The Death Valley photography workshop will officially kick off in a couple of hours. But some of the attendees have already shown up and we’ve been out shooting last night and this morning. It’s all been very informal.
Yesterday on the way in I noticed a large pond with salt patterns near the edges just a mile or so south of Mormon Point on Bad Water road.. So I went back there last night with a couple of other guys to see if a good sunrise would develop. As luck would have it, the cloud cover built up during late afternoon and the sunset wasn’t one of those spectacular ones you always hope for. But it was nice in a quite sort of way.
I found myself wanting a lens a little bit wider than my 24mm. But, since I didn’t have one I decided to compensate by shooting a panorama. I turned my camera to a vertical orientation and shot a three-wide panorama. To make it all a little more interesting, the contrast range was extreme, calling for HDR. So I ended up shooting a three-wide HDR panorama – 9 shots in all.
I stayed up until midnight working on this (not a smart thing to do on a workshop as most morning wake-up calls are around 5:00 AM, this morning included). But midnight it was. I actually had to tear myself away from it. But I was rather pleased with the way it turned out. So enough talk; here it is – the three-wide HDR panorama.
Can you believe this is Death Valley, the hottest place in North America?
February 22nd, 2010 at 4:59 AM
Hi Ralph,
What I wouldn’t give to be at this workshop right now! I’ll be moving back West late summer/early fall 2010 – any chance you’ll be having another Death Valley workshop around then? If so, I’m there! What a great opportunity for some of my experimental pinhole photography – wouldn’t you agree?
Nice work on that 3-wide pan shot! I just love seeing water in the middle of the desert. Well done, Ralph! Can’t wait to see more. Any chance of you snagging a black & white shot of some sand dunes? Would love to see that!
Well, enjoy the rest of your trip. I’ll be following your Death Valley blog post…anticipating some b&w sand dune shots! Have fun!
Tracy
March 4th, 2010 at 1:47 PM
Tracy, It would be great if you could join us on an outing. Your technique with pin hole cameras would be a great addition and a real learning opportunity for the rest of the attendees. Let’s talk about it when you get back in Southern California. Also, let’s talk about show schedules for 2010. I’m just signing up now.