"Sunset on the Rocks"

Happy New Year! This is my first landscape of the year from a favorite spot just east of Bakersfield. I have photographed this area often before, yet I have never seen it from this angle with these foreground boulders. I'm not expecting to have a productive year for new photography, but I will still be getting out as time permits. Last year, despite the poor spring wildflower season, was a very fruitful year photographically. I had two excellent trips to Yosemite, as well as several other excellent outings, and now my appetite has grown for the big and iconic. If I get back to Yosemite this year at all, I will consider it very fortunate. As for this region; there has been almost no precipitation this winter and I'm afraid that this wildflower season may be a dud just like last spring. Two years in a row will be more than I can endure. I so look forward to the pageantry, but if no rains come soon, it doesn't look promising. If the conditions get better, however, and the wildflowers do come out, then I will grab some shots from this vantage for sure!

"Sunset on the Rocks"; my favorite cocktail! Please view Larger!

outstanding light and composition. technically absolute stunning. very good photo.

I feel your pain, Mark, the lack of precipitation is disconcerting to say the least with nothing in the forecast.  Yikes!  As you know this land should all be getting green by now.

This shot is typical of your mastery of difficult lighting conditions handled beautifully.  My only nit is that the bit of backlit grass between the sun and the camera, while probably accurate, is a little distracting in its brightness... although others could certainly feel differently.  Pray for rain/snow!

Thanks Dave! You know, I may go back and hand blend from a darker exposure to knock down those grasses a couple of stops, especially the bright patch right below and left of the sun. I noticed that and I did actually address it, but not in the best way. Thanks for your spot on observation. Let's all get up now and do a quick rain dance!!

Mark... An excellent "Geistweite" image, recognized immediately with your signature mastery of detail and light. While I see the brightness mentioned in the grasses, it's not objectionable and looks entirely natural, especially with the bright reflection on the rocks. Regardless, a welcome start to the new year... Mike

Thanks Mike! I was chasing this sunset in my head all day after I dropped my father-in-law off at the L.A. airport. On the ride back, the sky grew fantastic with a lot of high cirrus clouds. As the sun set, the clouds started rushing off to the west, but just enough to occupy the upper third of the frame. I was hoping to shoot a time-lapse, but my intervalometer's batteries were dead, so this was all I could muster. I am thinking this may be a lean year for photography, but then again, I thought that about 2011. In the end, 2011 may have been my best year. Actually, it definitely was!!

Excellent shot , wonderful and colors ......................Best regards.

Excellent image and a very nice works on the rocks. 

Happy New Year.

Bela

Outstanding details and colors.

Mark.. the exif data of this image got me confused, and I want to learn from you.

The Exif data show that the subject distance is in 315m, but the foreground rocks are seems in no more than 10m, is this as a result of blending multi-images or due to something else. Thanks

Thanks Zsolt, I somehow forgot to acknowledge your response! So sorry, I appreciate it! Thanks also to Falak, Bela and Museeb! Museeb, I really can't give a definitive answer to that. I use live view to achieve critical focus and I remember using the rocks as my focus point. I was at F18, so DOF should be very good at a wide angle setting. I did use 6 separate exposures to hand blend this. I basically did it in pairs and then blended the flattened pairs, but one of the exposures was merely used to make sure I had clean shadow detail without noise. This is a tricky circumstance to try and capture and then render in a natural appearing way. I think I pulled it off without having that HDR look, which is always my goal. Thanks for the query!!

NIce Light, excellent foreground, sharp details.  Best regards,

Thanks a lot Mark, I appreciate your feedback.

Superb balance of colours.  Love it...

Another outstanding photograph, Mark, as always your composition and processing just couldn't be better.

Not your absolute best, but stunning nevertheless.  I do envy your talent and locational  settings.  Good eye on you Mark.  Have another bountiful year of great images in 2012.  rek.

Mark, very good capture of light & colors of Nature. Admirable shot.