Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Postcard from Chiricahua

This maybe the best photo I could find that shows what Autumn is like here in the deep Southwest. I took this at Chiricahua National Monument, about two hours southeast of Tucson.  This is one of those National Monuments that is not near anything. Still, I highly recommend you go there if you are in the area.

This is also another photographic lesson in “looking down”…something I’ve mentioned here a few times, including the last blog. You would be surprised how many people never do this and how many great photographic possibilities they pass right by.

Very early in my photographic career, I was influenced by several of the great masters of landscape photography including Ansel Adams and Eliot Porter…Adams for his great work in black and white…and Porter for his color work. Both photographers made breathtaking images of large natural landscapes, but it was Porter who made me aware of the profound beauty of small scenes in nature.

Shooting magnificent landscapes like Yosemite, Zion, Bryce, and other is very rewarding, but finding beauty in just a few square feet of nature, like the picture here also has its own artistic rewards.

In terms of commercial dollars, this photo would not be a best seller as compared to, say, a sunrise winter shot of Bryce Canyon. But, I don’t care. A small natural scene like this one makes me feel just as artistically fulfilled.

I think you would find it quite rewarding to search out Eliot Porter on the net and take a look at some his photographs.  

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