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Black and white photography; you either love it, hate it, or it depends on the shot. Some of the photography groups I follow ask, “Which version do you like, the black and white one or the color one?”, and the response tend to spit down the middle. Personally, I feel it depends on the shot. I ask myself does black and white help lead your eye to the subject, or does it make your eyes look harder for the subject? I also look to the darkest darks and the lightest lights and ask, am I taking away from composition or adding to it? That said however, there aren’t any golden rules in “art”. Although I love black and white, I love to see a hint of color (you’ve likely noticed) but again, there isn't a golden rule and personally, I feel it depends on the shot. Good friends, Jo and Lesli share a passion for vintage car restoration and while visiting them recently I snapped a few photos in their front yard. I took many photos of their truck but my favorites are the ones I took lying on the ground, looking up at the truck (as I did here). I have many full view shots (I’ll post them another time), I prefer the abstract views, like these two. Thanks Lesli and Jo, for being so accommodating!
Joshua Tree National Park is a vast protected area in southern California, near the community of Yucca Valley and not far from Palm Springs. This high elevation national park is characterized by it's rugged rock formations, Joshua trees and stark desert landscapes. Named for the region’s many. gnarly Joshua trees its uniqueness draws thousands of visitors each year. I took this photo because I loved how all three of Joshua's unique qualities were in one (well composed) shot. Fortunately the early morning light was perfect; I love the shadows!
We often walk through life without paying much attention to the obvious, however with an intent to “see” (beyond a glance) we will discover a world that we never noticed. If I asked you what color shade is, you would likely say it’s black (or grey) however if you pay attention you’ll discover that’s not the case, and this photograph is a prime example. No doubt you’ve noticed how snow looks blue (or pink, or purple); that’s because the snow picks up the colors of the sky. Just like the snow, in this photograph the pale (almost white) colored cliffs behind the saguaro picked up the incredibly vibrancy of the blue sky. When I walked towards this saguaro tree the very first thing I noticed was the color of the shade. Wow!... it made me stop in my tracks! In that moment of wonderment, I noticed three things; the blue colored shade, all the back-lighting, and the vivid greens. When I combined these three things with my composition, I knew that I had a “keeper” and I could hardly wait to get it into post processing! As a matter of fact, I was so excited by the scene that I immediately sent an iPhone shot to daughter before taking this shot with my Sony a7r IV. This photo was taken near Dutchman State Park (just east of Mesa, AZ), at the base of Superstition Mountain; just after a week of rain, which made the sky SO vibrant! *Notice how "fat" the saguaro is? Interestingly, saguaro's retain water, which is key for it's survival.
