The Texture of the Desert (1M3) - 4 November 2014

Anyone who has been to the desert will know that much of its beauty lies in the way the landscape changes almost constantly with the movement of the sun. Whilst the lighting can, at times, be harsh, at subtler times the effect is somewhere between breathtaking and stunning and the rocks seem to take on a life of their own.

None of that is shown adequately in this image but there is a hint in the distance of a shot snatched (from the passenger side) of our stopped car. The Desert Cities of the Coachella Valley present, of course, an urban/desert mix but it is notable that in this view, not far from the residential prosperity of Palm Desert, there are no other cars. Because the light produces texture as much as anything, I think this image deserves a b&w treatment too. The amount of contrast in a b&w image is a rather subjective judgement so I am posting three versions. This is the third of the three.

Another Flickr geotagging adventure. Thousand Palms is on the other side of a distant I-10. This is Palm Desert.

200_2_P1010788CM3