Creek Dogwood, Sierra Nevada. Bishop Creek, California. October 2, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Dense growth of creek dogwood with white flowers and fall color red leaves along Bishop, Sierra Nevada.
This is a plant I’ve been intrigued by in the past – literally the very same plant in the precise same location along Bishop Creek in the eastern Sierra. I think it is called “creek dogwood,” but here again I have to admit to my poor ability to offer proper identifications for many plants. (I’ve mentioned before that I often “know” the plants quite well – where they grow, when they come up in the spring, when they flower, and when the go dormant… but I often fail to register their names!) This plant acquires brilliant red leaves in the fall, and with some green leaves and round white “berries,” it has a striking appearance.
This is the next in the series of photographs of very dense vegetation. While it may be hard to make sense out of the photographs when presented as small web images, there is a lot of very interesting (to me, anyway!) detail in a print of this subject. It is even possible, I think, to make some sort of compositional sense out of all of this complexity as well – or at least I want to think so!
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Ben, thanks for posting that – I think that one wonderful thing that can happen with a photograph is that it can evoke memories from our own experience that we connect to the photographer’s experience – and I’m honored that this one evoked your memories of the tundra!
Now, good luck with that “waking up” business… ;-)
Dan
Dan and Greg, my brain, this morning, isn’t sharp enough to add anything intelligent to this wonderful blog conversation…but! I want to thank you Dan for bringing back memories of walking through the tundra looking for salmon berries close to the ground. The coloration of your “Creek Dogwood, Sierra Nevada” matches the salmon berry bush. Now I need to try and wake up…
Ben
Dan – When Sexton and others make amazing photos like that they are working at a level far, far above what I can visualize. These photographs take my breath away, and I think “why can’t I do that?!” In the field I’m sure I walk past images like that all the time, but I haven’t a clue that they are there. Photography is a activity in which one can continually learn and grow (at least I hope I do).
Thinking of vegetation and patterns, I was just visiting the website of a favorite photographer of mine through the years, Linde Waidhofer. I have always been impressed by her sense of color and composition, and in looking at her latest book, “Forests of Light”, she has some lovely and delightful images of trees (aspens and conifers). They remind me strongly of Charlie Cramer’s work. One day I wish to make my own images similar to the evocative images such as Linde’s and Charlie’s!
Greg, good and thoughtful points. I think a good question to ask when looking at photographs like those you mention can be “How did they do that?” or “What makes this work so well?” While I think we all sometimes look at certain work and question the quality of the work that we do, I prefer to look at good work and try to make sense out of what makes it work. Rather than intimidating me (in the majority of cases) it inspires me! :-)
Take care,
Dan
I’ve been told by some people that they think of Eliot Porter when they seem some of my photographs, and I think that makes some sense. Ketchum does, indeed, make beautiful photographs, and I’m flattered that you have made the comparison – thanks!
Regarding the “detail” photographs, the design is often – no surprise! – buried in the details, and it can be hard to see past the details to the larger patterns. I see patterns in the red and green leaf photograph, but I think that it really needs to be seen a lot larger, both to find the overall pattern and to have a chance to enjoy the high level of detail in the image.
I recently saw a wonderful John Sexton print (actually I saw a bunch of them!) at his show at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel – the photograph I’m thinking of was made, if I recall correctly, in the Happy Isles area of Yosemite Valley. It contains an astonishing amount of detail, and making it even more of a virtuoso image, it is full of middle tones! But somehow, and I didn’t have time to fully understand it at the time, the image holds together and makes sense.
Dan
Dan – Your photography series of detailed vegetation, and stating it may be hard to make sense of your images, I can see a pattern or a sense of design.
Your series of images makes me think of renowned nature photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum. I don’t know if you have seen his work of dense forest vegetation images in his portfolio, but in looking at his compositions I am hard pressed to see a design. I am often left scratching my head, trying figure out these particular images. I guess he is working at a level that is way beyond my understanding.
From time to time, while out photographing I have seen compositions of patterns in vegetation that I have found intriquing. Something about the repeating patterns, or the juxtaposition of colors draws me towards them. I’ll take the photo, but when I get home, I am often disappointed by the photo as it does not re-create the intrigue I saw while standing there taking the photo.
No one said nature photography was easy; I’ll keep working on creating a photo that captures what I see in my mind’s eye.