March 25, 2012

Sliver Moon Blues – Near White Sands NM, 2012.

It was just awhile after sunset and I was not expecting an amazing view. We setup camp on the barren landscape of a tiny lake in the New Mexico desert, near White Sands. We ran the usual paces, unloading kids from the truck, planning dinner, getting settled. This is an image from an unlikely place that’s reminded me to never overlook potential.

I noticed what that moon was doing. A sliver moon, but with it’s shadowed area beautifully visible (there’s probably a name for that). I realized it was setting fast and that I had to do something, so I setup just a few yards from camp and started to work. It was not an easy image due to the rapidly setting moon and the low light, but I made this before it set fully and I’m thankful for a good night and an unexpected image.

 

Makers Notes…

Read More

September 28, 2010

We spent the last three nights camping in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I was up with the sun yesterday lurking in the shadows of morning and waiting for the light to turn magical. I drove a remote fire lookout I had noted on the Forest Service map. When I arrived I was a disappointed to find the the view less then spectacular.

I loaded up and started back down the mountain, but stopped when I saw these broken, burned trees. The light was coming over the horizon behind me, with the moon still in the sky over the tree tops. The way they stood, broken yet proud, immediately caught my eye. I stopped and spent some minutes planning this single composition.

It’s hard to show the beauty of a scene like this is so small a space. It needs to be in a large print. Since this is not a large print I’ve added a close detail crop below to give a better feel for the intricacy in this scene.

For Photographers. How it was made…

Read More