Had to Improvise

Well, my last post indicated we were in for a little snow.  I was wrong...it was a lot of snow.  Unfortunately, I was snowed in for several days.  Yesterday after a second bout of the white stuff and a serious case of cabin fever, I was determined to get out in search of a few new images.  I didn't get far before though before realizing my vehicle was not quite able to take on the elements.  Next time I'll know to buy 4-wheel drive.  I did manage a couple of images though and ultimately chose to see what I could find within a few safe yards of the back door.  Deciding to focus on macro views I was able to isolate a couple of shots against the snowy backdrop. 

The image here of underbrush remnants of the recent summer is one such image.  The interest was the repetition of slender golden leaves showing the effects of the seasonal cycle, contrasted against the recent day's snow.  Another example of simple and interesting patterns in nature that surround us.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! Supposed to get snow tonight and into Christmas Day. Might be some good photographic opportunities. Here is an image to kind of puts us in the mood. This was taken a few years ago after an hour hike in the snow to Lava Lake, just outside of Big Sky, WY.

Distilling Detail out of Visual Chaos

When I arrived at Yosemite, I immediately took a drive to explore potential sites to photograph. I was overwhelmed with the beauty and anticipation of the vast photographic possibilities. It was seemingly impossible to take it all in. In fact I had to make myself slow down to really begin to see and think creatively. At first I intentionally avoided my camera to force myself to become accquainted with the surroundings and to let my creative eye analyze the possibilities... not just the vistas but the intimate details.

I often make a conscious effort to clear my mind to be receptive to seeing things in a way best suitable for photographic expression.  I then focus on use of the rectangular frame of the camera's viewfinder and other tools and techniques to assist in creating some order out of the chaotic abundance of visual stimuli in the surroundings. Elliot Porter, an early photographic icon in color photography, in his photographic work "Nature's Chaos", makes reference to irregular order created out of pure disorder. This is clearly the case and it certainly takes effort and practice to begin to see in a way to allowing the visualization necessary to capture the intimate details within larger chaotic elements in nature.