Devil's Golf Course, a photo from California, West

Photographer's Note

Devil's Golf Course is a large salt pan on the floor of Death Valley.
It was named after a line in the 1934 National Park Service guide book to Death Valley National Monument, which stated that "Only the devil could play golf" on its surface, due to a rough texture from the large halite salt crystal formations.
A lake once covered the valley.
The salt in the Devil's Golf Course consists of the minerals that were dissolved in the lake's water and left behind in the Badwater Basin as the lake evaporated. With an elevation several feet above the valley floor at Badwater, the Devil's Golf Course remains dry, allowing weathering processes to sculpt the salt there into complicated forms.
Later studies suggest that in some places the salt depth ranges up to 2700 m.

The day I have taken this photo the temperature was 46 C (but the termometer was placed in the shade, under the hotel patio !).
The Death Valley is not a place to be visited in summer. But still, even if so hot, it is incredibly beautiful.

sevy, Kofman, Charo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

sevy (58) 2011-08-11 1:28

Hello Stefano,

Yes, also a place for me to visit one day. I like the originality of your shot mainly based on the details of foreground, but also with the lonely walker giving the size and depth felling when looking the landscape.
Did you try to see what it lloks like in B&W? I think it could work with the textures shared by the ground.

Yves.

sandpiper (6788) 2011-08-11 1:59

Hi Stefano

well, its different. A very interesting landscape. Good symetry, but maybe I would have preferred the person off-centre.

Chris

ricochet (9716) 2011-08-11 3:17

Bonjour Stefano
A very attractive minimalist composition, good framing, very nice rendering of textures and i like very much the human presence in the middle of your picture.
Great work!
Have a nice day
Eric

Bartleby (13552) 2011-08-13 9:13

Hi Stefano,
impressive place! The effect of the ultra wide angle is put to good use here to give a sense of depth and perspective. I might have tried to put the character a little closer since he looks a little too small in the frame and is hard to notice...

Philippe

Charo (51212) 2011-08-17 8:27

Ciao Stefano,
Impressionante questo deserto di rocce della valle.
Consistenza eccellente e buona profondità e dettagli.
Un caro saluto,
Charo

kabel (1930) 2011-08-22 8:04

Hello, your photo captures the sense of vastness out in the desert. Good POV and I like that the person seems small among the rocks and long desert floor.
Thanks for sharing your several photos on California.
Best regards,
Karen

yzzabelle (257) 2011-08-22 11:29

Love the deep perspective of this image. The small person in the back gives a good
impression of how vast this place is. The température of the sky also tells how warm
it gets! I loved Death Valley, thanks for sharing! This is a great image bringing me back there! Bravo! Isabelle