Every time I think about the desert, an image always comes to my mind – during the sunset, a scorpion erecting its tail, looking for its prey; rattlesnakes following the “S” rhyme, winding crawls. Deserted cactus waiting for thirsty travellers. In the tent, heroes and heroines sit around the fire, drinking wind and having mouthfuls of meat, laughing and having a jolly good time.

Since childhood, I have had an indescribable feeling for the desert. I always feel that the desert is endless and mysterious. but alas, I couldn’t find the opportunity to go to the desert to see it with my 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 have arranged each element in the picture.

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

2 – The sky is made of rice paper. I creased the paper to create a texture to allow the light to diffuse and simulate the sky.

3 – The sand was taken from the river and filled in a 3′ high x 4′ wide x 3″ deep rectangular tray.

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

The tray was placed on the table. The light bulb was tied to a tripod, hiding behind the rice paper. The cactus is buried in the sand with small stones placed around it. Carefully adjust the dimmer to achieve the desired brightness of the sun. The cactus is in the third of the composition. I meter the sky to obtain the exposure value, and Viola! A desert re-created in my studio!

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