briiliant colour. Congratulations!
cheers
Ian

Suppiluliuma (3843) 2012-05-07 0:24

A beautiful Deadvlei scene, with the typical dead tree which atypically seems to carry clouds on its "shoulders". Colros are magnificent. Note is noteworthy.

Just beautiful. Have you chnaged your equipment, the colors here are much more natural, it seemed.

TFS.

Erdem

dta (51454) 2012-05-07 0:40

Hello Rosemary ,
Another gorgeous picture in this fantastic place . Perfectly composed , with the best light and a great sky .
Bravo

LOOOK13 (19022) 2012-05-07 1:41

Salut Rosemary.
Fantastic...
Best regards.

dkmurphys (36819) 2012-05-07 1:43

Hi Rosemary,
That place is incredible. The dead trees are weird but very picturesque. Well taken, have a nice week.

Daniel

jjcordier (62344) 2012-05-07 1:48

Rosemay
Ce paysage est fantastique mais c'est surtout la très grande qualité de la photo que j'admire. Tout est superbe, de la composition aux couleurs en passant par la lumière. Cet arbre dénudé et son ombre sont extraordinaires et le ciel en arrière plan très beau. Bravo pour cette merveille!
Amicalement
JJ

lregoli (423) 2012-05-07 2:00

Hi Rosemary,

I never get tired of seeing pictures of this wonderful place. Usually, people tend to saturate the colors and underexpose the photo, so yours seems to have a more natural looking, which only confirms the beauty of this place. Wonderful image!

TFS! Best regards,
Leonardo

brianmcc (5536) 2012-05-07 2:08

hi rosemary,
even though it may be one of the most photographed locations in namibia it never fails to impress. and your composition really is visually impressive. the tree is placed perfeclty in the frame with its branches spreading out across the sky. the clouds are perfectly placed also to give the impression of being white ghostly leaves on the dead tree. beautiful colours and light throughout the picture.
regards,
brian

Royaldevon (17791) 2012-05-07 2:27

Hello Rosemary,

This place evokes a mixture of emotions: sadness at the death of an area, yet beauty in the upward pride of these skeletal trees.
You have captured the scene with a fine composition, placing the focal tree strongly in the frame and also conscious of the rule of thirds.
I love how the shadow pulls the attention sideways across the frame.

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

jemaflor (68943) 2012-05-07 3:03

Hi Rosemary,
This stange place is always a pleasure to see, a shot erfectly composed with the shadow on the ground, perfect light capture, good memories for me.

marcan44 (6223) 2012-05-07 3:29

Ciao Rosemary,
uno scatto che testimonia con gli scheletri degli alberi un passato storico molto lontano.
Mi piace molto l'accostamento delle tinte arancio della terra con l'azzurro del cielo.
L'albero in primo piano con la sua ombra dà una grande profondità prospettica a questo cimitero di alberi.
Il POV ben studiato è eccellente e così anche la gestione di luci e ombre.
Congratulazioni
Have a nice day
Mario

AuldCom (196) 2012-05-07 3:33

Hi Rosemary,
It's an amazing composition, I really love it ! Everything is at the right place, with right colors, depth and sharpness. I would easily award bonus points if possible ! TFS
Congratulations,
Stéphane

bayno (16209) 2012-05-07 4:41

Ciao Rosemary,
A powerful light and a surreal landscape, impeccable work, beautiful colors and a Camera set at its best, fascinating shot....
my warm regards...
Valter

timecapturer (30334) 2012-05-07 4:43

Hi Rosemary
stunning shot this! The colours and light here are amazing, but it is the shadows and boney outlines of the dead trees that are the stars here. The whole image exudes a sad atmosphere but it is oh so effective and compelling.

Regards - Brian.

francio64 (38188) 2012-05-07 4:45

Hi Rosemary,
una composizione molto bella con piacevoli note grafiche.
Ottima la gestione della luce e il contrasto cromatico generale.

TFS!
Francesco

Sergiom (39259) 2012-05-07 5:00

Bonjour Rosemary,

J'aime beaucoup cette composition qui utilise parfaitement l'ombre de l'arbre sur le sable. Cet endroit désertique est un magnifique canevas pour le photographe.

Amicalement

Serge

chrisvek (5483) 2012-05-07 5:10

Hello Rosemary

Amazing landscape and very quiet.I like very much the amount of saturation and the background of this wonderful sky.Excellent POV and very nice "game" with the shadows from the trees.

Have a nice day
Chris

JFS (32153) 2012-05-07 5:36

Absolutely incredible! What can i say of this top CLASS work...AMAZING!!!! THANKS A LOT ROSEMARY!!!

williewhistler (7283) 2012-05-07 6:06

Hello Rosemary ,
your composition using the shadows the shadows to fill the FG works very well,the stark dead trees standing out against the orange dunes have an almost primeval appearance.
Nicely sharp and well exposed it`s another very fine photograph of this most interesting location.
Kind regards Les.

yquem46 (32271) 2012-05-07 6:59

Hello Rosemary
Another excellent shot, very iconic of the Sossusvlei dunes
Nicely saturated colors, luminous landscape, good use of the tree shadow in the compo
have a nice day
Best regards
Patrick

krzychu30 (8879) 2012-05-07 7:40

Hello Rosemary,
this place looks so beautiul.Simply unbelievable.You were able to convey well its beauty and charm.Colors are delightful,so vivid and the contrast between them is also eye-catching.Superb composition,
Best Regards
Krzysztof

eldancer1 (17064) 2012-05-07 9:09

Beautiful and powerful composition! So barren and disolate beautiful but scary to look at. Great photographic quality. Good dof with sharp details. Wonderful colors with good saturatoin. Very well done, tfs.

amaryllis (30149) 2012-05-07 9:22

Bonjour
cet arbre est majestueux comme les petits en arrière plan!
le cadrage est excellent, les ombres sur le sable, les contrastes de couleur, excellente réalisation
Juliette

rychem (9227) 2012-05-07 12:14

Fantastic place and fantastic photo, excellent graphism of the dead tree
regards
Ryszard

annjackman (13219) 2012-05-07 12:17

Hello Rosemary,
We did not make it to Deadvlei as we spent so much time in the dunes. I would return to Namibia just to spend a day in this place! You have taken a classic shot. The shadow of the dead tree and the dymanic look of the clouds are particularly attractive. The DOF brings out all the colours and detail of the trees against the dunes. Awesome landscape!
Best wishes, Ann

vapours (8258) 2012-05-07 14:02

Fantastic again Rosemary. Im not normally a fan of landscape images, but your recent ones are just incredible.

The smooth silky colour, the mix of browns and the tree branching out into that polarised sky looks great. It almost looks computer generated its so perfect.

tyro (13101) 2012-05-07 15:26

Hello Rosemary,

Again your knowledge of the geology and ecology of these areas of Namibia continues to astound me. Am I correct in thinking that these "skeleton" trees are indeed dead and will not revive when the rains reappear?

Your composition here is lovely and your use of a wide angle lens has given the composition a dramatic appearance with that wonderful "explosive" effect of the clouds in the sky. The stark foreground tree is striking enough but with its dark shadow is even more so. Perfect exposure, gorgeous colours and stunning details and sharpness.

Fabulous!

Kind Regards,

John.

jimkil (1664) 2012-05-07 20:45

Hello Rosemary
Once again a fantastic shot, saturations look perfect, not overcooked, strong and natural. The shadow definitely helps this tree stand out more than the others, the crispness is perfect.
Kia Ora
Jim

chrislo (2173) 2012-05-08 2:32

Hello Rosemary,
It looks like a petrified tree in a lunar background. The simplicity of the composition added to the nicely staurated colours give an incredible strength to this image. The amazing contrast of the dark trees against the reddish sand dunes is fabulous and creates an amazing desert scene. The quality of your shot is excellent and one can really feel the hard conditions of any kind of life here symbolized by the dead trees.
A spectacular scene perfectly framed and executed.
Kind regards,
Christian

ManuMay (33345) 2012-05-08 3:47

Hi Rosemay!

A magical and amazing place!!

Wonderful colours and very nice composition with the tree branches, superb sky and light management...Great!!

Have a nice day...

Manu

lgir (6215) 2012-05-08 10:24

Hello Rosemary,

beautiful composition with this beautiful staging of this dead tree in the foreground which deploys its silhouette in the sky and with his shadow.
The light and colors are an excellent rendered on this superb achievement.
Very good work
Regards
Laurent

mesutilgim (67982) 2012-05-08 13:12

Hello Rosemary,
Wonderfull capture of this lonesome tree in desert.
Perfect pov and perfect effect.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Jeppo (17623) 2012-05-08 13:14

Oh my God!
the more picture from you I see, the more I want to fly downunter to Namibia.
Colours are burning vivid...and the sky mighty and blue.
what a symphony of colours

tfs
Silvio

lakshmip1949 (19110) 2012-05-08 13:17

Hello Rosemary,

You have created such a beautiful image with these dead trees. The weather has worked in your favor giving that nice blue colored sky with puffy white clouds. The orange tones of the ground and the mountain give a nice color contrast. The sharpness and lighting are fantastic.

Lakshmi

bukitgolfb301 (30067) 2012-05-08 18:28

Hello my dear Rosemary

Great and wonderful postcard again!
So clear and sharp comfrotable image!
So well considered framework and composition.
Great blue sky!
Thanks for your sharing with your good job and have a good day, best regards,

Takero from Tokyo

adores (28218) 2012-05-10 17:44

Hi Rosemary!
This is surely one of the most famous and impressive landscapes! Your photo is great, the colours and the composition. Somehow, it seems the clouds are part of the tree and the shadow of the tree on the ground is perfect. Very good work!

leo61 (0) 2012-05-10 22:47

Hi Rosemary!
A place, I have to visit some day.
Great composition with the shadow and these nice clouds.
looks fantastic on Ipad.
greetings from Bali,
Leo

josepmarin (55051) 2012-05-11 1:10

Hello Rosemary,
this one is a really fantastic image, which looks like a painting.
I like the strong graphical effect of the skeleton trees, especially the one that is in foreground, and their contrast with the nice hues of the desert.
The blue sky with a few nice decorative clouds, the great light and the shades, they create a very beautiful and very elegant composition.
Best wishes,
Josep

Robert1969 (6238) 2012-05-11 9:59

Hello Rosemary,

Great point of view and composition,
the movements of the clouds fits
very well with the "movements" of
the branches of the tree(including
his shadow). Light management is
also great.

Friendly regards,
Robert

baddori (18988) 2012-05-12 22:20

Rosemary,
Splendido luogo in una nazione incontaminata.
Resa al meglio dell'ambiente .
Senso di spazio e di vita che "sopravvive" come nella notte dei tempi.
GF

Silvio1953 (98183) 2012-05-17 6:32

Ciao Rosemary, fascinating composition with lonely dead tree and impressive desert landscape, fantastic shadow, splendid light and wonderful warm colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

Cricri (86463) 2012-05-20 0:09

Hi Rosemary
Magnifique la présentation de cet endroit fantastique, j'aime l'ombre de l'arbre nu qui ce dessine sur le sable, des couleurs et un ciel superbe
Belle journée
cricri

Didi (48930) 2012-05-20 17:21

Hi Rose
900 years ago I was very young :)
Indeed this is a nice deep foreground.
Your wide angle lens gave an interesting impression of space in the sky.
Best regards

Graal (88908) 2012-05-21 0:26

Hello Rosemary,
unusual landscape here. Good shot. Great effect. Friends all told You. Photo I like a lot.
Have a nice week.
Aleksander

i9l2y1m8a8t3 (4435) 2012-05-24 5:20

WOW! another stunner! I bet this was a haven, such wonderful playground for you, there are just so many interesting things to capture! Love the colors in here, the vibrant tones, clear skies and everything, it's just perfect, oops, hmmmm, I guess I'd straighten the horizon in here, beautiful shot regardless! I'm so drooling right now, more pictures from this place please!! haha

best regards,
Matt

P.S. Hope you had enough time to grasp this place, and hope your husband didn't hurry you. =)

[workshop] [compare] +

mjw364 (3706) 2012-06-08 8:23

This is an amazing shot... I love the colour and the sharpness... what I like most is the dead trees in a line across the centre... they look like dead fingers trying to claw their way back up out of the ground... give it an abstract aspect... and what a sky... brilliant...

adidas5nb (1121) 2012-07-27 22:10

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!