T H E L A N D I N C O L O R
This is a collection of moments in the landscape that inspired me. They are not yet part of a larger overall project and maybe never will be. But they are still some of my favorite moments and images.
While the sunset was the first thing that captured my attention in the above image, it was the rising and falling hill and tree line that really did it. At times like this, landscape photography is more like fast paced sports photography. I pulled the car off the side of the road and got the camera and tripod set up as quickly as I could. I was able to get only one image with the light at its peak. It was only later that the title seemed to sum up what I was feeling… the brilliant color and light of the sunset and the hill and tree line both reached a crescendo and then faded away.
An Old Friend
I have been photographing this old friend of a tree for more than eight years. Many days it blends into the background - but in those dramatically lit October evenings, with the brooding clouds and setting sun, it calls out to be noticed. Once again during a family gathering, I disappeared for a few minutes to listen to what my old friend had to say.
October 2021
The Elder
The tree called out to us almost audibly and stopped us in our tracks. Yes, there were hundreds of other trees around, but this one had presence. And this one’s voice was quiet but commanding. It was clearly the elder tree of the forest - the master - the one that every other tree deferred to. And it possessed both vitality and tiredness.
This giant of a tree seemed unable to stop the slow passage of time as evidenced by the the bare white branches still attached at the bottom. And the limbs (bones) strewn around the ground at the bottom of the trunk looked like they had been undisturbed for many years. It all clearly suggested that this tree seemed to be in the latter days of its great long existence. But it wasn’t ready to give up yet. The bright green needles of the new spring growth gave away the energy still alive in this master of the forest. There was still life, growth, and something to offer, to all who would make the time to listen. We stood there for what seemed to be a long time and listened.
Winter
WaterColors
I have always been fascinated by water and the reflections of color and light on its surface. The variations are endless and no two images are alike - even when made within seconds or minutes of each other in the same place. The constant flow of the water changes the lines, shapes, and colors present on the surface. The softly blowing wind distorts reflections like an abstract painter. And it doesn't just have to be the yellows and oranges of autumn - the deep greens of summer reflected with patches of blue sky are just as mesmerizing. I feel like I am just scratching the surface on this project… there is more here for me to discover!
