Rugged Beauty Photo

Photographer’s Note

This shot taken in Joshua Tree National Park in late April shows once again how beautiful a "desert" can be. The higher elevation here and cool temperatures in early spring help to keep things looking fresh ahead of the blistering hot sun to come in a few months. The sky on this day was busy with jet streams, but this unusual cloud formation seemed to be hovering near the ground, different, and seemingly there to challenge any photographer found roaming in the area. This is a definite favorite place for me - I never tire of the uniqueness and variable beauty as the seasons change.

snunney, dip, asajernigan, ribeiroantonio, Dyerco, feather, carper, AiresSantos, besnard, fulvio52, xavshot, leo61, evanrizo, Philippe, danyy, danos, ChrisJ, dareco, pboehringer, Bandit, lilimih33, jwmunro, pasternak, gunbud has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

snunney (34026) 2008-04-04 6:56

Hello Gerald,
A lovely composition of these beautiful clouds seemingly hovering above the ochre coloured rocks. The light is perfect and the colours quite intense but natural; very fine clarity. Superb photographic work.

dip (12408) 2008-04-04 6:59

Hello Gerald,
well seen and captured the clouds formation and the scenery,
but the formations of the rocks are also very interesting,
wonderful image with very good quality,
Greetings,
Dimitris.

asajernigan (13879) 2008-04-04 7:03

Gerald,
Your composition is great here placing the rocks in the foreground with those great cloud formations in the back. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and DOF. The high f-stop setting creates this great DOF placing so much of the shot is crisp focus.
TFS,
Asa

ribeiroantonio (21723) 2008-04-04 7:04

The rock formation is very good but it was the wonderful sky that caught my eye. Well done. You got here incredible colours and sharpness. Congratulations.
Antonio

PJE (19353) 2008-04-04 7:08

Gerald the suspended clouds above really make this photo attractive. Excellent work in managing the timing of light for side lighting on these rocks. Excellent work!

Dyerco (8850) 2008-04-04 7:16

Hi Gerald
It's like the clouds were dancing just for you. I did not get as far south as Joshua Tree NP but the geology still looks familiar with its counterpart further north. The rocks all have that soft texture. Well done with this shot.
Phil

feather (49848) 2008-04-04 7:24

I think the clouds must be dancing ghosts (or even angels ;D) No wonder they attracted your attention. Another wonderful rock formation with excellent contrast. Well done
Kath

npecanhuk (12987) 2008-04-04 7:39

Hi Gerald!
I liked very much this picture of yours !
Colors and light were a highlight for me, but the sky is really impressive in it!
TFS
Neyvan Peçanhuk - Brazil

xavis (3174) 2008-04-04 8:07

Hola,
a simply composition, but what minimalistic picture with really nice lights and contrast colours, between the red rocks and the blue and white sky.

Well done,

javier

azleader (6) 2008-04-04 8:27

Whoa! Those aren't clouds; those are Indian smoke signals!! They are hiding behind those huge rocks. Do you realize how close you came to being scalped? ;) ;)

The polarizer does a good job bringing out the colors. Looks like there is haloing along the rock line on the right side of the largest rock. That is kinda distracting. I'd have no qualms about cloning that out.

Senk (2033) 2008-04-04 8:41

Hi
very nice picture . I love the color between the rock and the sky , well done

Seng

Valerka (8159) 2008-04-04 9:00

Hi, Gerald,
Indeed, it's very impressive and one's roaming imagination can see the hidden forms of an elephant in a sort of knelt position:)
Nice and neat colours
TFS
Valerka:)

stevesaba (3654) 2008-04-04 9:13

Hi Gerald!
You've got some great pics of southern California. I love the southwest, and this area certainly is photogenic. Nice work here, with the redish rocks, and the wonderful sky! cheers,
Steve

trekks (14260) 2008-04-04 10:02

hi Gerald

A superb shot of landscape

.great sunlight on the rocks and sky
.high resolution and contrast
.nice color texture of rocks
.sharpness
.nicely composed

Good work of this nature's view.

TFS, bill

carper (63998) 2008-04-04 10:05

very nice one Gerald,
the pov is good and the contrast is fine, good quality a signature of yours, good photojob, have a nice weekend.
gr. jaap

dkeus31 (25938) 2008-04-04 10:21

hi Gerald,
a nice composition, the two clouds are very well placed above the rocks.
great light and colors
didier

AiresSantos (41272) 2008-04-04 10:38

Hi Gerald
Another very beautiful composition with nice colours and POV. Excellent quality and lovely clouds in the sky
Have a nice weekend
Aires

jafadabret (38907) 2008-04-04 11:39

Gérald bonsoir.
J'aime beaucoup ces sculptures de la nature sous une belle lumière et avec de belles couleurs.
Une photo très agréable.
Jacques

craiggc (2507) 2008-04-04 11:40

Hi Gerald, those cloud formations are brilliant! Great light throughout the whole scene
Excellent work
Craig

pablominto (39884) 2008-04-04 11:45

Hello Gerald,
What caught my eyes... are those funny small clouds!
That said, the fine light renders some great colours...
This is a well balanced composition, fine textures in the rocks and sharp fine details!
Greetings,
Pablo -

besnard (30084) 2008-04-04 12:18

Bonsoir Gérald
Une très belle composition avec ces rochers aux chaudes couleurs dominées par un ciel peuplé de nuages aux formes élégantes.
Bravo - merci pour le partage et bonne soirée.
Nicole

Gerrit (35423) 2008-04-04 12:47

Hi Gerald,
fantastic colours and wonderful clouds. Great landscape.
Regards, Gerrit

gilou530 (34671) 2008-04-04 12:49

salut gérald
un rocher mis remarquablement en valeur avec cette lumiére et ce ciel et ces nuages particuliers, beau travail
amitiés
gilbert

fulvio52 (8314) 2008-04-04 12:51

Hi Gerald,
a unique, most magnificent sky, and wonderful soft textures in those rocks.
Light and contrast are simply superb!
You are right : the desert is... BEAUTIFUL!
Striking shot, it pops out of my iMac screen.
Cheers,
Fulvio.

xavshot (61841) 2008-04-04 13:59

Bonsoir Gerald
la lumière apporte une excellente ambiance dans cette photo. le filtre polarisant joue bien son rôle et permet d'accentuer les contrastes des couleurs; Bravo également pour le ciel. Beau travail.
Xavier

capthaddock (28640) 2008-04-04 14:06

The desert scnery is impressive enough, but the jellyfish shaped clouds make the shot, the cold blue sky makes a nice contrast with the warm red rocks, though there is a slight halo atop the highest rock.

toni_al (15430) 2008-04-04 14:17

Salut Gerald
Un joli paysage et sourtou des beaux nuages, j'adore ce genre de compositions.
Bravo
Toni

calexica (1243) 2008-04-04 14:22

Hey Gerald,
A wonderfully composed shot with perfect colors, contrast and sharpness. I particularly like the texture of the clouds. Congratulations!!!
Greetings,
Natasha

leo61 (42774) 2008-04-05 1:45

Hi Gerald!
Good light at these rocks and nice shadows.These nice clouds make your composition perfect.A greatr shot with nice,bright colors and good contrast.
Regards,leo

anes_lc (14762) 2008-04-05 1:49

what a great capture ,the softness of the sky is almost unrel
i like how you compose this one
great shot
thanks sharing
regards,anes

westozman (2863) 2008-04-05 2:14

G'day Gerald!

Can I come with you next time you visit this place, please! I want to get some shots like these beauties you keep showing us! Those strange cloud formations immediately reminded me of the movie 'Ghostbusters'! Great stuff - again!
Cheers,
Jeff

evanrizo (456) 2008-04-05 3:47

Hi Gerald, it looks fantastic with the excellent illumination the great white clouds over these impressive rocks, really what a composition!
TFS
Evangelos

danyy (67924) 2008-04-05 12:43

Bonjour Gerald,
un ciel très spectaculaire et séduisant, il attire directement le regard.
J'aime beaucoup les couleurs chaudes des rocs qui tranchent bien avec ce ciel.
Une photo très nette et lumineuse.
Regards.
Daniel.

Philippe (11651) 2008-04-06 0:44

Hi, Grelad. The wispy clouds seem to be dancing in the sky. Any Indians in the area? The round shapes of the rocks woith their ochre colours stand out beautifully against the blue sky. Good contrasts and an interesting 1/3, 2/3 composition.

danos (31610) 2008-04-06 9:13

Salut Gerald,
Wow, it's a very nice composition with extraordinary vivid colours and light.The shape of the rock is well placed in the shot and the jet streams in the sky are simply great.Informative your note too.

Regards,Danos

Nicou (43773) 2008-04-06 11:47

Hello,

Vraiment de toute beauté cet ensemble, de roche, le cile, avec ces formes superbes originales comme les rocher, de toute beauté.

Bravo et amitiés

Nicou

ChrisJ (69464) 2008-04-07 0:34

Hi Gerald

Marvellous warm vs cold colour contrasts, bewtween`the red rock & blue sky. Good use of the polarizer with superb sharpness & dramatic contrast of the clouds. Nice sidelight from the left. Tfs!

Signal-Womb (11598) 2008-04-07 1:29

wow, this looks like a fantastic location and again I love this wispy cloud effect. Well done..

dareco (17024) 2008-04-07 6:20

Another very beautiful picture. I love the colors!! The lighting is excellent. TFS

markstaples (15670) 2008-04-07 7:28

Hello Gerald
What can I say that hasn't already been said? Not a lot. I'm a big fan of these pics. You've managed to find such interesting points of view and compositions, and the colours, as I've said before, are simply stunning.
Great work.
Best wishes
Mark

vincz (19039) 2008-04-07 13:55

Beautiful image, the shape of the rocks, the shape of the clouds, the so beautiful light under this great blue sky. A true beauty.

danielswalsh (13297) 2008-04-07 18:36

What a well executed shot...

Pin point sharpness, excellent levels (nothing over/ under exposed), nice and rich (yet 'NATURAL') colors, good composition with the bulk of the rock being off center, nice contrast in the sky thanks to the polariser, and lastly framed quite nicely.

Well done Gerald,
- Dan

migzal (485) 2008-04-07 21:21

Much of the scene in this photo are all in focus, DOF is well maximize with the use of small aperture setting. i like the contrast of warm colors of the stone against the blue sky. well done.
tfs,
Miguel

Bandit (2030) 2008-04-09 3:41

Je découvre ta galerie et tes images sont toutes splendides !! La formes des nuages est vraiment superbes comme de petits fantômes qui te regarde ! Les couleurs sont très belle ! Juste a droite du rocher on voit un petit peu trop le traitement highlight and shadows mais je chipotte !
Bravo !!!

pboehringer (770) 2008-04-09 7:10

Gerald,
your series from the Yoshua Tree NP is simply mind blowing. Every single shot is a real masterwork and this one is not an exception. The icing are certainly this unique clouds that you got there and look like angels dancing on top of the boulders.
Peter

lilimih33 (9870) 2008-04-09 15:30

Hello Gerald!
Very interesting sky and beautiful place!
Nice colours and good light!
Best regards!
Lili

Graal (57220) 2008-04-09 23:30

Hi Gerald,
simple composition and beautiful view. Amazing rocks, fine sharpness and colours, great sky. I like it. Well done photo.
Gr., Aleksander

jwmunro (6728) 2008-04-10 9:51

Well done Gerald -

And not a Joshua Tree in sight. The light on the rocks is very flattering but the cirrus clouds make the image. Without them it would be a nice image but with it is spectacular. Place of the elements in the composition is also very complementary. Well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

jemaflor (38801) 2008-04-15 4:30

Hi Gerald,
very nice this light to give a so lovely colours for these rocks, great blue for the sky and interesting effect with these small and original clouds.

pasternak (12964) 2008-04-16 1:24

The cloud formations are really amazing here and look like smoke from a huge pipe which is formed by these rocks. Excellent light and exposure.

Cheers
A.

barni (14399) 2008-04-25 9:08

Hello Gerald
Magnifique image.
Ici le polarisant permet de bien faire ressortir les couleurs.
Bonne soirée
Christophe

kdroo (23) 2008-05-06 16:20

Gerald,
i like the way the clouds frame the picture. if you are to visit this place again i would like to see this photo at a virtical angle so that you can see more sky. that way you can show the true openess of the dessert.
- kd

gunbud (27523) 2008-05-31 20:02

Hi Gerald,
Beautiful vivid blue sky with lovely wispy clouds contrast wonderfully with the golden brown boulders a green scrub brush. Brilliantly lite with excellent sharp details.
Regards, Tom