“Where Have You Been?”

Photography is exploding in popularity, driven by smartphones. Ninety-three percent of the 2.1 trillion photographs taken last year were smartphone images. Only 7% were taken with “big” cameras like mine.

Smartphone cameras are always there and foolproof. I use mine all the time for family, friends, and special moments photography. The image quality when viewed on a small screen or a small print is terrific.

But smartphones have limits. One major limitation is that you cannot take extremely wide-angle shots or telephoto shots due to the limitations of their permanently attached lenses.

My big camera, on the other han,d has interchangeable lenses that cover a vast range. And there are specialty lenses for unusual cases, such as low-light astrophotography.

But there are downsides. Every time I change a lens, dust can get into the camera and onto the sensor. This creates ugly dust spots that need to be tediously retouched during post-processing. Which brings me back to the quote at the top of the blog.

Last week, I picked up my two cameras after sensor cleaning at the local camera store. The technician was curious as he handed the cameras back to me. “I’ve never seen so much dust inside and outside a camera before. Where have you been?”

The answer: Saudi Arabia. Along with friend and fellow photographer Jon Christofersen, we were in and around the tiny village of Al-Disah at a photography workshop in January.

Al-Disah is the red pin on Google Maps.

The Shot

We were blessed to have two excellent Saudi desert photographers as drivers. Farhan was assigned to drive the car Jon and I were in. It was a pleasure getting to know him and learn about Saudi Arabia as we drove on and off road for a week together.

Me, Farhan, and Jon Christofersen during one of our stops in the desert.

This shot was made possible by the same dust that eventually found its way onto my camera’s sensor. A windstorm just before we arrived created haze in the air with the potential for photogenic sunbeams.

On one of our cross-country drives, we spotted this simple tree backlit by the sun. The foreground and background shapes were symmetrical and pleasing. But the alluring sunbeams were the star of the show.

As I changed to a wide-angle lens for this shot, I knew a sensor cleaning was in my future. But I also knew it was going to be well worth it!

Thanks for looking,

Chuck Derus Zenfolio | Chuck Derus