Cerrado in the dry season
Reddish dust in the air, a low orange sun, warm atmospheric perspective.
In the dry season the Cerrado, Brazil’s central savanna, turns gold and red: reddish dust hangs in the air, the grass dries out and the sun sets low and orange.
Atmospheric perspective here is warm, not blue. Distant planes go orange-beige, and the shadows pick up the color of the dust.
The recipe
| Sun | 8 to 15°, warm |
|---|---|
| Fog | light orange, medium density |
| Temp. | 3800 to 4500 K |
| Scatter | dry grass, twisted trunks, exposed soil |
| Post | a light warm haze over the shadows |
Starting points for Corona or V-Ray, not rules.
Step by step in 3D
- Place the sun low, at 8 to 15 degrees, and warm, between 3800 and 4500 K.
- Add a fog tinted light orange at medium density, so the distance warms up.
- Scatter dry grass, twisted trunks and patches of exposed red soil, and avoid lush green.
- Keep the sky pale and dusty rather than saturated blue.
- Let long shadows describe the ground.
Post-production
Add a light warm haze over the shadows and keep the highlights from turning yellow; the dust should feel dry, not sepia.
Where to study it
Abril Despedaçado, Vidas Secas. The reference library says what to look at in each one.
A starting phrase
Cerrado in the dry season, between sunset and night, August, at the height of the dry season. The door was left open. 35 mm lens at eye level, a low horizon and two-thirds sky.
Write the moment before you model. Draw your own phrase in the Atmosphere Notebook, then check the render in the value study tool.
