Caravan # 2

I found this to be a stunning photo. Yes, there are lots of pictures of dunes, some even with people & camels. But what makes this picture for me is the angle of view (as many have mentioned) and the long shadows. I think the shadows are far more interesting than the "lighting" as many have mentioned. Yes, the light creates the shadows, but the color temp of the light is not terribly interesting. Which leads me to like the shadow length & not the "lighting" per se.

 

This is a great vacation shot, in the sense that an amazing photo was taken while Pennie was enjoying herself. "Vacation Shot" to me translates into "Photo that was taken while on vacation" and not "Cheezy snapshot taken while on vacation".

 

Great shot, Pennie, congrats.

Seems to be some confusion of what travel photography really is. A lot of you are lumping it into your own definition of taking pictures while on vacation. Generally, it could not be further from the truth. Vacation means relaxation, and travel photography, to those of us that do it, especially for a living, means WORK. Yes, a four letter word but one that we love. My wife has gone on 20 some trips with me. Ask her what it's like. She sums it up this way- "Boot Camp".

 

You say, but how? Seeing all those exotic places. Yes, but usually lugging around umpteen pounds of camera gear, tripods (which amateurs HATE to carry- but I would'tt leave home, this includes the hotel room, without it) film, (for those of us still using it), etc. Getting up and hitting the streets at O dark hundred, rain or shine, and walking twenty miles per day, taking a break here or there, work into the night until bedtime. I leave for the trip 'weak like sheep', come back 'strong like bull'.

 

This is a nice shot, but a bit top heavy. Would be stronger cropped to the mid white circle area and then that circled area burned in to black, giving a nice top black bar to balance the bottom. May burn lighter dunes overall too. Congrats on being chosen. I really like the roof top shot of yours I'd seen earlier. Another nice 'vacation shot'.

 

Oh yeah, before I go, what makes a good Travel Photo? All the same things that make a strong 'regular' image. Good line, light, form and centers of interest, for starters. I just call all of it art myself, travel or not.

Perhaps its the clarity, but the feeling of being drawn in and actually feeling like you are there is quite remarkable. Outstanding work!! Congratulations.

The red splash of clothing does it for me. And to a lesser extent the darker upper and lower bands. Plus the obvious path ahead. But that red is so tempting. So very exciting. That red is a killer. Love it.

This is an outstanding image. Great light, color, content, and composition. Comments about it not being "original" are so sad.

Part of the difficulty of obtaining such a beautiful shot such as this is just simply being in the right part of the world to capture it. So I congratulate you (Pennie) for A) getting the opportunity to travel and see such a visually interesting place and B)capturing the moment flawlessly. I don't see where any added complexities in cropping would really improve the image and I think that those suggesting this are "splitting hairs", with all due respect.

 

As far as originality goes, yes, there have been many dune/camel/caravan pictures captured over time. But so have there been millions of mountain, sunset, Eiffel Tower, and Grand Canyon pics to name a few. These types of things are popular to photograph because they are such interesting and visually impressive subjects. But nevertheless, there are plenty of really bad pictures of these things as well. So, in effect, capturing a great image (like this one), even if it's of a great subject, is not guaranteed. Therefore, you deserve all the credit for getting it. And yes, luck often does play a part, but we'll choose to ignore that for now. :-)

 

Love the shot and I like the small flashes of color in the caravan in an otherwise monochromatic image.

Let me say first of all I think the picture is fantastic, originality notwithstanding. The wonderful use of light and shade, the position of the camel train...it's all been said. In my opinion a good travel picture is one that conveys a strong impression of the location, and this photograph certainly does that, more than many thousands of a travel writer's words ever could.

Congratulations on a fine pice of work and on having it chosen as photo of the week.

I love this picture it is a good one. I see the two kinds of camels. I like the two hump camel. In my opinon a great travel picture makes me wnat to be there and this one does almost only I dont see any water so I might be a little careful to pack some water in a cooler before I go. The camels can drink from their humps but I will need water.

I love the sharp lines on the shadows. The perspective shows you just how small we are in comparison to the world. Awesome.

The layers of shadow and light created an interesting pattern that keep the viewer engage. I especially like the angle where the caravan cuts through the pattern and provided a sense of scale and depth. It really brings me to the place.

 

I think a great travel picture tells an authentic story that is genuine and pure with a touch of the photographer's personality.

I agree with Michael Seewald, a good travel photo contains all the elements involved with producing a strong 'regular' image. However, there are many ways to increase interest in your travel photography, most notably, in my opinion, the spontaneity factor (accompanied by originality). If you capture within some of your travel photos moments of unanticipated action WITH memorable/famous scenes the happier you may be with your product. An opinion from one who wishes to make a living at doing just this!

 

As for Pennie's caravan scene, I think it's great travel photography. Yes, it's been done before, but when you look at this you can feel the excitement she must have felt during her attempt at creating a memorable moment (for her at least). With great timing (regarding composition/lighting), excellent point of view, and near perfect exposure she has achieved success with this attempt. Better travel photo? With a short caption (and perhaps a tiny tweak of color correction and saturation) I think her Suicide Race is better!

yes its a great shot and one i would be totally stoked to have taken but... it *is* a cliched shot, and when i look at it i dont think 'wow i've got to go there' or wow look at that, which i guess travel shots maybe should do, instead i think 'huh, look at that, another camel shot'. then again i'm less of a 'get on a tour'/'conde nast traveller' which this shot would be good for maybe.

Very nice composition and light...I like so much the desert and You have made the concept of desert marvelously...cla

Really nice looking shot, shadows add a great effect!

! DUNE ! . . . or "LAWRENCE of ARABIA"

There's not much I can add to this discussion, but as an avid traveler and photographer I have to give Pennie the highest marks for this composition. It is very difficult (lucky) too find this kind of shot.

Great work, Pennie!!!

Lucky?

 

Luck has nothing to do with it. I'm sure Pennie planned the shot. She had the

Idea than she scouted the area than she asked the locals when the camel

caravans leave than she looked for good composition and light and so on and

so on...

 

People always say how lucky I was to get those conditions when the fact of

the matter is I was there for 8 days freezing my ass off.

 

Nice clean work Pennie.

 

Michael

The timing was perfect good shot

This is a truly cool photograph. Nice shapes. Nice lines. Perfectly executed.

 

I'm a little distracted by the person in red in the lower left, but that's the only weak spot I notice. I would have preferred it to be more monochromatic (i.e. would have prefered a more neutral color over the red coat). But, hey... There's only so much you can do.

 

But very nicely captured. Excellent exposure, it really sets the mood. Perfect subject placement. Nice sense of motion - both by the use of lines and by the subject placement (walking into the picture).

Pennie,

This shot looks as if Hollywood had spent their big bucks getting it. You have been incredibly lucky to take this shot. It is amazing, something akin a movie poster.

Where were you standing so as to be able to look down on the caravan?

Pennie this is just great, so very well seen and excecuted. Gongrats with POW. The play of light and shadows in this dessert images is most wonderful and I love the viewing angle. Perfect compositional work....Best regards, Harry

Pennie, I would love to see the original glossy of this. The shadows are as beautiful as the film used to produce them. Thank You. Robert Kautz

I hate this picture. It has too many things going right for it and not enough to criticize.

well,....If you were running short on paper, you could print it without the top portion...it would still work.

Great picture. Excellent use of shawdwos on the Caravan.