Deadvlei

Well executed, a bit surrealistic, memorable photo. Congratulations!

I like this picture. The brilliance and richness of the desert landscape is well seen and described by the perfect exposure and warm/cool colors. The careful composition of the trees provides a wonderful visual balance. I'm drawn into the scene by the powerful one-point perspective provided by the receding trees and the sharp front-to-back textures of the desert floor. The natural forms stand out starkly due to the side lighting and echo the desolation and bareness of the land.

There are not many ideas for improvement I can offer. I might like to see a bit more space on the rt/lt sides to pull the frame more horizontal to accentuate the sweep of the horizon more since the dark, vertical tree elements are so strong. And a bit more richness/density in the blue sky where the right side is a bit weak. Overall, however, this is a delightful scene with strong graphic impact, good texture and landscape story telling.

I don't find this version of this often-photographed landscape to be at all minimalistic. There are a number of trees of various shapes, some have fallen to the ground, and the background hills show a variety of shapes and sizes. All of this is in contrast to other photos showing but one or two trees against a background of a single hill of sand that fills the frame.....in my mind the latter is much more of a minimalistic landscape. I seem to be commenting more on the elves' take on this photo, as expressed in their introduction, than the photo itself, and that doesn't seem right. I just find it difficult to ignore any guidance or introductory opinion offered by the administration, and I wish it weren't offered.

Landscape photos are sometimes criticized for seemingly lacking a central focus or subject. In many of those cases it has seemed to me that the entire frame is the subject and that it represents a slice of our natural world so valued by many people. As the years have passed, I find myself less willing to defend some landscape photos in this manner. Such would be the case with this POTW. I think of other compositions that might convey the nature and feeling of this place, and in comparison I think the POTW is lackluster and unimaginative. I think much of this has to do with the amount of sky shown and the nearly 50:50 split between sky and land.

Since it "deserves to be viewed larger" (with which I agree), here is the link to Larger: [LINK]

Skipping all the lovely interplay between the sizes and flexions of the many sinuosities of the trees (which should be plain to everybody), and the strong play between the verticality of those sinuosities and the horizontal push of the flowing dune/landscape, I choose to comment on two details that I think are lovely: the inclusion of the nicely exposed foreground patterning in the salt that "delivers" me to the scene on my feet; and the haze-fading of the farthest dune-mountains that I think adds air and space to what otherwise might have collapsed into a pattern-play.

I agree that the image offers a nice mix of color tones. And it imaginatively conveys a story about the harshness of a desert environment and the isolation a person may experience being there. Personally, I'd like to see a bit less contrast, and more details in the trees - just my taste.

I like the delicacy with which the details are handled in this week's POTW. It doesn't strike me as "minimalist." Overall, I agree with a lot of Stephen's assessment, especially in terms of compositional, which leads to visual, stagnation. I think the lack of nuance in the color portrayals adds to visual disinterest.

An immediately eye catching image because of the color contrast between the blue sky and the yellow hills in the background and not least because of the fantom like outlines of dead trees. Minimalistic is not the term, which comes to my mind. The cracked white dried lake bed (?) presents perfectly the scene. But after that, not much to admire and discover. I agree with Julie's fine observation of the role played by the distant low mountains.
The main quality of the POW, apart from its technical achievements, as far as I see it, is the "novelty" of the scene.

There are probably two or three expected motifs from Namibia and maybe the most gratifying thing about this image is that it is not one of them—even if related….

The clear subject here appears to be these sinuous (using Julie’s thought) trees in the foreground. To that end, I don’t mind the centered horizon as that tends to bring us forward to the subject rather than to pull our attention back or up as would otherwise be the case. Of course, the dominant size and weight of these trees keeps our attention pretty well focused here.

My sense though is that this image is just a bit off balance. Off balance can serve a purpose, by adding movement, emphasis or serving some other purpose, but here I just feel that the right side of the image is a bit light while the left side is maybe a bit cramped--and I don't see this serving the intent, or read, of this image. Adding to the weight of the left side is the, to me,, too close proximity of that third (and fourth?) tree.

What maybe bothers me, and this is my own thing, about the cramped nature of the middle tree to the one on its left, is that it is the most lyrical of the three main objects/trees in this image. It just reminds me of one of those Disney characters (albeit, an evil one) that danced around in one of those epic movies and seems like it could have been more isolated and emphasized.

In any case, I like the idea and think a bit more room on the left and space between the two on the left might have improved the image. But, as it is what it is, it would be easy to bring this image into a bit better balance without ruining the basic nature of this photo—with just a bit off the right side. (I would probably cut it right past where the distant tree on the right merges--is tangent with-- with the horizon line, leaving a bit more room on the right than the left and thus not making the image totally static.)

I would agree with John's considerations concerning the framing of the trees in the foreground if they were lined up horizontally.
This is however not the case. The three trees are lined up in a diagonal way as if they were in a row advancing towards the right side of the frame.
In compositional terms the relative big space to the right is visually the best solution, as José has shot it, IMO.
Cropping parts of the right of the frame would accentuate the feeling that the two trees to the left are too near each other.

One could add, that there are in fact two diagonale lines of trees which create the composition, beside the horizontal ones: the diagonal line of the three trees towards the left, mentioned above, but also the diagonal line of, again three, trees to the right, starting from the nearest tree and towards the right side of the frame.

starkness and emptiness but beautifully populated by trees, a great shot of contrasts, i really enjoy the almost b & white of the foreground with the wonderful colours behind

Looks to me more like the work of a graphic artist than a photographer. I wonder how much, if at all, the image has been manipulated.

Hi

Please comment and critique this photo. It was took on Namib desert at

Deadvlei place.

Regards

José

Incredible that there are places like this, very beautiful photo, bravo. Best regards, Alessandro.

Excellent image of this place, I'm just returned from Namibia. Congratulation.

WoW! It's simply amazing! I love it

definitely surreal quality to photo. that's why its so amazing.