Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: Rajan Parrikar on November 30, 2013, 03:25:42 pm

Title: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Rajan Parrikar on November 30, 2013, 03:25:42 pm: More images of the evening are at Trona Pinnacles Revisited (http://www.parrikar.com/blog/2013/12/01/trona-pinnacles-revisted/).

Trona Pinnacles Revisited (http://www.parrikar.com/blog/2013/12/01/trona-pinnacles-revisted/)

(http://www.parrikar.org/images/LL/Trona-Pinnacles-Sunset.jpg)

(http://www.parrikar.org/images/LL/Trona-Pinnacles-Moonrise.jpg)
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Christoph C. Feldhaim on November 30, 2013, 05:27:07 pm: Two winners.
Great shgots, Rajan!
And again: I like your seeing colors, really!

Cheers
~Chris
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Peter McLennan on November 30, 2013, 07:23:34 pm: Rajan is there anywhere you don't get to? :D

Lovely images. That's a hard site to get close to.

Spend the night in Trona? : )
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Rajan Parrikar on November 30, 2013, 08:00:10 pm: Thank you, Chris and Peter.

Quote from: Peter McLennan on November 30, 2013, 07:23:34 pm
Rajan is there anywhere you don't get to? :D

Lovely images. That's a hard site to get close to.

Spend the night in Trona? : )

Peter,

It is not at all hard to get to. I camp here (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/iyksh-springhill-suites-ridgecrest/) in Ridgecrest (a surprisingly good accommodation given the small desert town) and the Pinnacles is a short drive (25 mins or so) from here. On the drive to Death Valley from the SF Bay Area, Ridgecrest makes for a good overnight stop (although if you want to go all the way, Furnace Creek is another couple of hours away).
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Peter McLennan on December 01, 2013, 12:12:19 am: Rajan, I was referring to the last kilometer or so to the Pinnacles. Once you leave the pavement, that is one rough bit of road, even though it's level. I've never ventured very close to them.

Also, I was kidding about Trona. (somebody here on LuLa called it "The Town That Time Forgot") I think the only people who stay there overnight are the people who already live there.

Ridgecrest is usually my last stop to stock up on groceries if I'm bound for DV, but I don't avail myself of the Marriot Springhill Suites. I sleep in the Walmart parking lot. :)
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Rajan Parrikar on December 01, 2013, 12:36:28 am: Quote from: Peter McLennan on December 01, 2013, 12:12:19 am
Rajan, I was referring to the last kilometer or so to the Pinnacles. Once you leave the pavement, that is one rough bit of road, even though it's level. I've never ventured very close to them.

Also, I was kidding about Trona. (somebody here on LuLa called it "The Town That Time Forgot") I think the only people who stay there overnight are the people who already live there.

Ridgecrest is usually my last stop to stock up on groceries if I'm bound for DV, but I don't avail myself of the Marriot Springhill Suites. I sleep in the Walmart parking lot. :)

Peter,

Once you get off the pavement onto the dirt route it is around 4 miles to the base of the first set of pinnacles. I have done it 4 times (early morning & late evening) in a rental Ford Escape. Except for a couple of short sandy sections it is a straightforward drive assuming you don't go beyond 40 mph. Certainly nothing like the bone-rattling washboarded route to the Racetrack Playa.

As for Trona, I was thinking of some street photography there but I hear that the factory guys don't like people wandering around their site.

These reviews (http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g33190-d4646921-r176959257-Trails_Drive_In-Trona_California.html) of a Trona eatery are amusing.
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: bretedge on December 01, 2013, 03:56:24 am: This isn't an easy place to photograph but you've come away with two fabulous images, Rajan. I especially like the second one with the earth shadow and moon above the pinnacles.
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: batmura on December 01, 2013, 04:57:43 am: Both are excellent shots!
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: sdwilsonsct on December 01, 2013, 08:32:48 am: Good stuff, Rajan, especially 2.
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: IcelandAurora on December 01, 2013, 11:19:23 am: Fantastic location, fascinating rocks, they remind me of the transient nature of "Form". Love the light in the first shot.
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Fine_Art on December 01, 2013, 11:09:02 pm: Lovely images Rajan.
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Paulo Bizarro on December 02, 2013, 04:14:24 am: Very nice images.
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Roman Racela on December 02, 2013, 05:30:25 am: Lovely images man! I love Trona.

I just came back from Death Valley today. My brother and I made a pit stop there on our way to Death Valley...and took some sunrise pix.

Here's one of my sunrise shots from a year ago.

(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h88/romanwarrior/trona_sunrise_04_zpse44be0fb.jpg) (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/romanwarrior/media/trona_sunrise_04_zpse44be0fb.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Peter McLennan on December 02, 2013, 12:09:06 pm: For those of you who have never visited Trona, here are a couple of shots from downtown.

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5543/11174653275_7fd6eeb232_o.jpg)

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7373/11174657265_143ccd2fde_o.jpg)
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Rajan Parrikar on December 02, 2013, 12:23:34 pm: Thank you, all.

Roman, some sweet light you caught there.

Peter, love the second shot. I may stop by Trona briefly later this month. By the way, I hear that Hwy 178 from the turnoff at Ballarat to 190 is washed out, so access to Death Valley right now is 395 via Olancha and then 190.
Title: Re: Trona Pinnacles - Sunset and Moonrise
Post by: Roman Racela on December 02, 2013, 07:22:13 pm: Thank you, Rajan. I also have a full moon shot from 3 years ago. I got there just in time to fire this 1 shot before any available light (other that the moon) was gone. I do love your version 100X more with its better colors, composition, lighting and sky. I have to go back there again. I do have some killer shots from this place that I haven't posted anywhere yet. I might process a few of them and post here.

BTW, you're right the road from Trona to DV is washed out and closed off...but that didn't prevent me and my brother from ignoring the road block and doing some off-roading for several miles. A Lexus and a Mini Cooper decided to follow me...I hope they turned around or it would be an expensive tow to safety :)

(http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h88/romanwarrior/ROMAN_zps856119b8.jpg) (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/romanwarrior/media/ROMAN_zps856119b8.jpg.html)

Quote from: Rajan Parrikar on December 02, 2013, 12:23:34 pm
Thank you, all.

Roman, some sweet light you caught there.

Peter, love the second shot. I may stop by Trona briefly later this month. By the way, I hear that Hwy 178 from the turnoff at Ballarat to 190 is washed out, so access to Death Valley right now is 395 via Olancha and then 190.