These are just some notes I have written about a few of my favorite photos. They range from social media posts to descriptions on my homepage, sometimes handwritten notes made in the field. They are not in chronological order.

I’ve always found it helpful to put words to my images, whether in the form of scribbling exposure settings in a notebook or writing about composition.

If photography can be partly considered the organization of the visible chaos that surrounds us, then I believe writing can be somewhat to do with taming the invisible and internal.

Looking back on my notes has always helped me to reflect on my technical and creative progress, as well as on my journey through life.

Having fun making the most of the bright & sunny, high contrast days we’re having. I found (yet another) fallen tree that features interesting patters in its parched wood, exaggerated by uninterrupted sunlight. I made a few photos of it and look forward to adding similar images to the series over the Summer.

In this scene, the detail and contours were most important to me, and by underexposing and editing I managed to make a nearly pitch black background to put direct emphasis on the subject.

The name combines entropy, the force that underlies things like chaos and decomposition, and tropics to honor the harsh heat and light of the season.

Technical: f/20 1/10 ISO100 200mm w/macro extension tube, focus stacked

I came upon this scene while hiking beneath the overhang of a sandstone cliff near my house, and found the circular water-carved pockets to be an interesting graphic design. I wondered how many years water took to create them. In processing, I dialed back most of the colors and used a sepia treatment to invoke a feeling of age. It is of course ancient compared to the plants and trees I often photograph. Rock features have always interested me (I was a climber for almost 20 years) and shooting straight upward at them seems a like a technique that might open up new creative opportunities. Named after my favorite chapter in Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey.

There’s something about the small bursts of sun that find their way through the clouds, during a predominantly bleak season, that strongly pull on my attention. Warm highlights set against cool shadows, and feelings of hope against undercurrents of seasonal affective disorder, combine to make winter where I live a particularly interesting (and challenging) time to be a participant of the outdoors. Even though it was taken with a bit of urgency due to fleeting light, the experience wasn’t rushed or diminished in any way. The day was coming to a close and I was heading home when I stopped to explore a small mountainside meadow I’d seen many times from my car. To me, this scene was all about contrast and the ever-changing nature of temperature, both seasonal and emotional.

A mid-February backpacking trip to a location I had recently found turned out beautifully for many reasons. For years, I had noticed this large cliff looming overhead as I drove up and down a favorite mountain near my home. I finally decided to scope the top of the cliff and found myself wandering far off trail in order to locate it and scout the vantage point.

I knew sunrise light would help the composition by throwing contrast and warm light onto the mountainside opposite the cliff where I stood, so I crafted a plan to camp on location and photograph the dawn.

It was more complicated than a normal hike due to steep terrain and a road that is (thankfully) closed to most vehicles. It took a little creativity and ‘logistics’ but I’m glad I took the risk. This is now a place I know I can access any time I need to.

I’m not one for planned shots, because I enjoy reacting to a scene, but I’m glad I made the effort for this photo and several others that morning. I say it all the time, but this place just keeps on giving and I’m fortunate to know it.

A simpler variation of the first Water Way, this image emphasizes the triangular shape of the boulder to the left in contrast with the smooth flowing water that envelops it. The addition of warm light was made possible by the early evening sun. It’s hard not to love a place that boasts an immediate, obvious shot as well as infinite smaller scenes equally worthy of attention.

Random Photo Notes, Vol. 6

Overcoming the Summer Slump

“Framing Nature”