Dead Sea
2019 Israel. This picture is a technical challenge. Red haze and particles are a known problem in long distance naval photography. Usually the fix is either Kodak 87B IR filter or UV haze + Dark Red as 49. This problem is significantly bigger when photographing the lowest point on earth. The haze is much thicker and the red haze is like a thin layer or dust all over. If one is aware of its existence, it becomes visible to the naked eye. After taking the photo ( with a graduated ND to reduce the brightness reflecting off the white salt) I tweaked the white balance to remove as much redness then, I increased the clarity slider. The intent was to show the salt formations and the vastness of the dead sea. Camera nikon D800E with a 24-120mm f4 zoom lens@f16 ; tripod and graduated ND;
5 comments posted
Larry Treadwell
I feel you achieved your goal of showing the salt formations. I think the salt formations are what makes this unique. Personally I wish you had used a wider angle lens as that along with getting close would make the salt formation bigger and more detailed. Overall this is a quite dramatic view of the Dead Sea. The more I look the more I think I can see a bit of a red tint. Thanks for educating me about that. Posted: 02/10/2025 19:19:07
Michael Jack
This image provides a real sense of place. I think you made the right processing choices. Like Larry, with your tutorial, I think I can sense the red haze. Interesting. I like that you composed the sea as a diagonal leading my eye further into the frame. I agree on your wide angle lens choice,but maybe trying different focal lengths when you were there may have led to ba better choice.
Posted: 02/12/2025 01:32:10
Adi Ben-Senior
L, M,
Thanks for the good thoughts. Two things to consider with ultra wide angle (<24mm):
1. Filter / Filter holder will appear inside the frame
2. Parallax and barrel distortion are increasing significantly to the point the horizon will appear curved which is an "unnatural" look Posted: 02/13/2025 01:48:03
Arne Skinlo
An interesting scene with, what I think are salt formations in the foreground and the blue sea behind. I like the gradient of blue going from very light to dark blue at the top. Also thank you for the education of photographing in such environments. Posted: 02/16/2025 07:58:27
Barbara Gore
Hi Adi. I like how you captured this scene, and I found the information about the red haze interesting. It piqued my curiosity so I researched it a bit further..thanks for sharing. The layered, flat clouds and blue sky beautifully enhance the sea and salt formations creating a stunning visual. Posted: 02/16/2025 13:27:47
