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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Eighteen: Light and Landscape – combining personal vision with nature’s gifts > Dust devils, Wadi Rum, Jordan, 2011
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13-NOV-2011

Dust devils, Wadi Rum, Jordan, 2011

I used seven layers to express the majesty of the Jordanian desert at sunset. We move through the image starting in a foreground of sand, then to packed dirt, a middle ground of sun-splashed sand and a swirling band of dust devils, and finally to a background of dappled rock and shaded mountains. The alternating bands of shadow, light, and finally shadow again, along with luxuriant evening colors and textures, define the character of a desert steeped in the legend of Lawrence of Arabia.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
1/640s f/5.6 at 151.0mm iso160 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis15-May-2012 04:12
Thanks, Andrys --you are right about those dust devils. They do throw the picture into motion. I am glad that you have experienced this magical place for yourself. I hope that everyone who visits will have a chance to take a sunset ride in a 4x4 vehicle to get the most out of the experience.
Andrys Basten08-May-2012 04:13
Yes, there is so much LIFE in that swirling band of dust devils, it'a as if it's not a still picture.
Andrys Basten08-May-2012 03:52
Phil, I had the pleasure of being there in Nov. 2011 and really appreciate what you've done here! Stunning shot in so many ways.
Phil Douglis09-Feb-2012 23:08
Thanks, Iris -- to me, the essence of the scene is in the swirling band of dust devils here. One can only imagine what may lie within them.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)08-Feb-2012 04:24
I can only echo Tim......this is stunningly beautiful. As beautiful as the light and texture are in the foreground and middle ground, I am drawn to the moody mountains that are in shadow.
Phil Douglis02-Jan-2012 19:55
I knew you would spot those two "figures" in the mid-ground. Actually, they are not human. They are flags -- one yellow, and one red. They are course markers for the annual Wadi Rum Desert Endurance Horse Marathon, which would be held the next morning. In fact, I saw (and photographed) several horses running practice routes, following the colored flags that marked the course.
Tim May01-Jan-2012 23:29
Stunningly beautiful - are those figures in the mid-ground. What ever they are they create a sense of the people who live and lived here.
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