Slickrock and Shadow

Walking to Duddo Stone circle through a vast wind-swept field! Imagine a stone circle in England that stands on a mound with fields in every direction:  nothing to block the view from this ancient stone circle.  The Duddo Stones form a 5-stone circle that can be walked to over a flat farmer's field.  Near Duddo, UK, this circle is a bit off the beaten path in Northumberland.  A few small signs will point you in the right direction.  A right-of-way path goes through some fields.  After about 1/2 a mile of walking, you'll see this view of the stones with a direct path to them. The stones are rough with deep creases and irregular shapes.  Some distant fields are yellow with rapeseed. All 5 Duddo stones Duddo Stones with deep gouges and lines. Duddo Stones in a big universe And to get the spooky and eerie feeling, I processed this shot in black and white. Black and White:  Duddo Stone Circle

Buachaille Etive Mor with Tall Grass Buachaille Etive Mor is a spectacular landscape, an icon for the entire country of Scotland.  This particular mountain is so unique in its triangular shape as it stands over the Glencoe Valley.  There are few things that are more Scottish than this to a photographer.  The best views are from the South and East which means sunrise is the best time.  I woke up very early in order to visit the Black rock cottage first.  Then I had enough time to go into the fields around the mountain itself, getting a lot closer to it.  Beautiful tiny white flowers are visible in my second shot.  If you click on the shot and get a larger view, these are easier to see and I think they landed nice contrast to the massive mountain in the distance. Buachaille Etive Mor Triangular Shape Black Rock Cottage with Buachaille Etive Mor in background

Faded Metallic Blue Tractor in an Empty Field New, original, creative, novel, unique:  those are words I like.  An artist can learn from others (see my previous Zion Narrows Post) but creating something altogether new is a higher goal.  With landscapes, you obviously can't make a new landscape but you can try to go to places that haven't been photographed before.  Every National Park has truly famous icons that receive overflowing attention.  I believe these same places have lesser beauties that few see or record.  That's the opportunity for original work.   My photo for this post is very near Zion National Park but it's a few miles off on a dirt road.  I was driving past on my way to another hiking location.  With my eyes open for new subjects, I saw this tractor and knew it could be great.  I stopped and photographed later that afternoon when the sun was getting lower.  I shot many compositions low to the ground to catch t...

Mustard in Bloom I have mentioned luck before as a photographic asset.  Luck gives you the unexpected ray of light, dramatic shadow, picturesque cloud or rainbow.  In this case, luck gave me a field of mustard.  Instead of traveling the usual route from Montana to Utah, I took a scenic route past Mesa Falls.  Just south of that, I came upon this gorgeous field of mustard flowers.  They were at peak bloom and covered the horizon. With luck, you have to drop what you had planned and take the opportunity.  I stopped the car and spent several minutes wandering the skirts of this field, photographing the immense field and sky, trying to take in the beauty of the many.  

Normally a photographer must account for the sun's position when composing a photograph.A basic rule or guideline says to keep the sun from directly shining into or across the lens. That is why lens hoods were invented in the first place:  they keep the sunlight from hitting the lens. Another rule, the most famous one, is the rule of thirds.  That states that the main subject of the photograph should be about one-third  and from the top and one-third in from the side of the photograph. I normally try to follow these rules but not on this occasion. On this afternoon  the position of the valley and the summer sun were such that I had to shoot with the sun in the upper corner of the lens to capture the golden moment.  The light is literally captured in spots of gold coming across the photograph in a diagonal from the upper left to the lower right.  Is that a flaw?  Some would say "yes" but breaking the rules works for me here because the light just el...