The Kumtag (II) Photo

Photographer’s Note

This shot was taken while ascending the tallest sand dune I could see on the edge of the Kumtag Desert near Dunhuang. Just for fun, once we made it to the top, after sitting for a while, we sprinted down the steepest part vertically. Great fun!

Copied and pasted from previous entry:

"Within walking distance of Dunhuang town centre are some enormous sand dunes at the start of the Kumtag Desert, most notable of which is Mingsha Shan, or 'Echoing Sand Mountain' in English which is renowned for the sound it makes when you slide down it. They say it sounds like thunder and at first I was sceptical, however they really aren't lying! At first it starts quietly, but as you slide further down it the sound really booms to the point where it's almost disconcerting!

This picture was not taken from Mingsha Shan, but was taken from another dune some 5km away which also shares the same characteristics. It looked close to the top of the biggest dune, but even with a bunch of young, fit and healthy guys the ascent took over 1 hour. Walking on dunes really isn't as easy as it looks!"

Shot notes:

As ever, this shot was originally taken with little contrast or saturation. Both have been increased, I've cropped it for better composition, and I've added a photoshop gradient to the sky as it was fairly white and uninteresting (though not over exposed).

Let me know what you think!

ManuMay, albertz, Silversnow, TopGeo, riclopes, magiqa, PixelTerror has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jimkilgallon (0) 2008-05-20 19:22

Hi Lee

Another good sand shot from China. Like the composition here. Im wondering if you could pull the contrast even more in the curves just to get the shadows darker and that would also add more colour to your dunes. Well done
Jim

albertz (2310) 2008-05-20 20:11

Hi Lee,
I thought this shot was taken at one of the Dunes of Namibia. Thanks for sharing this and i'm glad to see a hills of sand from China. Well done.

Albert

ManuMay (10252) 2008-05-20 23:50

Hello Lee!!
Great composition and graphism.
Spectacular colours.
Thanks again for sharing your pictures.
Best Regards.
Manuel.

Silversnow (2077) 2008-05-21 9:44

Wow! Very good composition here, the dramatic contrast is just gorgeous.
It's hard to judge the scale of it all, if it was taken 5km away it must be huge indeed :D
Good post-processing too.

lucski (3676) 2008-05-23 13:09

Wow Lee
it's like a wallpeper, great job mate
super atmosphere, perfect POV and composition
very well done
TFS lukasz

colinb (1522) 2008-05-23 14:10

Great shot. The balance of shadows and light is struck very well here. I also like how you've kept a little bit of the far off horizon in the frame so we can see the incredible scale of this place. Thanks for sharing!

TopGeo (21385) 2008-05-24 8:13

Hi lee! !! Marvellous, incredible, potential, a picture magic as from fairy tale! I congratulate you also you I praise that you did not see but could impress this picture. I him I say marvel and him I put in my loves, I thank
Georgios

riclopes (32845) 2008-06-30 4:13

Great shot of these dunes, Lee. I never picture dunes and desert, when thinking about China, but then again, that's a huge country - I really have to get back there again...Anyway, this huge slope filling the foreground has an amazing visual impact and I like the depth of the view seen in the background.
regards,
ricardo

magiqa (1262) 2008-07-18 10:34

A part of China which I have not seen yet. Looks like Sahara! Beautiful photo and effectful shadows!

foozi (4559) 2008-10-28 0:10

Hello Lee,
a great shot of the dunes.
Well composed with nice angle and lighting controlled.
sharpness and detailes are well seen.
Great graphical presentation.

Regards,
Foozi

i9l2y1m8a8t3 (241) 2008-10-28 2:54

breathtaking sand dunes, shot is very crisp and sharp! well done! the colors are nice too! love the lines and the shadows, it makes good gradient! Well captured! thanks for sharing!

PixelTerror (85994) 2008-11-11 2:58

Nihao Lee,
You have a nice collection of chinese imae, this one got my attention for it is highly amazing to see such a landscape from china, just because it does not fit to the vision we have from this country here in Europe, it shows how diverse the country is and this snaking light/shade line is very nice to follow.
Have a nice day JY