Tuesday, 11th May 2010
Painter
by Charlene Burge
A painter on the Mesquite Dunes, sunset, Death Valley. Lucky she was there to provide some interest to our evening, as the place was super crowded, super tracked up and the desert kit foxes did not make an appearance. The new parking lot was interesting; I have to admit to feeling conflicted about seeing a parking lot along the road, now. I know it's to concentrate impacts to one area of the dunes, but I'm still conflicted. It was built too close to "my" kit foxes, and I fear that the steady traffic has moved them to a new location.
Equipment: Olympus E-520
Charlene Burge
Website: Photos
Painter by Charlene Burge was photo of the day on Tuesday, 11th May 2010. It is tagged People. You can leave a comment below.
21 Comments
Anurag
Interesting. The blown out sky gives the shot a unique feel. As though some divine light is shining upon the painter.
heidiannemorris
beautiful photography – how lucky we are :O)
Malta Photography
what a wonderful shot. it says so much in a very simply way. great image indeed and very warm. the only part that is doubtful is the top part where there are dead pixels. the sun was too bright and its just plain white.
But anything else is just right
Nigel Finn
Definitely a prize-winning photo. Why don’t i see things like this when I’m on my way to the shops?
Wanda Krack
What a wonderful capture!
Natalie
SUch a refreshing cahnge from slow water exposures – some real art – great!
planet lover
Very nice. The painter makes the picture for me. Are the dunes really that big? They seem as tall as the Himalayas in the distance.
Marie Dunphy Harding
The formations are amazing; The Artist gives us that height perspective, though I wonder what she’s painting.
Renee
great shot.
Rajib Singha
Absolutely a painterly image! Congrats.
mike
I like the dusty orange shades.
Pauline Jones
If I saw all that traffic i would certainly move on; The colors here are lovely but the lone painter definitely adds to the interest and story telling of the piece.
Azander
Fantastic atmospheric shot. Well done.
charlene
Thanks for the comments! To answer the question about the background, you’re seeing the Panamint Range. I and the painter are in the dunes, and the major “peaks” of the dunes are in front of the painter and to my right. I was sitting on the crest of one dune, and the painter was on another. To see a view of the dunes she’s painting, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stormygirl/362173700/ That image was Earthshots POTD in March, 2007.
Brett
Very nice …
Nico De Pasquale
great idea n amazing work!!
su
Interesting shot
Mary
Actually, Charlene, foxes are attracted to busy areas to establish their dens, so if the mother moved her kits, it is because she felt threatened by something other than the traffic in the area. We have many fox dens in culverts and along ridgelines of highway ditches where they build their dens so “they can watch” traffic go by while their little ones grow. Many young ones then succumb to the busy roadways if she doesn’t move them when they are big enough to wander.
Su
Love the tones of this shot.
renee
yes indeed the colors are very nice.
charlene
I have to disagree with Mary, who says that foxes are attracted to busy areas. Foxes are attracted to appropriate denning structures, and often culverts make a good choice in their minds. They may not have the reasoning skills to understand that it’s a dangerous area for them. Often a culvert is used by some species because there is no other unused area that they can dig a den into.
Desert Kit Foxes are a unique and rare species, and this is a National Park. Wildlife can become habituated, but in many cases will specifically choose to move further away from people. Many species, when pressured, will move further away, even if it means abandoning a den. The desert habitat in Death Valley is marginal even for species adapted to it’s rigor. We should always be concerned when our (human) actions affect wildlife enough to make them move.