Quiet Light In The Desert
Several months have passed since my last newsletter. I still enjoy photography as much as I ever have. I just don't need it as much, now that I am retired. I have learned there is a big difference. When I was working, I needed photography as a balance to a demanding career. Photography was a nice refuge, away from work and people and deadlines. But now I spend my days doing largely what I want to do... and the need to photograph has diminished. But not my enjoyment of it.
The grand scenes and large vistas get all the likes. It's what everyone wants to see. But I like the smaller scenes. Don't get me wrong... I love being in those grand vistas and seeing them live. But I enjoy making photographs of the smaller scenes... the overlooked, quiet images by the side of a trail. Just a few plants... and rocks... and a splash of late day sunlight and shadow. The spotlight of sun on the cactus is what made me stop and take notice in the image above. And I composed it trying to create a feeling of calm in the late day light.
Who knows when you will see the next newsletter. I have taken a good start though... I leave in seven days for a week of hiking and photography in the Eastern Sierras of California. I may be out of practice, but I will give it my best and hopefully be able to send out something nice... not too long from now.