I am still writing about the desert this week. This is a harsh place and I attempt my best to capture and show that feeling. To do so, I once again shoot into the sun. I also emphasize the dry and cracked crust. I wanted to add something to this image, and for that I played with shadows.

My camera is at a low position again to show of the crust and the cracks. I position myself in such a way that I can take advantage of the tree's shadow. The shadow is what gives this image its dark and hopeless mood. It leads to the tree and the sun. It starts spread out at the base of the image but then aims straight for the tree.

          I want to encourage you to look for shadows, to play with them, and to use them creatively. Even look for faint shadows. The shadows in this image were not this dark. I darkened them in post processing to make them stand out. I wanted a constrasty image. Darkening the shadows did the trick. We often look at the features in the landscape to determine our composition but have you considered to use shadows?