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Upper Sonoran Desert


Upper Sonoran Desert
Photo Information
Copyright: petru damsa (petrudamsa) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 572 W: 77 N: 699] (2450)
Genre: Landscapes
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2001-09
Categories: Desert
Camera: Minolta HT-SI, Minolta AF 35-70
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Landscapes of the Wild West [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-11-26 5:37
Viewed: 1228
Points: 12
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The Upper Sonoran Desert is a biogeographic divison of the larger Arizona Desert. Its characteristics are a higher altitude and a rugged mountaineous terain, therfore a milder (if you can have something like that in a desert) climate. This is the most spectacular zone, with the greatest variety of landscapes and wildlife from all deserts of U.S.
The flora consist in mainly succulents and spiny plants (adaptation), both arborescent (the perrenials) and herbaceous (anual, with a very brief life cycle, sometime couple of weeks, taking advantage of the short favorable climate moments that may apear during the year). There are probably over 100 species of cacti living here, many Acaccia species and other trees from Leguminosae family, most noticeable being the Iron Tree and the Palo Verde. Mexican Poppy, different species of Lupine, Heliotropes are among anual species that bloom in early spring sometimes massive after the winter rains.
Fauna consist in many species well adapted to this ecosystem: scorpions, tarantulas, tarantula hawks (a wasp that predates on tarantulas), many butterflies;
many snakes (Arizona has 15 species of rattlesnakes), gila monsters, desert tortoise, chuckwallas; 12 species of hummingbirds, the red cardinal, several species of desert owls, quail, roadrunners, woodpeckers, turkey vultures; desert rabbits, many types of bats, coyotes,peccarys, bighorn sheep, black bears, mountain lions, etc. etc. etc. .....

I took this picture near Horseshoe Lake, at sunset with quite poor lighting condition. I blurred the background ridge to bring the foreground more "on the spot", but I'm not sure that I did a good job.
thistle, pablominto, chiliu, Circe, tiobibi has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To pablominto: Lighting conditionspetrudamsa 1 11-26 08:09
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Critiques [Translate]

It's interesting shot though it looks a bit strange.
I have feeling you overdid in PP, because the cactuses look as if they have burned edges and overall something's wrong with them.
Maybe if the light wasn't poor when taking it the results would've been better.
Anyway, it has nice framing and I like it.

Hi Petru,
I like this composition, and also the way you use the backlighting to enhance the profiles of the cacti! An almost 3D effect...
Regards,
Pablo -

  • Great 
  • lukdm Gold Star Critiquer [C: 51 W: 0 N: 7] (165)
  • [2005-11-26 12:20]

this is a great shot petru

  • Great 
  • chiliu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1552 W: 0 N: 1169] (6448)
  • [2005-11-26 17:16]

Hi Petru,
Very good composition, and great lighting,
excellent shot,
TFS!

  • Great 
  • Circe Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 54 W: 4 N: 22] (86)
  • [2005-11-28 0:53]

Bello contraluz, interesante punto de vista y muy buen encuadre. Quizas si hubieras retocado un poco los colores de la fotografia hubiera ganado en calidad, pero es solo una opinion.
Un cordial saludo de circe.

very nice composition; i like dark background, silhouettes of the cactuses, foreground light in this image..
best wishes

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