National Parks, Monuments, Forests And Public Lands Assignment Winner Scott Stulberg

Congratulations to Scott Stulberg for winning the recent National Parks, Monuments, Forests And Public Lands Assignment with his image, “The Twilight Zone.”

“The ethereal landscapes of Death Valley National Park have intrigued me since I was young,” says Stulberg. “From the Mars-like Zabriski Point to the monstrous salt craters of Badwater to the infamous Race Track, Death Valley is nonstop eye candy for any visitor. I also love capturing the Milky Way Galaxy in all its splendor above the landscape as the setting is magical for the night sky. Even with all of that, it’s the enticing beauty of the Mesquite Sand Dunes that bring me back each time.

“On this haunting morning, the wind was blowing fierce, which is terror for camera gear. But what was incredible was that just above us for over an hour was a B1 Stealth Bomber flying over the sand dunes from nearby Edwards Air Force Base. It was so surreal. Shooting with my Canon EOS 5D Mark III and my 100-400mm lens, I zoomed to 100mm at ISO 200 but stopped down to ƒ/18 to get all the depth of field possible. The wind was intense and at times making it pretty tough to shoot. In post, the image was asking to be converted to black-and-white and I used Nik Silver Efex Pro to give it the surreal look. The sand dunes of Death Valley are so addicting and a feast for the eyes for any photographer!”

See more of Scott Stulberg’s photography at www.asa100.com.