Ships of the desert, a photo from Rajasthan, West

Photographer's Note

What animal might you think of, if someone were to ask you to name an animal that lives in the desert? Would it be the camel? If so, that’s not surprising. Of all the animals that live in the desert, camels probably are the most famous and for good reason! Camels are known as the "ships of the desert." These huge mammals are one of God’s most intriguing creations.

Here in Bikaner, camels can be seen everywhere carrying people, transporting goods, pulling carts, ploughing fields, plodding patiently through trackless sands or sitting still in camps after a hard day under the blistering sun. They can easily glide across desert sands with ease and provide one of the most important modes of transportation for people in desert areas. But they can maintain the slow and steady speed for longer periods of time over great distances and can carry extremely heavy loads in the process. These animals can survive a very long time without any food or water something that makes the animal perfect for the dry, hardy life out here in the harsh Thar Desert. Camels are important in Rajasthan's daily life for milk, meat and hides as well. And at most festivals, fairs and weddings, people pay tribute to their importance by decking out their camels in colorful ornamental harness and accutrement, silver chains, silk tassels, etc. This tradition of celebratiing the camel still plays an integral role in the lives of many families in this part of Rajashthan. This animal is most admired among all the animal species and inseparable from Rajasthanis' daily life, and is considered the pride of the place.

Interestingly camels also have been used in Bikaner's Military history since 1465 when the Bikaner Camel Corps was founded. The BCC served in both World Wars and during border conflicts with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971. Together with Jaisalmer Camel Corps they are an important military wing of the Border Security Force of Indian Para-Military. In fact India is probably the only country in the world where the BSF not only does the job of protecting the frontiers but also trains camels to be part of a full fledged battalions. The BSF is the single biggest employer of camels. Largest in Asia, the BSF camel farm in Bikaner is managed by the central government and breeds about half of the camel population in India.

Shot taken near Ladera village, Thar desert some 30km from Bikaner

WS1: Highly decorated camel in front of Junagarh Fort
WS2: Delicately crafted camel, Thar Desert

patdeph, erhan1958, Tayon, danos, bayno, PaulVDV, Charo, CLODO, jhm, Cricri, Budapestman, kato, adramad, shevchenko, faubry, nikkitta, daddo, adores, Angshu, Vasa, fotka, Kielia, axiotea, Robert1969, ourania, elenimavrandoni has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Yiannis84 (2824) 2011-12-26 6:24

Amazing foto...

suburb clarity with nice colors..

regards

Yiannis

patdeph (35738) 2011-12-26 6:26

hello Abmdsudi
a picture of the desert superbly framed,with a magnificent sky where the clouds give an incredible perspective as a great dynamism.I love the presence of the man on the left,showing that the camel have an owner,and I like the opposition of the 2 colors,blue for the sky and gold for the sand.Splendid!
Regards
Pascale

dta (51294) 2011-12-26 6:30

Hello Abmdsudi ,
The fantastic sky provides agreat feeling of dynamism to the picture . Excellent choice to give a large part to it . The composition is really attractive .
Regards

mauro61 (52527) 2011-12-26 6:35

ciao Abmdsudi,
bellissima questa ambientazione con uno splendido cielo che sovrasta la zona sopra i dromedari.
Ottima la definizione,
saluti e auguri
maurizio

siudzi (23837) 2011-12-26 6:38

Hi Abmdsudi,

Amazing shot captured from a well selected POV to provide us with such a wonderful sight. A top quality image with extremely good composition and cropping. Like it very much!

Have a nice day!
Malgorzata

prasun984 (5590) 2011-12-26 6:40

Hi Abmdsudi,
lovely landscape shot with nice composition...like the wonderful blue texture sky above the camels...
superb clarity...nice low POV with nice color tones & sharpness...

Prasun

erhan1958 (13043) 2011-12-26 6:46

namesta abmdsudi
perfect clearty and colours
ver very deep shot
hapy and healty 2012
greetings
erhan

i9l2y1m8a8t3 (4435) 2011-12-26 6:57

Hi Ambdsudi!

A well said note! The cloud formations are amazing! Well chosen format, presentation and composition! Great colors and nice mood!
Merry Christmas to you!

Best regards,
Matt

Tayon (1985) 2011-12-26 7:19

Hi Abmdsudi

great POV and use of the wide lens, I like the clouds and you got it well.
nice colors just a bit lost of sharpness.

Well done.

Tayon

holmertz (26876) 2011-12-26 7:28

Hello Abmdsudi,
A very elegant composition where the clouds have really become as important as the line of camels. You have also given us a very interesting note. Camels are among the animals that I have found most interesting and admirable during my journeys. Hard working and stubborn but with a great gentleness of their movements. I love to hear the soft sound of their steps on city streets.
I wish you a continued pleasant holiday season.
Gert

danos (73926) 2011-12-26 9:02

Hello my friend,
uprising your shot with all these camels to be on this small strap of the ground with the above fascinating sky and the puffy clouds to create a dreamily shot.Excellent your chosen POV with the light and te colours management to are just superb.

Regards,Danos

rychem (9175) 2011-12-26 9:18

Beautiful shot with dominant sky, the group of camel is very well composed
regards
Ryszard

Fis2 (73032) 2011-12-26 9:35

Witaj Abmdsudi!
A very interesting sky,
curious scene.
I like composition.
Very impressive picture.
Regards
Krzysztof

SWEETFREEDOM (18389) 2011-12-26 10:24

Hi Abmdsudi,
i like the low p.o.v. you have chosen, a great sky that contrast very well with the sand of the desert.
regards
Alessandro

bayno (16141) 2011-12-26 11:09

Hi Abmdsudi, difficult I found a sky like this in India especially in Rajasthan, the picture is really superb and well-framed, properly with plenty of space for the sky, I like the contrast between the two colors of the composition, beautiful golden light of sunset, excellent also the WS...perhaps merited a post as protagonists...anyway good reportage, my compliment, enjoy your holiday, Valter

PaulVDV (15017) 2011-12-26 11:49

Hello Abmdsudi,
Wow ! What a magnificent sky !
Incredibly stunning how the many diagonal cloud lines run parallel over most of the picture.
The large group of camels is a suitable subject to underline the beauty of this place in the desert. Their colour together with the brown soil contrast strongly with the blue of the sky.
Best wishes for a happy 2012,
Paul

pauloog (11735) 2011-12-26 12:10

Hello Abmdsudi,
A good choice to alloow the sky to be the vedette. It increases the impression of vastness for the proud animals below.
Regards,
Paul

everlasting (13803) 2011-12-26 12:22

What a gorgeous sky and I am so glad you have given so much space to it.
Very well composed!

Charo (51174) 2011-12-26 12:35

Hello Abmdsudi,
This beautiful sky full of lines of clouds over the desert is a beautiful postcard. I like you have given priority to the sky like the protagonist.
Excellent perspective and contrast.
Feliz Año 2012!
Best regard,
Charo

TopGeo (37994) 2011-12-26 12:36

Hi Abmdsudi
a picture of the idea
A splendid theme capture and seasonal atmosphere
Pleasant photo with a sky dynamic a background. Very beautiful this view Perfect idea I wish you the best for holiday.greetings to you and your family Happy New Year. Bravo.
Georgios

npecanhuk (53861) 2011-12-26 12:39

Hello Abmdsudi!
Wonderful sky!
Very beautiful picture!
Special regards to the chosen pov, composition, colors and exposure (management of difficult light)!
TFS - congrats,
Happy Holidays,
Neyvan

francio64 (38188) 2011-12-26 13:44

Hi Abmdsudi,
bella sfilata di cammelli in un'immagince che mi colpisce principalmente per il bellissimo cielo striato di nuvole.
Luce ben gestita e ottima resa cromatica.

TFS!
Francesco

Gigidusud (7956) 2011-12-26 14:15

Hello Abmdsudi,
This is a beautiful picture!
Best regards

Ricx (13435) 2011-12-26 23:29

Hello Abmdsudi I trust that you are well.. The clouds give amazing depthto your photo.. one thing i have always enjoyed about desert photos is the strong contrast in colours. the bles, the browns and the reds.. harsh world and where only the tough survive. Have a great day Rich

macjake (39207) 2011-12-26 23:38

Hi Abmdsudi
wonderful photo.
full of life and full of false movement!
the long skinny cloud formations really do feel as if they are moving - a great visual effect.
love the strong blues that dominate the frame.
Creative composition used
Cheers
Craig

dkmurphys (36727) 2011-12-27 1:43

Hi,
Lovely lines of the sky and a fine composition with camels on the ground. Exotic image, well taken.
Have a good week.

CLODO (24688) 2011-12-27 2:18

hi Abmdsudi

So great with an extraordinary sky with rows of white clouds and the camel fair at the far bottom!
Warmest regards
CLODO

Gerrit (43735) 2011-12-27 2:41

Hi abmdsudi,
Wonderful clouds above this excellent view over this herd of camels.
The light is fantastic
Regards, Gerrit

claudeD (24163) 2011-12-27 3:36

Hello,

Wow! What an amazing picture. I like here your perfect composition with the wonderful big sky. I think this is a perfect fotojob. The intoduction of the animals in your shot are adding life to the picture. Very well done.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

JC

jhm (122334) 2011-12-27 3:44

Hello Abmdsudi,

The clouds to the sky are extraordinarily, care for good perspective.
The ships of the desert are the real eye catcher on the these nice picture.
Perspective and depth are very pleasant for look at.
Excellent composition, real colors.
Very well done, TFS.

I wish you and your family a healthy 2012,
John.

peppe59 (14547) 2011-12-27 5:07

Ciao Abmdsudi,
scene with camels, great light and contrast, unique!!
a wish for a happy 2012!!
peppe

Urs (11738) 2011-12-27 7:57

Hi Abmdsudi

Yeah, the ships of the dessert, my wife likes the camels a lot, just for the look. Fantastic sky, forcing the viewer to look at the camels in the BG. Very vibrant colour hues and high sharpness. A perfect shot!

In case you go to northern Kedah, allow about 2 days at least. Near to the vineyard there should be a resort as far as I know.

Seasonal greetings
Urs

chawax (14870) 2011-12-27 9:04

Hi Abmdsudi,
A very good shot, in particular thanks to this fantastic sky. I love your choice of giving a lot of space to the beautiful sky.
Regards,
Olivier

Cricri (86327) 2011-12-27 9:56

Hi Abmdsudi
Splendide scéne du désert avec un ciel magnifique, dynamique, les couleurs sont belles, les WS très joli a voir et très intéressant
Meilleurs voeux 2012
cricri

yquem46 (32229) 2011-12-27 11:52

Hi Abmdsudi
What a sky really !
I like the very low horizon line giving such a big visual impact to the the blue cloudy sky
A nice herd of camels with a man at left quite important in your compo
have a nice evening
See you in 2012, on my way to Katmandu
Patrick

Budapestman (82620) 2011-12-27 13:22

Hi Abmdsudi,
great atmosphere, the composition is superb, beautiful details and colours,
TFS! Happy New Year to you and your family!
György

siolaw (37568) 2011-12-27 20:30

Hi
The clouds gave you a remarkable sky with those graphical lines... It, alone, is worth the photo, but you have also a nice typical scene on the ground and you framed the all thing very well.
Season greetings!
Laurent

sacimar (25957) 2011-12-28 3:03

Hello,

this is a great image, I like the perspective you chose, the low angle works excellent here, the sky was impressive and the animals around this place create an interesting composition, well seen,

Best regards,

Sergio

sayeed_rahman (5985) 2011-12-28 7:01

hey, great to see you, soyou have been spending alot of time of te, i can make out, a ton of photos, comments, seems like the place has come alive, amazing contribution bro.

your photos have taken a leap, visually, in composition, what is the matter with you ;) - love the lines and the sun beaten camels, where have you been hiding these photos...

sayeed

jemaflor (68837) 2011-12-29 3:47

Hi A,
Interesting subject, photo is well composed with this large part with sky, great result with the direction of these white clouds, lovely contrast between volors, tfs.

kato (6735) 2011-12-29 4:34

Hi Admdsudi,

This is an amazing photograph, so it's impressive and interesting to see a lot of camels in desert and beautiful sky with streaming clouds. Colors are great and clarity/tone is excellent, too.

Thank you a lot for this year!
And, have a good new year to you and your family!

Warm regards,
mikio

JFS (32053) 2011-12-29 6:52

Hi Abmdsudi!
Impressive visual effect! Excellent POV and sharpness. A master piece!

Cheers,
JHuan

mkamionka (24469) 2011-12-29 7:36

Hi Abmdsudi,
wonderful composition. I like the effect you achieved by leaving just a small stretch of the ground in the frame. The camels add a lot of interest here. Sky could not be better,
Happy New Year,
M

adramad (27544) 2011-12-29 8:09

Hello Abmdsudi.
A picture really fantastic, I love the composition with the large group of camels, captured from a lower level, which are silhouetted against the sky, which in itself, it's all a show, with the clouds that give a disposition at angles that are staggering.
A beautiful job, with nice sharpness and brightness, Well done, I love it.
I wish you a Happy New Year 2012, together with all your family.
Best regards.
Luis.

shevchenko (18243) 2011-12-30 1:12

Hi Abmdsudi,
Good low angle shot to frame the sesert and sky, nice sunny blue sky that painting by whitish clouds, good capture to a big group of camels too, nice WS to show their artistic works, interesting composition, distinct images, well done.
Ally

Bluejeans (64221) 2011-12-30 4:24

Ola Abmdsudi ,
belo destaque a este céu fantástico tem umas belas nuvens , ficou bonita a pequena faixa de terra com estes camelos , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Bom Ano 2012

faubry (35335) 2011-12-30 4:30

wonderful photo with these clouds, good composition.
have a happy new year
francine

nikkitta (5850) 2011-12-30 18:41

Hola Abmdsudi
Great low POV to show the contrast of the golden sands with the incredible sky

Interesting note about camels , animals that I love, did you noticed it?
Greetings and TFS
All the best for the incoming 2012
Maria

daddo (18517) 2011-12-30 22:40

Salam Abmdsudi. I have mixed feelings about this highly acclaimed shot.I hope that you are not falling into the TE trap of giving the people what they want- and that being saturated colours verging on the unreal. Maybe it's just my ignorance at work here, maybe in Rajasthan the colours are thus and the light too. I would have assumed that the light would have been more "airy" and not as oppressive. I do like the POV and the overall composition with the majestic sky overhead. I wish you all the best in 2012. Be happy and healthy. Salam. Klaudio.

zanzi (12606) 2011-12-31 4:55

Bonjour abmdsudi
What a strange and beautiful sky !
I like the composition with the main part dedicated to this sky.
Bravo and happy new year 2012.
Chris

adores (28182) 2012-01-02 16:31

Hi Abmdsudi!
I like your composition a lot, just the camels and men and then most part of the frame to show that amazing sky. The clouds seem like rays - perfect!

Angshu (51174) 2012-01-04 20:35

Salam Abmdsudi
Like the congregation of camels, the ships standing on the dunes. What I like a lot is the framing you've done with the lowest possible horizon with ample space given to the sky with the gorgeous radiating clouds. The warm cold colour contrast alaso makes this very attractive. Well done!
Best Regards
Angshu

Vasa (15970) 2012-01-15 12:38

Hell Abmdsudi,

I have no time to read all reactions here, but I suppose that the Planet makes the compliments for your composition and the introduction of superb clouds. That pastoral scene is so lovely. Nice to see you again, friend,

Branko

cavli (1874) 2012-02-10 3:55

Hello Abmdsudi ,
here I like polarized sky and your composition very much. very good and warm colors indeed. tfs
regards..

fotka (2320) 2012-02-11 7:17

Hello Abmdsudi,
Great diagonal composition of clouds running accross the sky. You concentrated on the sky because is so beautiful but also shown strip of the ground with many camels. An excellent colors, light and sharpness.
Well done photo!
Best regards,
Zbigniew

Kielia (20411) 2012-03-10 7:41

Hi Abmdsudi,
a very beautiful and very nicely composed image. The perspective is excellent. The light and the clouds create a fantastic mood. Most of all I like the high sky. My compliments also for the interesting note!
Warm regards
Harriet

rabdelnoor (3421) 2012-03-13 18:24

Hi Abmdsudi,
Very impressive picture. The stunning sky really make the greatness of this photo and the camels composed and contrasted very well with the sky. Very nice.
Regards
Ricardo

axiotea (21647) 2012-03-14 2:05

Bonjour Abmdsudi
With such a sky with the clouds giving an impression of movement, I think the use of the WA was appropriate as it added more dynamism to the scene. The dromedaries look tiny, thanks to the large space given to the sky. On the right side it seems one of the owner was milking the animal.
I also like the complementary photos ;)

Have a nice day
Marilyn

sevy (13267) 2012-03-14 8:29

Hello,

I realized I missed a lot of your last posts.
I especially liked this one because remembering me my travels in Sahara.
Here you selected the best composition letting the biggest place to the sky and the cloud patterns giving a nice feeling of depth and size.

Yves.

Robert1969 (6176) 2012-03-19 0:02

Hello Abmdsudi,

The small strip of landscape emphasizes
extra the sky, which plays in this picture
an important function. The sky has very
nice diagonal stripes (clouds) and
creates very nice an extra depth in the
picture. The small strip of landscape
makes also the picture extra wide, I like
that. The light management is also very
good.....Good work.

Friendly regards,
Robert

danyy (0) 2012-03-25 2:42

Bonjour Abmdsudi,
un ciel qu'il faudrait sans doute expliquée d'un point de vue météorologique, en tous cas, il est magnifique avec ses vagues de nuages successifs.
Ce qui fait la beauté des photos du désert, c'est souvent ce contraste entre les couleurs bleues du ciel et les ocres des sables.
Un cadrage parfait ici, tout se détache bien sur fond de ce ciel.
Amicalement.
Daniel.

jmdias (45774) 2012-03-28 17:17

abmdsudi

texture of this sky would be a nice sbject by its own. I liked the inclusion of the animals, the framing cathing them and the sky is perfect. nice job, different and beautiful.

hugs

jorge

madredeus (494) 2012-06-27 23:28

Hello!

Interesting picture. I like proportion between sky and ground on the picture. Also clouds created fantastic lines on the sky.

tfs
E.

ourania (12287) 2012-12-02 11:32

Hello Abmdsudi,
this is an amazing picture. The composition is very simple but the theme is unique and its presenation most effective and fascinating. I like very much the many camels spreading across the warmly lit ground across the bottom of the frame. We may observe so may postures, it's very interesting and amusing. The inclusion of people adds to the interest of the scene. I love how the camels are standing against the sky which is really stunning. Light and colour management are superb. Your additional pictures and note are wonderful. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a lovely week,
Ourania

elenimavrandoni (5789) 2013-02-25 22:37

Amazing desert panorama!!
Beautiful color and clarity among with sharpness and great posing capture of the eternal desert animals!
warm regards,
Eleni