© 2020 Romi Boon All Rights Reserved
On a country road, just outside the Monument Valley National Park, I was happy to get some prized photographs, like this one. Here, at day’s end, the sunset lighting was incredibly vivid; it was spectacular! I was here to capture the sun-kissed Monument buttes in the far off distance but time slipped by (taking other photos) and I hadn't pre-planned a monumental sunset shot. As the golden rays of the sunset became vibrant, I spotted possible location but some trees and power polls were in the way. So to avoid them, I ran through sage and over rocks (I’d forgotten the threat of rattlesnakes!) until I found the perfect spot however by then the buttes were in the shade (darn)..... but then, I spotted this tree, "oh my!".
As I drove just south of Abraham Lake (Alberta), on the David Thompson Hwy 11, I happened across this view. I was driving my RV, sitting approximately 6 feet above the service of the road, so I have the wonderful advantage of great views and a great photographic vantage points too! That said however, when I stepped outside of the RV to take this photo, the fence line disappeared into the trees, "darn, hmmm.... what to do?" So, I opened the driver's side door and stood on the floor-boards then flung and hung myself over the top of the door and held on tight as I tried to hold my camera steady as cars zoomed by! LOL, no doubt I got some strange looks :-) Normally a fence line running across the foreground of a photo would stop the viewer's eye from entering the photo however because you can hardly see the barbed wire in this photograph, I wasn't concerned. Instead, I knew you'd notice the vertical fence posts; which actually lead your eye into the photo. "Perfect", I thought, and it adds to the overall composition too. The other thing you might notice, is the group mass of the trees. Its size along with the vibrant color definitely demands the viewer's attention. The teal colors of Abraham Lake, combined with the fall colors, made this an exciting day of exploring with my camera! You have to visit sometime!
Finding and planning photographic locations takes time and physical effort but the reward can often yield the best memories and photographs! Scoping out a location is never a chore, it’s a joy! When I’m engulfed in my passions (early morning starts, cycling, hiking and photography); it truly is my “happy place”. When it's cold, as it was on this particular day, I'm often so absorbed in what I'm doing I forget how cold my hands are, until they don't work anymore, lol. We cycled out to this particular spot before sunrise, and arrived just in time to see the sun's early rays cast upon the saguaro trees. Notice how the sunlight catches and illuminates the hair like thorns and how that gives the saguaro tree a halo effect. What could possibly be more enjoyable than traveling and discovering spectacular locations. I feel blessed.... Romi *NOTE: Signature on all photos are optional.
