Promise of Water

(1/100, f18, iso-100, 12mm)

A very famous landmark in the Bardenas Reales, a semi-desert in Northern Spain, is this eroded rock called the ´Castildetierra´ which roughly translates to Earth´s castle.

Every year on the 18th of September around 90.000 sheep are herded down from the High Pyrenees thru small canyons to graze on these plains during the winter.
This special event is called La Sanmiguelada.

Tags: B&W, Bardenas, Black & White, Desert, Landscape, Light, Nature, Photo, Reales, Spain, sunrise

70 thoughts on “Promise of Water”

Alexandra on June 30, 2014 at 14:20 said:

very beautiful and painterly in bw!!

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- Rondje on July 3, 2014 at 11:42 said:
  
  Thank you, Alexandra, guess most of my landscapes I prefer the bw look!
  
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Luke Parsons on June 30, 2014 at 12:21 said:

Great B&W. I like the balance of gully and mountain. Nice work.

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- Rondje on July 22, 2014 at 17:13 said:
  
  Hello Luke, thanks so much for your interest; it´s always nice to see when something looked like it could work in B&W when shooting does have the contrast and shapes that work 😉
  Have a great week,
  Ron.
  
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YellowCable on June 29, 2014 at 10:54 said:

Very nice!!!!

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- Rondje on July 22, 2014 at 17:55 said:
  
  Thanks a lot, YellowCable, glad it worked out in B&W as I hoped, tricky choice this one 😉
  Have a great week,
  Ron.
  
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alexraphael on June 29, 2014 at 05:43 said:

Just wow!

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- Rondje on July 22, 2014 at 17:51 said:
  
  Thanks very much, Alex!
  Cheers, Ron
  
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Iamrcc on June 27, 2014 at 02:43 said:

Thank you for the visit and the like of my post “Twist” and “Extra Extra”.

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- Rondje on July 22, 2014 at 17:48 said:
  
  You´re very welcome, thanks for dropping by here as well!
  All the best to you,
  Greetings, Ron
  
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Mark Mendonck on June 26, 2014 at 22:15 said:

Prachtig!

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- Rondje on June 27, 2014 at 15:36 said:
  
  Dank je, Mark, ook echt een heel bizonder ongerepte woestijn die maar weinig mensen kennen in Noord-Spanje!
  Fijn weekend, Ron.
  
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the dune mouse (CybeleMoon) on June 24, 2014 at 02:46 said:

dramatic!! Beautiful contrast shot!

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- Rondje on June 27, 2014 at 15:38 said:
  
  Thank you very much, Cybele, although the barren colors in this semi-desert are nice too, i always prefer daylight landscapes in black and white, i think, at least that works for me 😉
  Have a good weekend, Ron.
  
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ArtyAnge on June 22, 2014 at 23:40 said:

superb

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- Rondje on July 30, 2014 at 16:10 said:
  
  Hola Ange, thanks very much for checking this out, all the best to you from KL.
  Greetings, Ron.
  
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My Heartsong on June 21, 2014 at 01:46 said:

Pleasing light and composition.Like it in B/W.

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- Rondje on July 30, 2014 at 16:09 said:
  
  Thank you, Jane, the composition was rather obvious, the B&W choice was more diificutl, as I like the desert colors and Spanish skies too.
  Greetings, Ron.
  
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phish451 on June 20, 2014 at 18:02 said:

Stunning photography, and processed beautifully. Thanks for sharing.

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- Rondje on July 30, 2014 at 16:11 said:
  
  You are so welcome, David! Enthousiastic comments like yours make it very worthwhile 😉
  Greetings, Ron.
  
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Malin H on June 20, 2014 at 14:06 said:

Powerful… A stunning image, my friend!

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- Rondje on July 30, 2014 at 16:08 said:
  
  Hi Malin, thanks very much, hope all is well, amiga 😉
  
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tomsimard on June 20, 2014 at 13:41 said:

Stunning.

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- Rondje on July 30, 2014 at 16:11 said:
  
  Thanks a lot, Tom, very nice of you to say!
  Warm greetings from KL, Ron
  
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2e0mca on June 20, 2014 at 05:56 said:

Very strong B&W Image Ron – Ansel Adams eat your heart out 🙂

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- Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 12:30 said:
  
  Haha, thanks, Martin, very nice to hear, he was a great artist, but I have to admit he had a pretty nice area to shoot close by as well 😉
  Greetings from KL, Ron
  
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LB on June 20, 2014 at 04:45 said:

incredible image / terrific story

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- Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 12:27 said:
  
  Thank you so much, Laurie, when there´s a story to go with it and is interesting enough, I try to add the info; glad to hear you enjoyed it!
  All the best from Malaysia, Ron.
  
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Lisa Gordon on June 19, 2014 at 22:50 said:

This is truly a stunning photograph!
I love the mood of it.
Happy day to you. 🙂

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- Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 12:13 said:
  
  Hi Lisa, thanks a lot, it was a difficult choice to go for B&W, cuz there are some nice barren colors in this desert and the Spanish blue sky, but the shapes and contrasts in this made me choose B&W!
  Very happy days to you, my friend.
  Greetz, Ron
  
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noellevignola on June 19, 2014 at 07:26 said:

This reminds me so much of the Badlands of South Dakota. Beautiful.

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- Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 12:11 said:
  
  Hi Noelle,
  Oh, I can totally understand that, only seen a little of the SouthWest of the US, and the Badlands and barren landscapes have so much in common with this area; also not strange to know that lot of ´westerns´ are made in this area in Spain and other semi-deserts down South!
  Thanks so much for stopping by, hope all is great with you!
  All the best from KL, Ron
  
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  - noellevignola on July 28, 2014 at 20:07 said:
    
    Oh yes, the famous spaghetti westerns, they used to be called. I have been through most of the Nordic countries, but still need to make my way south to southern parts of Europe. I saved the best for last, I guess!
    
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    - Rondje on July 30, 2014 at 16:13 said:
      
      Well, the North is extremely pretty, but I would say the climate and people of most of the mediterranean countries I´ve seen and their mountains make them very beautiful as well…
      
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      - noellevignola on July 30, 2014 at 21:50 said:
        
        The world is a beautiful place and every scene has something to offer to some living thing. The trick is to keep your eyes wide open and let it all in, before judging what you see. The camera helps!
        
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greenmackenzie on June 19, 2014 at 03:46 said:

Beautiful shot of the evocatively named castle of the earth….and that’s a lot of sheep passing through 🙂

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- Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 12:07 said:
  
  Hi Seonaid, thanks for your enthousiasn, it is very properly named, isn´t it? Although there are walls, like the one in the distance, with real old castle ruins on it that are like 20 times higher, its still a castle of the earth in this spot.
  Would have loved to see those sheep come thru the small canyons, did see some movements with cows and goats in other places, very amazing sight!
  Hope all is well, warm greetings from Malaysia to you,
  Ron
  
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Soizic on June 19, 2014 at 02:42 said:

Superbe ce N&B
Je rêve de retourner dans cet endroit magique !

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- Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 12:09 said:
  
  Merci beaucoup, Soizic!
  My French is not that good but I think I figure it out, something
  ´I dream of returning to such magic place´ ?
  Salut, Ron.
  
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  - Soizic on July 23, 2014 at 16:26 said:
    
    My English is not good but you very well understood
    Bonne journée!
    
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Mark Simms on June 19, 2014 at 02:02 said:

Superb image Ron….a real winner

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- Rondje on July 4, 2014 at 10:58 said:
  
  Thanks a lot, Mark, although the colors were very interesting I thought the shapes would serve better as a B&W!
  Have a great weekend,
  Ron
  
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Wendy Kate on June 19, 2014 at 00:04 said:

Amazing photo 🙂

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- Rondje on July 4, 2014 at 11:17 said:
  
  Thanks a lot, Wendy, hope you´ll have a great weekend!
  Warm greetings from Malaysia, Ron
  
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Fran on June 18, 2014 at 23:59 said:

Me he dado cuenta de que quizás prefieras insertar el comentario en inglés, así es que si decides aprobarlo insertar el del idioma que prefieras: “I liked the processing and the focal correction. Great pic. Congrats!

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- Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 12:04 said:
  
  Hola Fran, me gusta todo tus comentarios en alguien idioma 😉
  No, pasa nada, mi español no es muy bueno, pero ´i can understand it and i love the language´.
  Muchas gracias, donde vives en España?
  Saludos,
  Ron
  
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  - Fran on July 23, 2014 at 16:32 said:
    
    OK then, I’ll do my best in english 😉 .
    I live in Valladolid, between Madrid and the Cantabric spanish’s coast.
    
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Fran on June 18, 2014 at 23:52 said:

Me gusta el tratamiento y la corrección de la focal. Grandísima imagen. Enhorabuena.

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absengeralois on June 18, 2014 at 22:01 said:

Super!

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- Rondje on July 4, 2014 at 10:59 said:
  
  Thank you very much, Absen, great to hear it works for you 😉
  Have a good weekend, Ron
  
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ken and agnes photoworks on June 18, 2014 at 21:35 said:

Magnificient!

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- Rondje on July 4, 2014 at 15:27 said:
  
  Thanks very much, slowly slipping in some more Malaysia, although there´s more than enough Spain like this and others to come too 😉
  Have a great weekend, greetings, Ron.
  
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  - ken and agnes photoworks on July 5, 2014 at 16:37 said:
    
    Good to know. Thanks for the intro to Kah-Wai Lin Photography blog from your teh tarik post.
    Have a good weekend.
    Ken
    
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    - Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 11:56 said:
      
      Hi Ken, very welcome, so many great photographers shootings in this country, nice to explore!
      Hope all is great and not too much haze for lungs and bad light 😉
      Greetz, Ron.
      
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barleybooks on June 18, 2014 at 20:53 said:

Great photo and great story.

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- Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 11:58 said:
  
  Thank you very much, Ama!
  Glad to hear the story adds a little to the photo, although I always hope the photo tells a story, it would be ahrd to imagine sheep grazing there 😉
  Have a good week,
  greetings, Ron
  
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La Tribu d'Anaximandre on June 18, 2014 at 20:25 said:

wow Beautiful shot ! Love the W&B ❤

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- Rondje on July 23, 2014 at 11:54 said:
  
  Merci beaucoup, Danièle! Was hard to choose between B&W and color but loved this one just a little more…
  Warm greetings from Malaysia,
  Ron
  
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Stuart Hyde - shpics on June 18, 2014 at 20:00 said:

Great shot………
I will be stepping out on the Altiplano in just a few weeks now….This has really whet my appetite.

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- Rondje on July 4, 2014 at 11:00 said:
  
  Hi Stuart, you´re already on your way there?
  Looking forward to what you shoot!
  Thanks and enjoy the trip,
  Ron
  
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  - Stuart Hyde - shpics on July 4, 2014 at 19:19 said:
    
    Not yet but won’t be long…can’t wait.
    🙂
    
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rutakintome on June 18, 2014 at 19:36 said:

A stunning composition. Love the black and white conversion.

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- Rondje on July 22, 2014 at 18:08 said:
  
  Thank you, Carlos, i must admit the color version did give nice colors of the gully and rockformation too with the blue sky, but this emphasizes the forms and contrasts much better, but pretty difficult choice this one 😉
  Hope all is well with your little island getaway?
  Greetings, Ron
  
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meticulousmick on June 18, 2014 at 19:22 said:

B/W seems a wise choice, like it. MM 🍀

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- Rondje on July 5, 2014 at 19:34 said:
  
  Gracias, Mick, the colours of the formation and desert was very attractive too, but in B&W the shapes and contrasts worked very well, I hoped!
  Have a great weekend, Ron.
  
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T Ibara Photo on June 18, 2014 at 19:14 said:

This is stunning! Thank you for sharing 🙂

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- Rondje on July 22, 2014 at 18:10 said:
  
  You´re so welcome, Takami, thank YOU so much for enjoying and the compliment!
  Hope all is gret, greetings
  Ron
  
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sakurasnow on June 18, 2014 at 18:51 said:

Wow… move over Ansel Adams! This is a very beautiful shot of a magnificent rock formation!
(Hope all is well in KL. Hugs from the ‘Dam :))

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- Rondje on July 4, 2014 at 11:02 said:
  
  Hola Suzanne, ha, thanks, i know I wear my influences on my sleeve 😉
  Although the colors of this desert are pretty as well, I prefer the shapes in B&W!
  Everything is great here, hugs back to you
  Enjoy your weekend, amiga
  R
  
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