Monolith

In 2010 and 2011 I spent several months in the Sahara of northernAfrica. Why the Sahara? A few reasons: 1) I wanted to search forlandscapes that I hadn't already seen a kazillion times before, 2) Ilike the clean shapes and graphic lines you often find in the desertand I think it fits my photography style, and 3) I was looking for newworkshop destinations that hadn't already been done to death.

The Sahara is the world's largest hot desert. At over 3,630,000 squaremiles (9,400,000 square kilometers), it covers most of northernAfrica, making it almost as large as the US or Europe. Infrastructureis pretty much non-existent in the Sahara, so traveling is a realchallenge. Driving in the dunes is not only very difficult, it is alsoquite dangerous - you can get lost very easily and when you get stuckin the middle of the desert, you're screwed. For this reason wetraveled with two vehicles - if one would break down, we could gethelp with the second vehicle. Traveling in the Sahara also involvesserious planning in terms of fuel and supplies. There are no gasstations or Wall Marts around, so our cars were packed with fuel andlots of water.

Probably the most interesting part of the whole expedition was thefact that most of the time there was no plan as to where to go andwhat to see. We basically just drove around, exploring each area,looking behind every dune, climbing every plateau, curious what wewould find. This was very time-consuming, but also extremely rewardingwhenever we found something interesting.

From all the countries we visited, Egypt is by far the mosttourist-friendly. Putting a desert expedition together still takes alot of planning, but it's easier to find experienced local people thatknow the area you want to visit in Egypt, then say in Algeria or Chad,and the infrastructure is a lot better too.

In Egypt I wanted to explore the Western Desert, which is part of theLibyan Desert. I have a strange preference for surreal landscapes(which explains my tours to Namibia and Turkey), and the WesternDesert has some serious extraterrestrial landscapes to offer.

This shot features one of the many monoliths in the Western Desert. Ihad spotted it after climbing a high plateau and decided to set upcamp close by. The shot was taken just before sunrise. Nice thingabout many of the monoliths here is that they're made of very light,cream colored rock that changes color dramatically around sunrise andsunset. Erosion goes fast here, so the landscape will look completelydifferent in just a couple of decades.

Nikon D3S, AF-S 14-24/2.8, 1.3s @ f/11, ISO 200

[if you would like to join me on one of my tours and workshops, pleasecheck out my website]

Wonderful shot, Marsel ... excellent exposition. An unreal landscape very well captured ... Very interesting your comments about the trip too ... I imagine (and expect) a lot of wonderful shots coming soon ... Regards

A perfect balance. Very crisp, very clean and perfectly composed shot. And not overdone with PP. Hat off!

Marsel:  Wonderful shot.  It is unusual.  Almost spiritual.  They say staying in the desert brings you closer to God.  I love the quiet tones and the very pleasing composition.  Did you use any DR type adjustments to balance the shadows with the highlights?  Thanks for traveling so far.  Alan

Marsel,  Your travels came to fruition - this image is perfect.  I actually see human figures in these rocks that almost look like characters in a drama.  The image is perfectly lighted, clean, sharp, and offers nice texture in both the sand and rocks.  Given the political climate in North Africa right now, I'd say your had more to be concerned about than auto breakdowns.  Congratulations on a wonderful image.

It looks like you found a really cool place to shoot.  Great composition and I love how you can almost feel the main rock balancing itself under the pressure and weight of it's top.  Even though most of the time, I hate shooting without clouds for a sunrise/sunset, I think it works here with the creme colored rocks.  It helps to bring them out under the soft blue sky.

the light is unbelievably good, make this photo truly spectacular.

Molto bella !

Clean and compelling

Nice composition and colours

Best regards

 

Xavier Corcobado

xcorcobado.blogspot.com

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..........AWESOME !!

Incredible rock formations Marsel! Beautifully composed, and superbly photographed.

All the best,
Neil

Very excited.  Very unique.  Best Regards,

Two dimensions of time and space

I love the simpleness and an excellent job of processing the image Marsel.  It's not so over done like some work can be nowadays.

klass