Photography: My Shot – Earthen Details

March 4, 2020Jeff

“The devil is in the detail.” — Gustave Flaubert

Not only is the devil the the detail or details, as a photographer I find inspiration and beauty in the details. I am not the best photographer and have little hopes of attaining that title. I enjoy photography for many reasons, but let me address just one.

A significant benefit I receive from my photographic hobby is learning to see. We all look at a multitude things every day; perhaps millions of things if we could count them. But how many of us actually “see” those things at which we are looking?

Photography has given me an appreciation for taking my time to look at an object or a scene. I now search for the details; the small things that make the location or item special. The picture below was taken at Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada. If you are going through that area, I recommend it as a very picturesque and worthwhile stop.

While at Cathedral Gorge, I hiked among the canyons created by the eroding clay hoodoos. They were very intriguing in their other-worldly appearance.

This specific grouping of hoodoos served as a collection point for a number of tumbleweeds and these earthen structures created a chimney-like opening where they piled one on top of the other to make an amazing composition.

What struck me was the beautiful coloring and the synchronicity of the two natural aspects, i.e. the eroded clay hoodoos and nature’s tumbleweeds. They came together to form a wonderful, natural image – nature as artist!

I love the textures of both the formations and the tumbleweed. The brown tones bind them together to create, what in my opinion, is an artistic rendering.

Seeing the opportunity, however, doesn’t necessarily mean a photograph is going to successfully capture it the way it appeared to the observer and therein lies the beauty, the challenge and the motivation of photography.

I can’t think of a better hobby for people seeking to express their creative souls than that of photography.

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Metadata

File Name: 0000199-Tumbleweed plays among the hoodoos – Cathedral Gorge, NV
Capture time: 9:55 AM
Capture date: June 13, 2019
Exposure: 1/30 sec @ f/13
Focal Length: 20mm
ISO: 125
Camera: Nikon D3300
Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

Edited in Lightroom

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Check out Jeff’s Instagram account for more interesting photos!

Photography Video: Tag Responsibly or Don’t Tag

December 2, 2018Jeff

To Tag or Not to Tag. That may be the Question.

Photo Via Petapixel

If you follow my posts on this blog, you probably noticed that I do a fair amount of hiking. We generally visit two national parks or national park-like areas each year. At each location we spend between one or two weeks.

Prior to our trip, we plan the trails and vistas we would like to see. There are often sights that are iconic and of course we like to visit them and take some photographs for our collection. Often, however, we are way off the beaten path when we see some stunning and perhaps more pristine areas.

I have often discussed the idea of keeping these areas as natural as possible with as little human impact as feasible. After all, this is the home of the native flora and fauna.

The negative aspects of tagging photographs with exact geographic locations has been debated for a number of years. The video below – created by Jackson Hole, Wyoming – highlights the seriousness of this problem.

Personally, I don’t use specific tags with my photographs. I may include a general location such as the name of the National Park, City or State, but that is all.

What are your thoughts.

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See more photography posts HERE and visit Jeff’s Instagram site HERE

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©Jeffrey B. Ross 2014 – 2018 – JBRish.com

Hiking: Yellow-Throated Gilia, Sequoia National Park, CA

February 14, 2018February 14, 2018Jeff

One of the reasons I enjoy hiking is that it offers opportunities for interesting discoveries; some anticipated and others serendipitous. We were hiking along the Crescent Meadow Loop Trail in Sequoia National Park nearly a year ago when we came across a patch of wildflowers tucked away in a wooded area…

It was hard to believe that these were real. The colors were so vibrant and unusual in combination. It was an amazing sight. The next day we were on the Sunset Point Trail and there was a large swath of these wildflowers covering the entire hillside.

Love those standouts adding their all white accents in the middle of the patch!

“Nature is the art of God.” – Dante Alighieri

Read more about Yellow-Throated Gilia HERE

Read more JBRish.com posts:

Hiking/Exploring HERE, Nature HERE, Photography HERE

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Ironwood Trees in the Sonoran Desert

May 20, 2016Jeff

My wife and I feel very fortunate to live in North Phoenix in an area that is considered “the desert.” It has its issues of course such as all the animals that want to eat our plants, invade our house and bite or sting us. Other than that, it is a beautiful area. No, really! It is very beautiful. So many people think of the Sonoran Desert as a desolate place, but it has a lot of color, a variety of plants and flowers and of course an abundance of animals.

We get pleasure from the natural landscape that surprises us with waves of color during certain times of the year. One such plant that found a home on our land without any human help is an Ironwood tree. It is amazing how this tree can survive with all of the animals digging holes around the roots and the dearth of water. Truth be told, I do “sneak” some extra water to it now and then although it doesn’t like our household water too much because of the salts and chlorine.

Here is a picture of the Ironwood tree that has seen its share of trials and yet it continues to provide a blanket of pink each spring. My only regret is that it wasn’t near one of our Palo Verde trees for the photo which, this year, have been covered with an overabundance of yellow blooms. Did someone say pollen?

“Naturally Occurring Ironwood in North Phoenix”

To read more about Ironwood trees, click HERE!

JBRish.com originally published this post

See more JBRish gardening and desert gardening posts here HERE

JBRish.com – quips & queries

A life of musings, queries, quips and quandaries

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Photography: My Shot – Earthen Details

“The devil is in the detail.” — Gustave Flaubert

Photography Video: Tag Responsibly or Don’t Tag

Hiking: Yellow-Throated Gilia, Sequoia National Park, CA

Ironwood Trees in the Sonoran Desert