Salt, a photo from Erongo, South

Photographer's Note

I'm back home after a few days away at the coast. As always a trip to the sea necessitates a drive out past the Walvis Bay lagoon to the salt works. I love this flat and barren landscape, no matter when I visit there is always something that attracts my eye. Salt encrusted, flooded pools reflect the remnants of the sea mist and piles of processed salt.

In the WS you can see a slightly less contrasty edit which addresses the lack of detail in the salt heaps as per Luciano's comment

This photograph is copyright of Rosemary Walden - © Rosemary Walden 2013. All rights reserved. Any redistribution or reproduction of the image in any form is prohibited. You may not, except with my express written permission, copy, reproduce, download, distribute or exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system

lousat, macjake, Romano46, PaulVDV, tyro, annjackman, annjackman, CLODO, No_One, krzychu30, Royaldevon, Cricri, timecapturer, ourania, marabu61, Gigidusud, abmdsudi ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

lousat (129925) 2013-04-09 9:53

Hi Rosemary,the place is really original and beautiful,i like your rich composition ,only a bit overexposed the salt hills in background but a magnificent capture of details and colors everywhere,great reflections too.Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

macjake (96157) 2013-04-09 9:57

Hi Rosemary
hmmm...i wonder how many tourists travel to this destination in Namibia! The more i think about it, the more i really want to travel to Namibia...i'll have to put this country on my list :)
unique set of subjects here, and of course the reflections are the icing on the cake.
love the rich colors and the diagonal crane or lift inbetween the salt piles.
enjoy your day
craig

Romano46 (18472) 2013-04-09 10:34

Ciao Rosemary
altra splendida foto della tua terra ricca di colore simile ad un miraggio azzurro.
Mancano solo le fate per confermare l'incanto!
Splendida ripresa che documenta un altro aspetto del tuo straordinario paese.
Complimenti. Ogni giorno sei sempre più brava.
Ciao e buona serata
Romano

PaulVDV (54825) 2013-04-09 11:19

Hello Rosemary,
On a long line across the entire image we find about perfect reflections of the different constructions. The large piles of salt are hereby a real eye-catcher.
I'm not sure if I see also salt on the foreground ... Perhaps it's the white foam of smaller waves in the lagoon.
Best regards, Paul

rbassin (27464) 2013-04-09 11:19

hello Rosemary
une superbe photo, j'aime beaucoup cette ligne d'horizon qui se miroite dans l'eau.
Magnifique lumière et belle qualité des teintes bleues et le sel blanc.
Bonne soirée
Roland

rychem (72179) 2013-04-09 11:21

Excellent shot, I like the color combination and beutiful mirror effect
regards
Ryszard

dta (98540) 2013-04-09 12:26

Hello rosemary ,
This is a stunning place ! Amazing reflections and great colors in this composition .
Regards

rogerl (1632) 2013-04-09 13:51

Rosemary, this is a very nice composition from a low POV, emphasizing the scale of the scene. There are lots of subtle shades of light in the shot, in the sky, the buildings, and the reflections, that make this a very rewarding photo to examine. Thanks.

Roger

carlo62 (81265) 2013-04-09 14:07

Ciao Rosemary
bellissima panoramica sulle saline, i rflessi sono fantastici e la foto è ben composta.
Saluti
Carlo

tyro (30513) 2013-04-09 14:13

Hello Rosemary,

Now this is very interesting indeed. You have shown us pictures of this place before and I recall that in most of those previous pictures, the salt lakes were an amazing bright crimson colour which you explained was due to a particular type of algae in the water. So is the fact that the water here appears of a much more "normal" colour due to the time of year or the temperature?

A very fine composition indeed with lovely colours and reflections. I have studied your original image and also your workshop one and I think your workshop one does show some more detail in the white piles of salt on the horizon. Whether this or your workshop picture approximates best to what you saw as you pressed the shutter, I'm not sure. In any case, both versions are delightful, the colours are vibrant and the details and sharpness are exquisite.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

P.S. Ooops, another question about salt. These are obviously salt works here in south Namibia. You have also shown us pictures of the Etosha salt pans in the north - I presume that they are "natural" salt pans, but is salt extracted from them too?

annjackman (23019) 2013-04-09 22:33

Hello Rosemary,
I feel I know these salt flats well through your photos. I agree that the barren landscape makes a super subject. There are some nice colours with the pinkish clouds and blue sky. The reflections of course add a lot to the pleasure of this flat landscape. Beautifully rendered as usual.
Kind Regards, Ann

jjcordier (79299) 2013-04-09 22:41

Rosemary
Petite préférence pour la version moins contrastée du WS qui diminue la légère surexposition des tas de sel. Belle composition où tu as su exploiter lumière et reflets et obtenir de très belles couleurs.
Amicalement
JJ

adidas5nb (5743) 2013-04-09 22:47

i wont dare to say anything else other than..
WOW!
REGARDS
dwaipayan

CLODO (45094) 2013-04-10 1:50

Hiya Rosemary

Strong picture by its sharpness and the central line between 2 large ereas of blue color. The white of the salt is appealing. tThe WS is less impressive from my point if view.
Cheers
CLODO

No_One (4) 2013-04-10 2:04

Hi Rosemary,
I really love how you put this shot together, the salt in the foreground shore, and teh saltworks reflected like this make a most unusual sight, and are a beautiful combination of a natural environment and an industrial complex. Amazing that these two things can work together so well. Beautiful sky to compliment the whole scene too.
Thanks for sharing, have a great day!

Kind regards
Noel

krzychu30 (15512) 2013-04-10 2:10

Hello Rosemary,
these heaps of salt in the distance look almost like snow covered mountains and they contrast so beautifully with the blue sky!
I love also the way the pond reflect the salt heaps and the cloud formations-it adds some tranquility to the scene.
Maybe it´s a barren landscape,but it looks so beautiful.Definitely a picturesque place to photograph.

Have a good day
Krzysztof

Royaldevon (75344) 2013-04-10 2:45

Hello Rosemary,

No wonder this attracts you,; it is probably like no where else! The whole scene reminds me of something from a science fiction film.
The colours are quite splendid.
The waves give pleasing f/g interest, before the eyes move to the wonderful, reflected line of buildings and salt piles, which is strongly positioned in the frame.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

dkmurphys (78000) 2013-04-10 3:35

Hi Rosemary,
The place is sure amazing and your image has captured it perfectly. Well seen!

Daniel

snunney (130967) 2013-04-10 4:30

Hello Rosemary,
The stark white mounds of salt make an excellent focal point. I like the way the rivulets of salt in the foreground draw the viewer into the scene. Also, the saturated colours that heighten the graphism.

Cricri (176) 2013-04-10 5:35

Hi Rosemay
Magnifique couleurs, j'aime la ligne horizon avec les reflets, la lumière, une très belle réalisation
Belle journée
cricri

timecapturer (49288) 2013-04-10 5:42

Hi Rosemary
I love the originality of this place and can see why you like it. This shot is full of amazing blues that make the whites of the salt all the more distinct and compelling. A fascinating landscape, beautifully captured and presented.

Regards - Brian.

Sergiom (117241) 2013-04-10 6:16

Bonjour Rosemary

J'aime beaucoup le titre de cette composition. Simple et efficace. Il dit ce qu'il a à dire.J'aime la profondeur qu'apporte le point de vue bas et la très belle lumière sur le sel au loin.

Amicalement

Serge

ourania (51103) 2013-04-10 11:10

Hello Rosemary,
this is a very attractive photo with great use of symmentry and contrast. There's superb contrast between cold and warm colours but also between smooth and rough textures. It's amazing how the salty surfaces accentuate the sense of depth. I love the purple clouds and how they open up at the white heaps. The colours are marvellous, I prefer the softer rendering in the workshop as far as the sky is concerned but I love the extreme luminosity of the mountains of salt in this version. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great evening,
Ourania

marabu61 (11587) 2013-04-10 12:46

Hello Rosemary
I can easily see why you love this place, it is amazingly beautiful for an industrial site. But that, I am sure, is a lot due to your stunning capability to capture the light and the colors in a beautiful way. The colors, the light, the reflections, everything in this picture is just perfect.
have a good evening
Daniel

Gigidusud (21679) 2013-04-10 14:39

Hi Rosemary,
Beautiful photo with nice colors and fantastic reflections.I like the salt piles in BG and at the water's edge.I love it!
Best regards,
Gigi.

saxo042 (38078) 2013-04-11 7:06

Hi Rosemary,
It is interesting to compare the two versions here. I think I prefer the WS version, with its more natural colours. But the composition is good, whatever version, with the the clear diagonal line and the white heaps of salt.
Kind regards
Gunnar

Urs (14082) 2013-04-17 5:54

Hi Rosemary

Salt, yes that we have south of Bangkok as well, but there it is combined with shrimp farming. The contrast of blue and white is very impressive and bold. Very vivid colour hues and fine sharpness. Well done

Warm regards
Urs

abmdsudi (88509) 2013-04-25 9:24

Hi Rosemary
You have posted some great images druing my absence, it's time to catch up something I have missed!
This is indeed a breathtaking rarely seen landscape with the surface of the salt plain, the mirror effect and the endless blue sky to lure the viewers where you have captured the beauty of the spot. This shot shows that huge expanse beautifully, the textured salt which looks so like ice and clever use of perspective which has produced an eye catching image and the contrasty colours intensify the visual impact. However this plain makes me feel tad eerie! but this is simply amazing shot and very neatly done, My Congrats.
Warm regards