“Light and Dark” — A canyon wall lit by reflected sunlight is seen through a dark section of canyon narrows, Death Valley.
Having photographed in the red rock canyons of Utah, I suspect that I have a bias toward that sort of beautiful, warm-toned landscape. In Death Valley I often look for, and enjoy finding, canyons with similar smooth surfaces… though that Utah red rock isn’t something you’ll see very much here. The narrow canyon in this photograph is perhaps more typical of the Death Valley landscape, with much rougher and more angular rocks.
I have written frequently about how wonderful canyon light is and how much it contrasts with the harsh and brilliant light of the desert landscape outside the canyons. In the deepest and narrowest sections the shadowed light becomes quite blue since the blue of the sky that is the main source of illumination. In this photograph we see the contrast between those blue foreground shadows and the warmer colors of the more distant canyon wall that is more open to the light.
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“Red and White Boat, Adriatic Sea” — A red and white boat sails on the quiet Adriatic Sea past Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Looking at this scene, you would probably never guess where I was when I photographed it. It seems like a quiet, isolated place along the ocean shore. Truth be told, I was walking along the top of the wall around the historic city of Dubrovnik, Croatia very close to sunset. While it was fairly quiet there, it most certainly was not isolated!
I’m a fan of long views of the empty or nearly-empty ocean. I’m not quite certain why that is, though the ocean represents a sort of infinite unknown frontier for most of us. There’s something “out there” that we are unlikely to experience, a place of mystery. Here it is enhanced by the soft light and haze of the summer Adriatic as this boat passes by.
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“Passing Storm, Split, Croatia” — A summer storm passes over Split, Croatia.
While staying in Trogir, Croatia, a ways up the coast from Split, we went for a long, looping drive into the mountains and to some rural, agricultural country. Our main objective was an olive-growing area where we stopped in the middle of the day. After that we continued on a route that would take us closer to Split on our return to Trogir.
As we topped the ridge to the east of the town we came to the Klis Fortress — as I understand it, historically this remarkable ridge-top structure guarded the pass that provided access to Split. As we explored the place the weather began to deteriorate, and before long we were running for cover as strong rain showers passed over. This view looks out over Split towards the passing storm.
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“Kosovo Mountains” — Mountains haze in Kosovo— the “Accursed Mountains.”
This photograph comes from a wonderful day in the “Accursed Mountains” of Kosovo west of Pec. It is full of great memories, though short on specific location details. We headed into the mountains from Pec, following a narrow and rugged river valley. Eventually we passed through a mountain town and continued to ascend. We took a narrow side road and eventually got out and walked… right to the Montenegro border. From there we somehow ended up at a remarkable “lodge” where we had a stupendous lunch on a grand outdoor covered deck.
I made the photograph at the lodge, looking back up towards the summit of these beautiful mountains and directly in to the haze- and sun-filled atmosphere. Side note: I read that there is some difference of opinion regarding how these beautiful mountains came to be known as the “Accursed Mountains.” From what I saw and from some subsequent reading, it would not surprise me if this area becomes a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts.
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Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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