© 2020 Romi Boon All Rights Reserved
928-821-1880
"Calm Reflections" I woke up this chilly October morning to a big surprise, snow! I purposely parked my RV for the night next to this pond; I was hoping to photograph the morning mist rising from it. You can imagine my surprise when I opened the curtains and saw snow, in October! As I meandered quietly by myself I noticed my feelings of calm, and I wanted to capture that feeling. That said, with the snow covered trees, lack of vibrancy and the calm reflective waters, I knew exactly how to capture it and set up my tripod for a slow shutter speed.
"A Long Winter's Day" While traveling east through the Logan Canyon Utah, the morning’s lake effect fog (from Bear Lake) was on the rise and clinging to the aspen trees on the hillside as it did. Watching the movement of the fog through the intermittent rays of sunshine was mesmerizing, and it was so pretty. As I drove I saw this beautiful grouping of aspen trees and also noticed a great place to park right beside them so I drove on, in hopes of finding somewhere safe to turn around. Fortunately, within a mile there was a Nordic area with a large parking lot which gave me plenty of room to maneuver the 22 foot trailer I was pulling. The entrance however was on a corner and I wondered why there wasn’t a “No left turn” sign and why there weren’t double solid lines either. With alarm bells ringing in my head, I slowed to a stop and proceeded cautiously. Just as I was ready to turn, a snow plow truck came barreling around the corner! Oh my gosh, one more second and… well, yikes! We sat dumbfounded by what had just happened and counted our blessings! When I got back on the highway, I looked for a road sign again…. notta one. I was (am) sick to think what could have happened and worry for the next poor soul. Yes, every photo or piece of art work has a story; be sure to ask the artist. I love linear art and patterns (as seen in this photo), so I tend to notice and find that in nature. What I love most about this photo are the intersecting vertical and horizontal lines and colors (or lack of them). I feel this photograph’s simplicity is very calming, thus appealing. That said, not every photo needs a demanding focal point, some photos (like this one), you may merely want to wander in and get lost.
We arrived at Monument Valley with plans to tour and photograph the valley; we were so excited! We didn’t however do our homework prior to our arrival, and were disappointed to find out the park was closed because of Covid. So, we made the most of our time here and decided to explore the area around Monument Valley instead. We chose to explore a side road that was paved to begin with, then it turned to gravel and then it turned into a forestry service road. We were alone and it felt freeing to be alone; the only car in the middle of nowhere and away from civilization. Suddenly I saw something move across the rocky desert scape, “Wild donkeys!” I said with excitement (I had never seen them before). They were a far distance away so with my camera and long lens in hand I slowly walked towards them; not knowing anything about wild donkeys, I wondered if they’d be curious about me. Then with some trepidation I wondered what would I do if they did! Quit quickly however, they ran off and I didn’t even get a single shot. We continued on and as we turned a corner, these four wild donkeys stood right in front of us! Now, knowing how skittish they are, I quietly (and quickly) got out of the truck to take aim. Initially, they were huddled together but as I approached them (ever so carefully) they backed off and stood as you see them here; just as curious about me as I was about them. I knew how very, very blessed I was for this once in a lifetime opportunity, so with that in mind, I made sure all my settings were I wanted them and held my camera steady. What I love about this photo is how perfectly lined up they are!
