It is about the Light!

     What makes for an interesting picture?  Shape, form, composition, subject, contrast...  It is all of these things, yet even more important at times is the quality of the light.  The light defines how the image is perceived.  The following two pictures have the same composition of the same subject, yet they are two completely different images.

Rock Pile and Trees;  Hayman Fire scar,  2018 - week 15

Sunny Rock Pile and Trees;  Hayman Fire scar,  2018 - week 15

     Yes it may come down to personal preferences,  yet I do prefer to work in the sunlight for landscapes, and spend the extra time working on the contrast levels.  It is no wonder why landscape photographers always seem to be waiting for the light...

A Series in Sixes

     Sometimes I can get caught up in a project that I am working on to the point that I can loose track of what I am trying to communicate.  So the exercise proposed by Brooks Jensen the editor of Lenswork is refreshing.  He proposes a short story style project where you have only six images to tell your story.  No more and no less, exactly six images...

     So here is my first possible submission along these lines.  Yes I may trade an image or two out, as I have until June before they are due.  The refinement of vision and thus story is the challenge. And yes, there is a hard deadline to be meet.

A Foreshadowing,  2018 - week 14

Writ of Execution,  2018 - week 14

#497, 498, 500 and 499,  2018 - week 14

The Path in Passing,  2018 - week 14

Doomed,  2018 - week 14

No Future Here,  2018 - week 14

     The titles tell the story...

     These images are all from one morning photography session with my 8x10.  The location is Chatfield State Park here in Colorado.  It is amazing how things can sometimes come together!

Getting it Right

     The first attempt for this week was a dud...  I was going to get out and try again.  Still had some wind to deal with, but I am fairly stubborn. 

Burnt Tree, Hayman Burn scar (angle 1), 2018 - week 13

     Waiting for calm, and the clouds moving through I photographed three different angles of this wonderful tree standing as a monument to what existed before the fire.  It has been 15 years, and nothing seems to be growing back.

Burnt Tree, Hayman Burn scar (angle 2), 2018 - week 13

Burnt Tree, Hayman Burn scar (angle 3), 2018 - week 13

     There is still a lot of beauty there despite mankind's stupid acts.  I will continue to explore this region as nature's monuments are truly delightful.

One of those days...

     There are those days that no matter what you hope for or have in the works, they don't go as planned.  Around here in Colorado, it is usually the weather that causes so many things to "go south" so to speak.  My friend Lloyd and I were going to spend the afternoon on the plains east of Colorado Springs exploring and photographing what ever we found.  At least that was the plan...

     And for the most part, the only person I can blame is myself.  Guess who forgot to put his tripod in the car?  I did not discover this until I was getting ready to set the camera up, over a hundred miles from home.  That was the killer, as there is no way to get a decent image while hand holding my 8x10.

     It took a while for me to get over it, but I did.  No photography for me that day.

     Still it worked out to be a great day exploring some very beautiful country.  Focused more on exploring, and seeing, as well as the great company.   Nothing was wasted, and Lloyd and I will return to get those images one of these days...  Also learned that they build those big wind generators out there for a reason!  There is always some wind.  So maybe the tripod didn't matter after all.

     My totally accidental image from the day, taken while putting my phone away. I actually like it, except for the foot in the picture.  Mine of course...

Around the House 2: Flowers

     I have been very blessed in that I have lots of things around the house to photograph.  I also have a large selection of plants including several orchids.  These orchids bloom almost year round thanks to my wife's ability to care for them.  They sit in our front room and taunt me with a beauty that I have found challenging, to say the least, to actually create a good picture of them. Flowers can be incredibly challenging, especially orchids and iris.

Orchids, back lit by sunshine, 2018 - week 12

A Jumble of Possibilities

Hayman Fire scar, 2018 - week 11

     There are times when things just won't go as smooth as you would like...  This weeks photo trip out to the Hayman Fire region was one of those days.  It doesn't matter why things didn't work out, sometimes they just don't.  Still not a total failure, I found a new place to photograph that has a lot of dynamic possibilities.

     I will return, and get the images that got away from me.  Consider it scouting...

Around the House

Greetings,  2018 - week 10

     There are times when I can't get out to where I would rather be photographing...  No great adventure of seeing something new.  The reason does not matter.  And yet the creative process must/should continue.  Life will go on...

     It has always been extremely hard for me to get something restarted after having stopped or skipped doing it for a couple of weeks.  There have been times when weeks have become months, with depression soon to follow.  Not a direction I would recommend for anyone!

Balance Study, 2018 - week 10

     A way to avoid this is to go ahead and visually explore where ever you currently find yourself. (This time, for me, it means stuck at home...)  Then play with what you see.  No it may not be a great work of art!  In fact you may never show it to anyone.  But for me it is still creating!

Neat Old Rusty Things (NORTS)  #1, 2018 - week 10

     Thus I continue to live my creative life.