Picture of the day - December 3, 2007

The "Sand Dunes" of Death Valley

Photo courtesy of Julian Kalmar. Death Valley is a place that is better known for its extreme summertime heat and scarcity of water than for its beauty, but this amazing image by photographer Julian Kalmar proves that the region is home to some pretty fine scenery as well. Although Death Valley is a true desert in every sense of the word, less than one percent of its land area is actually covered with sand. But the sandy areas that do exist have the classic desert look of wind-blown sand, complete with intricate textures that have been "carved" into the surfaces of the dunes by the driving winds. And they sure do make a gorgeous picture! Mr. Kalmar captured this gorgeous image just a few minutes after sunrise on a typically clear Death Valley morning. The camera used was a Canon EOS 5D equipped with a 70-200mm zoom lens, and the settings were as follows: Focal length: 200mm Aperture: f6.3 Shutter speed: 1/320 second ISO: 100 You can see more of Mr. Kalmar's spectacular photographs on his website.   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"