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JBord — Mountainscapes from Urubamba Valley
Published: 2013-12-13 17:04:01 +0000 UTC; Views: 1009; Favourites: 46; Downloads: 0
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Description
Urubamba is a river the flows near the city of Cusco.This river has sustained life in this region for so long, that the Incas named the Urubamaba Valley - The Sacred Valley.
The valley is swaths of flat agricultural soil, surrounded by tall mountains of the Peruvian Andes chain.
This image was taken from the front window of a bus as we were driving on a lonely dirt road from Moray to Marras salt mines.
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Comments: 7
This is an eye-catching picture - one which combines classical artistic principles and something new and unusual, even strange. There is an almost surrealistic feel to it created by its contrasts.
I'll start with the colors since the first thing that I notice is the deafened, pastel tones, which nevertheless follow a rather classical golden-blue scheme. They define the atmosphere in the scene which suits my vision of a desert-like landscape. The contrast is a bit high, especially in the foreground, but given the dull colors this is actually a good decision. The sharp difference in tone values restores the depth and strength of the picture which otherwise might be lost with the loss of saturation.
The composition is another rather classical element. It is divided in three distinctive zones which, I believe, roughly coincide with the golden section resulting in a pleasant overall look. The foreground and the mountain tops and clouds are rich in contrasting details, while the middle part of the picture looks rather monotonous. However, it serves to show the magnificence of this tall and steep mountain. Another element with a similar effect is the road, along with its classical function to "guide the eye" through the scenery. The road is what actually makes this composition so effective.
Finally I'll mention the details in the uppermost part of the picture since I can spot some HDR and/or filter in effect here. The higher dynamic range provides plenty of details in the clouds and also makes the snowy cliffs stand out very well. Judging by the lower parts of the mountains, otherwise the dramatic ridges would have blended into haze. Instead, they have turned into a powerful accent.
I admit when I was younger I couldn't imagine that a desert can be beautiful. This land, captured in a very skillful way, only proves how much I was wrong.
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Thank you for your through and insightful critique!
I agree with you on most points, only a few slight explanations:
1. I did not use any HDR processing on this image, however you were right that the top part has been darkened with a digital filter in PP .
2. As this image was shot from a window, it suffered from bad loss of contrast, which I had to correct in PP. The contrast in the mountains was even worse, because they are actually very far away, and the visibility was not very good that day.
Another small point:
This was not taken in a desert per-se. The Urubamba valley is a very fertile piece of land, and agriculture has been practiced here from time immemorial. However, we visited in the dry season, and this is how we found the landscape.
Again, thank you very much for the critique, and I'm glad you liked the work!
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Yes, I'm not an expert at HDR, but I could see there was some manipulation there
This was shot through a window?!? I would have never guessed. In that case it's truly amazing how good and clean the cadre actually is.
I see. I thought about that because I noticed the ground is gold from withered grass, but I wasn't sure about the climate since there's some plants that remind me of yuccas. However, it definitely gives me a desert feeling, probably because of the colors and the way the mountainside looks. Which is not at all bad, it's got an atmosphere.
And you're most welcome
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This is so amazing! I love this style and composition! Great work!
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