First Light On The Desert Floor

[Travis Rhoads]

Day 3 of my trip to Joshua Tree got underway with an early wake up call and a short drive out to the Quail Springs area of the park. The skies were mostly clear so I spent my time minimizing the sky, and looking for compositions that were less about the sky, and more about the first light getting over the mountains to the east and reaching the desert floor. There were so many little things to see and focus on, but this one red Desert Trumpet plant caught my eye, and it lined up nicely with one of the rock formations in the distance. Something about this image is one of my favorites from the trip, it doesn't have wild light in the sky, its not a really Long Exposure, but the desert floor textures, the soft light and the 3D pop that Zeiss lenses tend to have make this image stand out for me.

 

[ckcarr]

Very nice dawn light Travis. My favorite time in the desert.
Beautiful shot.

 

[AlanLichty]

The dawn light here is quite pleasant and the highlights on the vegetation are pretty neat. That one red plant is a great anchor for this.

 

[Zeph]

The red bush keeps my interest, the tone/mood is nicely captured. I might crop the Joshua tree on the very left.

 

[JimFox]

Hey Travis,

There can be at times a very subtle and quiet beauty to the desert that doesn't speak to everyone. It's like a quiet whisper that one needs to stop and stand still to hear.

I like the subtle beauty you captured in this one, and that red brush is a great anchor.

 

[Jeffrey]

Wonderful light, Travis. While this image does not have a strong central subject it realistically conveys the solitude and beauty of the region.

 

[Travis Rhoads]

Very nice dawn light Travis. My favorite time in the desert.
Beautiful shot.

Thank you very much Craig, it is a very nice time to be in the desert, a first for me, and I really enjoyed it.

The dawn light here is quite pleasant and the highlights on the vegetation are pretty neat. That one red plant is a great anchor for this.

Thanks Alan, appreciate the feedback.

The red bush keeps my interest, the tone/mood is nicely captured. I might crop the Joshua tree on the very left.

I searched all over for something like that red plant...when I saw it I knew it was the one! I considered cropping the JTree on the left, but didn't like what it did to that side of the frame or the bottom edge as it related to that scrub brush in the bottom left. Maybe I should clone it out, and maintain the rest of the image...

Hey Travis,

There can be at times a very subtle and quiet beauty to the desert that doesn't speak to everyone. It's like a quiet whisper that one needs to stop and stand still to hear.

I like the subtle beauty you captured in this one, and that red brush is a great anchor.

Subtle was what I was after here...I remember a lot of the images you have shared over the years of this time of day, and I always liked them...

Wonderful light, Travis. While this image does not have a strong central subject it realistically conveys the solitude and beauty of the region.

Thanks for commenting Jeffrey, I think that some images don't have to have one single main subject, more a capturing of the place, or a feeling of a place, so I am happy to hear that you think it works here.

 

[beavens]

I searched all over for something like that red plant...when I saw it I knew it was the one! I considered cropping the JTree on the left, but didn't like what it did to that side of the frame or the bottom edge as it related to that scrub brush in the bottom left. Maybe I should clone it out, and maintain the rest of the image...

Been a while, Travis - nice shot! I dig the calm and serene scene. The red scrub works nicely to pull the eyes around. As for the left tree, do you have a bit more room to the left of it? I like it there for framing, but don't like it cut in half.

Cheers!

Jeff

 

[Travis Rhoads]

Been a while, Travis - nice shot! I dig the calm and serene scene. The red scrub works nicely to pull the eyes around. As for the left tree, do you have a bit more room to the left of it? I like it there for framing, but don't like it cut in half.

Cheers!

Jeff

Hey Jeff, It has been a while...I have been a lot busy...trying to get a better work life balance...

Glad you like the image, as for that tree, no, that is all there is of it, I guess I was more focused on the scrub on the bottom and the red Trumpet that I should have probably included more on the left and less on the right.

 

[beavens]

Hey Jeff, It has been a while...I have been a lot busy...trying to get a better work life balance...

Glad you like the image, as for that tree, no, that is all there is of it, I guess I was more focused on the scrub on the bottom and the red Trumpet that I should have probably included more on the left and less on the right.

Work is overrated but unfortunately a necessary means to an end!

Shame about the tree, but I don't blame you - that red Trumpet sure is an eye-catcher. If you're feeling froggy I bet that you could either use a Content Aware fill or clone/flip the layer to mirrorr.

Jeff