Shaded path, a photo from New Valley, Inland

Photographer's Note

A boy is returning from the cultivated fields in the dunes, at the end of another very hot day.

Taken in Qasr al-Farafra the capital of Farafra oasis at the Western Desert, about 500kms SW of Cairo. Behind the village, I took a walk in these palm groves, which looked lovely at this time, about one hour before sunset. The sun was still very strong, though, and it was nice that the burning sun rays couldn’t get through the trees in this dusty path. The palm groves are divided into walled gardens planted with olive and fruit trees as well as date palms and in this area it looked like a thick forest.

Farafra Oasis is the sleepiest, least populous and most isolated of the four inner oasis that lie on the Great Desert circuit that begins in Cairo or Assyut: Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla and Kharga.
Qsar al-Farafra was once the only village in the oasis but now has been colonized by modern infrastructure and in the last 20 years its population has shot up to 5000 due to better heathcare. It’s shops and market are still meager, though, and frugality is the order of the day.

Alternative B&W in the WS.

branley, siolaw, bakes888, ktanska, BennyV, carper, ChrisJ, Tue, Dpbours, flory, Floydian, Photo65Net, bostankorkulugu, adores, ribeiroantonio, yasin, danos, Gerrit, lucasgalodoido, Cricri, papagolf21, japiey, belido, sabyasachi1212, Jonas_Schmitt, alvaraalto, Emile, luisafonso, Scharan, paura, rigoletto, JBotelho, Henryk_Bilor, Vato_Law, xuaxo, stego, josepmarin, Wanda1, jmcl, Amaz, dnms531 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bantonbuju (51733) 2008-06-12 1:19

ola ric,
that's precisely the sort of play of shadows-light-human element which i love!...
excellent!
and - obviously - the colours in this sort of lighting conditions must be fabulous...best, j.

branley (3681) 2008-06-12 1:25

Hi Ricardo, you have captured a beautiful play on light & shadow. Lovely pov with great tones and I like the human touch. It's a superb capture and a great note too, congratulations.

Regards

Stephen

faubry (35335) 2008-06-12 1:27

bonjour Ricardo, really a very nice light you had captured here.. superb shadow game, amazing photo;
great work
francine

John_F_Kennedy (41368) 2008-06-12 1:39

Excellent colours. I like the different colours in the composition and how they are contrasted. Nice mood.
Best wishes,
Achim

jasmis (57596) 2008-06-12 1:39

Fine place, interesting light. Amazing and dynamic photo.
Regards.

siolaw (37568) 2008-06-12 1:41

Ola Ricardo,
Nicely composed image with the cart well placed in the frame, good control of the backlight which came even better with the dust from the wheels...
Nice one!
Greetings from Paris
Laurent

Paolo (41216) 2008-06-12 1:50

Hi Ricardo, good one, a beautiful work to catch the light, the dust and the silouhettes, with good quality, excellent timing and a good brownscale of tones.
thanks, ciao

bakes888 (18499) 2008-06-12 2:09

Hi Ricardo. Superb photo. The backlighting and dust give this shot a wonderful atmosphere. Well composed also, the diagonal road adds a dynamic quality. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

pablominto (53744) 2008-06-12 2:14

Hello Ricardo,

It is the backlight effect that takes this image out of the ordinary, very cleverly done!
Besides, a well balanced composition with a strong diagonal, great sense of depth...

Greetings,
Pablo -

ktanska (21527) 2008-06-12 2:16

Hi Ricardo,
Wonderful light. Especially I like how it shows on the rising dust. Good framing leaving plenty of space towards direction of motion.
Kari

BennyV (12793) 2008-06-12 2:38

Hello Ricardo,

Great falling light to create those dark silhouettes. Interesting bl/w version too. This makes a great post.

Benny

carper (96) 2008-06-12 2:41

marvelous my friend,
a fantastic photo here, the light is super and the composition is a pleasure to look at, what a quality job I realy like it, have a good day.
gr. jaap

ChrisJ (86932) 2008-06-12 2:53

Ola Ricardo

Very good backlighting & graphism, with superb sharpness & mood. The donkey & dray, are well placed on the 1/3 axis. Tfs~

Angshu (51174) 2008-06-12 2:59

Ola Ricardo
Excellent shot!! The backlight, the play of light & shadows, the boy on the cart illuminated by the sun's rays from the back & the long shadows...looks similar to posts I've seen from Myanmar. Superb work my friend!
Best Regards
Angshu

Tue (25798) 2008-06-12 3:06

Hi Ricardo,
Superb photo with a really excellent light management. The low sunlight through the trees creates a beautiful atmosphere together with the returning boy. Also the composition is great. Thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

Dpbours (222) 2008-06-12 5:03

Hi Ricardo,

Nice one with the light from behind and the long shades. The colour version works best for me. I like the earth tones in this composition and the black and white is generally too dark for me. Nice one!

Greetings,
Dennis

rajiv_077 (1412) 2008-06-12 5:41

Hi Dear

What a picture, almost like a painting or drawing. Nice composed and well judge, moment is just perfect, nice lights and shadows. Dust in air looks wonderful.

A great capture.

kind regads

rajiv

flory (4848) 2008-06-12 5:42

oooo,Ricurosu,really beautiful game of shadows/light and well placed the cart in frame.
bengadaboom;)
Flori

zeynepe (9828) 2008-06-12 6:20

Ola Ricardo,
It is like a scene ... Dusty path , amazing shadows&light , soft and fantastic colors...
I Am Really Impressed !!!
Best regards,
Zeynep

delkoo (68) 2008-06-12 9:05

hiricardo
You were there at the right moment to get this surprising episode of Egyptian transportation. lovely light, Very original!

best regards
didier

Floydian (30970) 2008-06-12 9:52

Hi Ricardo,
Great shot....because it's taken in great light. Not easy to see, not easy to catch, but you did very well here. The small cloud of dust behind the care gives the impression the image is moving, i like such effect. No pose, no still...great.
Not and easy shot, but well composed and most of all exposed.
Regards, Henk

Photo65Net (43120) 2008-06-12 10:47

Ricardo,
Amazing contrasts and light control here !
I like a lot how you caught a picture, and overall a mood.
Great job,
Regards,
JB.

bostankorkulugu (40796) 2008-06-12 10:50

this one reminds me of an old keribar shot taken in egypt, with all the dust around... i like the way you used the light here rcrd, the way the guy and the cart is silhouetted looks great indeed...

krkt

coco (30433) 2008-06-12 12:21

Hola Ricardo.

Great work with the composition and also very nice how you managed the light.

Well done.

gilou530 (34) 2008-06-12 13:34

salut ricardo
image difficile avec une lumiére pas facile a maitriser, mais beau travail et ca donne une super ambiance, bravo
amitiés
gilbert

adores (28248) 2008-06-12 16:17

Olá Ricardo!
Ficou bem bonita, especialmente pela luz, mas também pela composição. Acho que prefiro esta à B&W, especialmente pela conjugação da luz om estas tonalidades.Uma verdadeira cena de oásis.

ribeiroantonio (22618) 2008-06-12 17:42

esta bem que poderia ter sido tirada em Portugal! Nem mesmo a palmeira chocaria!
Está linda, com um contraluz muito bem executado. A poeira criada pelo cavalo e pela carroça ficou lindíssima e dá a ideia perfeita da aridez do local.
A única coisa que está, digamos, a mais é o reflexo na objectiva.
Para terminar, gosto mais da versão a cores.
António

yasin (151) 2008-06-13 0:00

Excellent composition, Ric!
Very good story behind it, salut!
TFS,
Best regards
Bima

danos (74064) 2008-06-13 3:20

Ola Ricardo,
nice the snapshot of the daily life of this boy in Farafra oasis.Unfortunately,i didn't visit this area and as i see this is the real and old Egypt.I like the figure of the little 'farmer' returning from the fields in a dust whirl.Great the moment my friend.

Have a nice weekend,danos

Gerrit (43743) 2008-06-13 4:45

Hi Ricardo,
beautiful: the light, especially the dust in the sun, the compostion. Great work.
Regards Gerrit

jonathan_hart (21268) 2008-06-13 9:37

very interesting contrasts, the light on the right is just fantastic !
regards
jo

lucasgalodoido (21030) 2008-06-13 11:28

Olá Ricardo,
um caminho obscuro que essa carroça está adentrando, mas muito interessante essa imagem, com um forte contraste de luz também. Gostei.
Parabéns e Abraço!

toto (0) 2008-06-13 12:36 [Comment]

Show Comment

Cricri (86535) 2008-06-13 13:48

Ola Ricardo,
Un beau moment capturer sous une belle lumiére, le contour dans l'ombre fait bien resortir la scéne, trés jolie celle çi en couleur
Have a nice weekend for you
cricri

papagolf21 (76611) 2008-06-14 2:04

Bonjour, cher Ricardo,
Bravo, Ricardo, pour avoir su saisir ce moment précieux. Combien ai-je essayé d'obtenir une telle prise de vue !
Tout dans la composition est réussi, cadrage, sujet, etc.
Grand coup de coeur.
Amitiés.
Philippe

japiey (10163) 2008-06-14 2:21

Dear Ricardo,

Very early, in TE , i have seen an image from an Indian member, from USA... which had a similar mood as this image.
Great concept, well worked.
Excellent handling of lights and shades.
A perfect balancing.
Well done.

jp

belido (19934) 2008-06-14 6:09

Olá Ricardo,

um espetáculo de luz e sombra. É assim que se faz fotografia. Uma bonita imagem que faz ótimo uso do apelo visual. Exposição e controle de cores excelentes. Parabéns, mesmo!
Abraço,
Carlos

horatiuTT (4568) 2008-06-14 6:40

the potential of the photo is amazing in my opinion,with this incredible light,but I don't like very much the quality,the result,possibly some difficult conditions there.Still great to watch
Horatiu

vincz (19099) 2008-06-14 7:13

Great light mangement. i love the atmosphere you caught here with the dust. A great one.

sabyasachi1212 (19739) 2008-06-14 7:18

Hi Ric,
Absolutely amazing work. Love the way you have used the light and shadow. Its almost like an oil painting. This is the kind of pictures which compels me to come back to TE once in a while. I hope you are keeping well.
Take care
Sabyasachi

Jonas_Schmitt (3074) 2008-06-14 11:17

Hello Ricardo!
What a brillaint picture, a good alternation to the city photos taken in Cairo.
This daily life scene is great, you can really see what different way of transporting things they have over there. I like the original even more than the WS image because in my eyes this one represents the situation and mood even better. The picture is composed perfectly, there´s enough space for the boy to "drive into the picture". You did really well with this shot, I can´t think of anything to improve it!
Best regards,
Jonas

alvaraalto (5473) 2008-06-14 14:15

Hi Ricardo,

The backlight, the sunbeam in the dust, the dark shadows and the boy on the donkey car. All beautiful element in this successful composition.

Groet Rob

Emile (20348) 2008-06-14 22:58

Hola Ricardo.
Superb composition of shadows and light with the tunnel like path and the presence of the boy and his cart producing a great view of the dust left behind with the sunlight. Very well captured.
Well done. TFS.
Best regards.

berek (31925) 2008-06-14 23:24

Ola Ricardo,
I am back he he . its great light control and composition my friend. how is your team going ? are you hobby ? take care.
Burak

luisafonso (862) 2008-06-15 10:08

Olá Ric! Cá estou eu de volta de duas semanas de férias.
Agora a ver se nos encontramos para por a conversa em dia... Se vieres a Lisboa a uma hora de almoço a ver se combinamos para almoçar. Gosto do jogo de luzes e de sombras desta foto. Muito fixe. Estou a ver que no Egipto existem grandes máquinas! :)

Scharan (14144) 2008-06-15 12:28

Olá Ricardo

Um espetáculo eta foto. Belo cenário e uma luminosidade ímpar. O pó que se levanta também é mais um atrativo que dá um certo charme...maravilhoso este trabalho Ricardo, meus parabéns!!!
GA
Vera

paura (47166) 2008-06-16 10:57

Estás ficando artista, heim, brother? Uma beleza de composiçaõ, com ajustes primorosos de exposição.

Abraço

Paulo

rigoletto (30532) 2008-06-16 12:16

Ola Ric,
This time i cannot find anything to make you talk, you can keep mute, and let your photo talk :P
The best loved exposure style for me for the time being, the counterlight oozing through the dust and silhouetting a horsecart. Lovely compo and colors.
Shhhh...

Stepan (27210) 2008-06-16 22:38

A great mood, thanks to that special light and the scene. Looks like coming form other ages... Works very well.
Stéphane

Waylim (22357) 2008-06-17 18:41

Ricardo,
Absolutely beautiful composition this image you got the horse cariage entering and moving into the image and nice long shadow. Beautiful light shinning through the canopy of trees. Great sharpness considering the low light. I detected some noise, but not too bad under the circustand of light condition. Another wonderful shot.
Way

JBotelho (147) 2008-06-17 22:19

Olá Ricardo
Mais uma fantástica foto. Momento decisivo muito bem capturado. Parabéns.
João Botelho

Henryk_Bilor (20797) 2008-06-18 10:01

Hi Ricardo
Excellent capture of this tunnel-like road. Great light on the dust and not only there ;). Good idea and perfect performance.
Regards

jmdias (45830) 2008-06-20 17:29

ricardo

lindo trabalho usando a luz e as siluetas. O pó brilha e transforma uma cena simples em um momento mágico. O local parece um túnel. belo pov, luz, assunto e tudo mais

abraços

jorge

Bluejeans (64239) 2008-06-22 8:51

Ola Ricardo ,
Que bela captura deste rapaz nesta carroça goste muito do efeito da luz de fundo criado as silhuetas , gostei muito da versão a preto e branco as sombras ficam, mais interessantes , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Vato_Law (12718) 2008-06-22 11:14

Olá Ricardo,
Na minha opinião uma das tuas melhores esta. Está fantastico este contra luz e a forma como capturaste no tempo certo este rapaz e a sua carroça por entre o pó.
Há ainda o detalhe da sombra reflectida no chão e esta luz quente.
Uma grande foto sem duvida.
Um abraço.
Paulo

xuaxo (6830) 2008-06-22 12:32

Olá Ricardo,
Melhor, só sem esse reflexo aqui à frente (a versão a B&B disfarça isso, mas mesmo assim prefiro esta). A poeirada ficou espectacular.
Um abraço,
F

stego (22556) 2008-06-22 17:00

Olá Ricardo,
Que contraluz fantástico! Parece-me que as "imperfeições" técnicas ('flare', sobre e sub exposição) contribuem para a fazer ainda mais espectacular. A compo impecável e aquela nuvem de pó brilhante acentua a sensação de movimento, além de ser muito agradável visualmente.
Um abraço, José.

josepmarin (55063) 2008-06-27 9:02

Olá Ricardo,
difícil y variable luz en esta toma, me gusta el efecto de túnel de este oscuro camino entre las largas sombras de un bien tratado contraluz.
El equilibrio de luz, sombras y siluetas es bueno, y me gusta el efecto dinámico de este carro levantando una nube de polvo.
Buen trabajo.
Un abrazo,
Josep

Wanda1 (13950) 2008-07-14 10:00

Hi Ricardo,
I was looking at your gallery and this one stood out for me as I feel that it has a special mood about it. I love the beam of light coming from behind the cart and illuminating the dust and making a halo around the cart, horse and children. Very nice!
Regards
Wanda

jmcl (14535) 2008-07-16 21:43

Hi Ricardo,

Tremendous use of darkness and shadow .. thoughtful and beautiful image .. great note. Yes the B&W gets rid of the flare but in a way it neuters the image for me .... wonderful image. take care, John

Urs (11872) 2010-03-29 9:03

Ola Ricardo

Excellent or better brilliant shot, the horse carriage goes into a dark tunnel, literally, you really captured it at the right time at the right spot. Well done

So you will have 2 weeks holiday - TE including myself will miss your snappy critiques - have a nice Eastern holday!!! I do not know, what we will do, but Eastern is nothing special in this part of the world.

Thanks for your critique of my next dragonfly shot. There will be more - you will see them later, as we both like them a lot, the little helicopters.

Best regards and Happy Eastern
Urs

Amaz (11475) 2010-04-21 2:50

Excelente captura, amigo Ric!!
Boas cores e peculiar POV!!

Meus parabéns,

Saudacões cordiais