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May 15, 2012

Sandstorm in Death Valley













When I wandered far out into the sand dunes at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley, it was overcast but calm. However, I eventually got caught out there in some really heavy winds, but couldn't resist snapping off a few during the frantic dash back to the car. Luckily, my camera seems to have sustained no damage and is now sixty miles away at the Canon factory in Irvine, California getting cleaned. I am anxiously awaiting its return . . .


17 comments:

  1. Well, judging by the quality of the photos themselves, perhaps it was worth risking the life and limb of your Canon to capture them!

    Gorgeous, dramatic, geometric, grandiose are only a few of the adjectives that come to mind...

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  2. It seems that The Pliers has yanked the words right out of my mouth, but I'll let her keep "grandiose" as her own, just to differentiate our comments here.

    What might normally seem like being in the right place at the wrong time turned out to be the right time after all, if it meant getting such incredible shots as these. These are just stunningly beautiful and dramatic photographs.

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  3. I too am anxiously awaiting the return of the Canon. You've given us some more powerful stuff today, Stickup. That first shot's contrasts in sharpness of line and changing colors--three fairly distinct layers . . . that's really special. And the four together really do create a narrative. I bet it stung?

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  4. Hello dear Friend..:)

    The best pictures I've seen this week ... a sea of ​​sand that dances with the wind, I love the movement there is in these pictures, light as an imperceptible murmur ... and the colours that melt them,the place where the sky and earth meet and marry, .. specially beautiful images, powerful and strong, and also delicate, like a painting, in perpetual motion...
    Thanks my dear to share these exceptionally moments..
    Kisses..:))

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  5. A few shots magnificent, stunning. The camera soon is back and the photos remain always. A risk that has its positive side.A hug.

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  6. Incredible intensity here... pictures that put us right in the thick of it, can hear the wind whistling and the blowing sand tearing the air...

    Glad you found your way back to the car !

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  7. Wonderful images....the sand blowing along the surface re-shaping th desert floor. Any form is the product of the force(s) shaping it. In this case the wind sculpting the dunes. While it would seem to be forever the same, the desert is a kinetic sculpture moving in very slow motion. If examined, in time lapse the desert would undulate, rise and fall like the sea. One can sense this looking at wind working its art. To me these pictures freeze frame that dynamic....nice...and even in the moment of shooting the wind-driven sands were trying to re-shape your camera...or even your skin!

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  8. Oh, i love these.

    Have you seen Tarkovsky's Stalker? (i thought of this film immediately after seeing your pictures).

    If you haven't seen it, try to see it on a large cinema screen --failing that, see it on video. This is not a film in the ordinary sense of the word. Yes it was shot on film stock and has synchronized sound--but that's where the resemblance ends. It's not a film--it's a poem.

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  9. These are outstanding images! The pastel colours are so beautiful! What a great post, Stickup Artist, well done!

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  10. My Canon needs to have a little talk with your Canon on how to get a few of these shots.....and I've been to that shop in Irvine. May I suggest you do a little exploring around El Toro air port base. There is some stuff out there that I think you could make into poetry

    love these photos. did it hurt to be in this storm?

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  11. These photos are amazing! I like them even better than your last. Wow!

    I used to live a few miles away from the Canon factory and they did a great job of fixing my 50mm lens. :)

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  12. speechless... i can't imagine what it is to live through this, see this, feel this...

    thank you so much for being here, Stickup.

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  13. Stupendous shots! That first one made me moan in awe of the beauty you captured. The others are so exciting and I am impressed that you paid your camera back for giving these images with a trip to the groomer...oh, wait, that would be what I do for my dog....., well, to the cleaner then!

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  14. Le desert un endroit que j'aimerai decouvrir.

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  15. Very nice! I'm glad you got a few nice photos before you escaped to your car. As a child, I spent a lot of time in Death Valley and clearly remember my brother and I rolling around these dunes and getting sand EVERYWHERE! On a side note, I drive past the Canon building all the time. Just yesterday as a matter of fact!

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  16. Beautiful as usual :) The sky changes are fantastic. They alter the feel of the place. Ansel Adams would approve.

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