This one is perhaps a little different take on textures ! It's an aerial shot taken from about 8,000m (26,000 ft) in Iran. The desolate looking farming areas in the sandy valley floor provide a stark textural contrast with the arid mountains surrounding it. The mountains in the background form the Kalmand Protected Area located in Yazd Province. This arid area ranges from 1,200 to 3,000m in altitude and gets less than 200mm of rain. If you click to see the enlarged version you will appreciate the detail in this shot a lot more.
Image taken by and remains the Copyright of Robert Downie - http://www.robertdowniephotography.com
Wow, that looks almost mars-like!
Was this taken through a plane's window? Can't spot any reflections, no matter how hard I look :)
Yes it was taken though a plane window. The key to remove reflections using a cover over the window (like a jumper) and to use a lens with a low F stop so you have a shallow DOF a long way from the window.