The Naked Hills of the Amargosa

[abraxas]

 

[NateWagner]

I love this... love the oranges below. If only the sky had a bit more pop to it, but I love this shot. Nicely done.

 

[Antarctican]

Nicely exposed to get so much detail in the ridges/shadows. The colours of the rocks and foliage is gorgeous. Love this one.

 

[abraxas]

I love this... love the oranges below. If only the sky had a bit more pop to it, but I love this shot. Nicely done.

Thank you.

Nicely exposed to get so much detail in the ridges/shadows. The colours of the rocks and foliage is gorgeous. Love this one.

Thanks. I've been in some cracks and holes lately that have been totally mind-boggling to me. When I set up for this and snapped it I thought, "That's it?" For as many times as I've been to this place I'm surprised I never wandered down the trail that leads to this canyon. The things I found--Hoo-boy! I got to go back during sunrise and/or sunset.

 

[invisible]

I love this... love the oranges below. If only the sky had a bit more pop to it, but I love this shot. Nicely done.

I actually like the sky the way it is. as a sky with more pop would probably compete with the orange of the foreground.

Freaking beautiful image. Care to tell us how you managed to get so much detail in the shadow part of the mountains?

 

[pieq]

Nice combination of colors.
Removing sky would've worked too.

 

[abraxas]

I actually like the sky the way it is. as a sky with more pop would probably compete with the orange of the foreground.

Freaking beautiful image. Care to tell us how you managed to get so much detail in the shadow part of the mountains?

Nice combination of colors.
Removing sky would've worked too.

Thank you Invisible, Pieq

I think I've turned my cameras into P&S style, meaning I usually only shoot one way. I dial in the smallest aperture possible (I think it was f22 here) and adjust the shutter and focus accordingly. Lowest iso possible. I had some problems with glare and had to clone out a spot.

Although I've been to the ranch upstream from this shot many times. I've never wandered down the trails leading away until this last trip. Usually, the way I explore a new area is to visit it in broad daylight. This was shot about 9am on a nearly crystal clear day. There was a haze in the far distance from a rain two days before. Anyway, I hiked about a mile further down stream to where the creek in the mesquite (orangish brush) joins up with a perennial desert river (bigger creek). If I were to have hiked another mile up stream along the river I would have made it to a waterfall overlook. The plan was to go to the overlook, but I didn't have a map of the area and thought the place was further downstream but couldn't find the trail leading that way. I had a nice brunch of tastelses fruit bars and a small can of peaches.

The problem with living/visiting an area that only recieves a few inches of rain a year is that the majority of days the sky is clear and blue. However, I know that I need to go back and hike in before the sun rises on a day when a front is moving through. There's better stuff down the trail from here that will just be totally effervescent in the early morning/late in the day light. Now that I've seen a detailed map, I know to go in about 2 hours before the sunrise all the way back to the waterfall, and spend the rest of the day shooting my way out. The hills in this photo will look intense in the sunset light. If I can get all the way up to them in the late midday, I hear there is a small slot canyon at the base that has beautiful colors that will show up nice (fingers crossed) in the afternoon sun.

So anyway, my next trip out there is planned. It'll be a full, although short day. The upside is that if I can do it in the next two-three months, the golden hour type lighting lasts for the most part all day. All I have to do now is watch the satellite weather photos and wait for a day after the rain falls (for the waterfall) and the front is big enough to fill up the sky with some drama the next day. It's about 160 miles from my house.