Sun, Sand & Sex

Every time I think about the desert, an image always comes to my mind: during sunset, a scorpion raises its tail, looking for prey; rattlesnakes follow an "S" rhythm, winding as they crawl; lonely cacti wait for thirsty travellers. In the tent, heroes and heroines sit around the fire, drinking wine and eating mouthfuls of meat, laughing and having a jolly good time.

Since childhood, I have had an indescribable feeling for the desert. I always felt that the desert was endless and mysterious. But alas, I could not find the opportunity to go to the desert and see it with my own eyes. It was not until I started landscape photography that I had the chance to walk in the desert.

When shooting still life, I found inspiration. Why not re-create a desert scene to quench my thirst?

Here is how I arranged each element in the picture.

1 - The sun is actually a 60-watt bulb tied to a tripod, with a dimmer to adjust the brightness.

2 - The sky is made of rice paper. I creased the paper to create texture, allowing the light to diffuse and simulate the sky.

3 - The sand was taken from the river and filled into a rectangular tray measuring 3' high x 4' wide x 3" deep.

“Why not re-create a desert scene to quench my thirst?”

4 - Three filters were used in the composition. Kenko 85 and Hoya 81C warming filters were used to enhance the warm colours.

The tray was placed on the table. The light bulb was tied to a tripod and hidden behind the rice paper. The cactus was buried in the sand, with small stones placed around it. I carefully adjusted the dimmer to achieve the desired brightness of the sun. The cactus was placed in the third of the composition. I metered the sky to obtain the exposure value, and voila, a desert was re-created in my studio.

I had so much fun creating this. How about it, is it fun? Do leave me a comment.