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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Forty-Two: Adding meaning to scenic vistas > Dawn on the dune, Erg Chebbi, Sahara Desert, Morocco, 2006
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18-DEC-2006

Dawn on the dune, Erg Chebbi, Sahara Desert, Morocco, 2006

Berbers guide visiting tourists down Morocco’s highest Sahara Desert dune just after dawn. A series of rhythmically repeating patterns of shadow and sand carry the eye to the tiny figures, which give the scene a sense of incongruous scale. I’ve cropped the huge dune they are descending, implying that we may be looking at a vista that stretches as far as the eye can see.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/200s f/5.0 at 88.8mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time18-Dec-2006 00:40:59
MakeLeica
ModelV-LUX 1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length88.8 mm
Exposure Time1/200 sec
Aperturef/5
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis03-Apr-2020 05:13
I thank you for this comment as well, Guest. It has been a while, 13 years in fact, since this image of Erg Chebbi was last commented upon.
Guest 01-Apr-2020 07:54
Beautiful
Phil Douglis02-Jul-2007 21:14
And that is what travel photography should ultimately do, Lara. Increase understanding by interpreting places that others have not experienced. I tried to put all of my viewers into the dunes of the Sahara here. Thank you for telling me it works.
Lara S02-Jul-2007 20:58
For anyone who doesn't understand how vast, lonely and grandiose the Sahara Desert, this photo surely explains it all.
Phil Douglis27-Jun-2007 18:31
I like your mention of the layers here, Ai Li. This vista could have just as well been used in my layers gallery. The foreground layer here suggests the effort that lies ahead. You say it well -- they have a long way to walk, and they must do it through piles of shifting sand. The people are the middle ground layer -- in this image, the subject layer. They provide the scale needed to imply the vastness of this land. The background layer rises into the top of the image -- they have come a long way already, yet are only halfway home.
Phil Douglis21-Jun-2007 19:36
Thanks Suwanee and Veraferia. Between the two of you, you have picked up on the three things that make this vista expressive: the low angle of the light brings out the textures and the repeating patterns in the sand, the colors contrast man to the natural world, and the scale incongruity of the small figures against the vast landscape create energy and add focal point.
veraferia21-Jun-2007 14:38
Great capture! Outstanding light and colors!
Guest 21-Jun-2007 13:30
You are very good at these shots. Scale and distance and then one little object that adds life to a scene.
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