Earth. Our one and only home. Forget about going boldly where no one has gone before, this is it. Even if we were to find another suitable planet for our existence, history suggests we would strip it of its resources and fight over who gets to claim ownership.
Many civilizations have proven it’s possible to live within the means of the local environment, but our modern society has created demands which leave tremendous scars on our planet. Forest clearcutting and strip mining would be major examples of this. Copper, a material we have made essential to our way of living, does not exist in large, solid masses, so can only be extracted through the process of strip mining.
For this week’s challenge, I could have chosen one of many images which I feel portray the special qualities and beauty of this planet. I kept coming back to this one, however. Earth has this magical quality of rejuvenation, and after we have vanished, will reclaim itself.
This is my hands-down favorite image ever taken from an airplane. On an early morning flight into Salt Lake City, we passed the Kennecott open pit mine. After copper is exposed, the oxidation process turns it into a complexity of colors. This should have been a blight on the land, but all I can see is beauty in this shot.
Need a frame of reference? Along the line extending to the upper right corner, you will see four dots. Each of those is a truck capable of moving hundreds of tons of dirt, and having tires that are taller than a semi-trailer.
Sometimes flat, overcast skies make for perfect lighting. Or, in this case, backdrop. Bright white clouds contrasting with a blue sky would have been a distraction here. Instead, I was able to showcase the patterns of the branches and leaves.
This photo is included in Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week. You can check out other blogger’s work on her site.
The Daily Post Challenge for Abstract might just be my favorite one yet. I used to consider it the greatest compliment when someone would look at one of my images and say “That’s a photograph? That doesn’t look real!” Nowadays that usually means someone didn’t know when to say no to Photoshop.
The top photo is one I call Sandstone Wall Watercolor. This is straight off the film, no effects added. It was taken in a canyon where water was working its erosional magic, and the sunlight was just out of frame and bouncing light all around.
I have a few more favorites in the gallery below. Some are obvious as to what they are, some not so much. Details are in the captions in the gallery.
If there is one plant that distinguishes the Mojave Desert from other deserts, it would have to be the iconic Joshua Tree. In many locales, they often appear dehydrated and scraggly, and very much unphotogenic. The healthier ones tend to appear in large forests as though there is strength in numbers. Oddly enough, California’s Joshua Tree National Park is not the best place to find these. Select pockets in Arizona and Nevada have the best ones I’ve come across, and it can be even more memorable if you are lucky enough to catch these plants in bloom.
This one was near the town of Searchlight, Nevada, and the sky was perfect this day for my backdrop to several large healthy Joshua Trees. Leanne Cole has included this photo with the work of others in this week’s Monochrome Madness. Check out her WordPress blog for MM, or her blog on her website for more photos.
This week’s challenge of Landscape should have been a no-brainer, with the only dilemma being which one? A glance through my blog will reveal many shots of the nearby desert, but there are a couple places in the US that I love to photograph which are miles away from here. The state of South Dakota, in particular the Black Hills and Badlands National Park, would be near the top of that list.
A few years back, my work was in a gallery where the owner was interested in testing out new images. Unfortunately, this was in a town with many golf courses nearby, and after a couple weeks, he took this one down because people kept commenting, “What a great place that would be to put a golf course”. Hopefully, the blogging community will appreciate this one more than the golfers!
The Daily Post Challenge of Half-Light seemed like an easy one to find an image for. The time between sunset and darkness (and darkness to sunrise) offers some of the best opportunity for great photographs. But a poem, verse, song lyric to go along with that photograph?
Fortunately I had the album “Machine Head” by the group Deep Purple as one of my favorite albums growing up. The band’s most well-known song is on that album, but one song which always stuck with me probably never got any airplay. I’m sure I had the cassette tape/CD playing on some trips to mountainous regions, and it still makes me think of places like this. ^
The song is called “Pictures of Home” and the lyrics go like this:
For this week’s challenge of Dance, I almost took the easy route with photos of people dancing, but then remembered the operative word is challenge. You’ll probably enjoy these a bit more, anyway. I know I do.
For anyone who has ever witnessed a slow lava flow, you know there is a pulse that surges, as the cool air solidifies the flow, while the warm undercurrent wants to keep moving. The final cooled result (above) reflects that pulse, and was taken in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Flowing, tumbling water can also have a rhythmic feel to it. The sunlight was being filtered through the forest, and accentuated most of the current in this shot of Oak Creek, near Sedona, Arizona.
Clouds can portray a feeling of choreography, even in a still capture. My favorite example is this thunderstorm at sunset near Cloudcroft, New Mexico.
Finally, rock art symbols almost always have a sense of dance and celebration, indicating how important this was in ancient culture. This panel of rock art is in the Grand Canyon.
This week’s challenge made me instantly think of music, but not just any group. These three are perhaps the best harmonizers in the history of rock and roll. From left to right are: Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and David Crosby. Better known as Crosby, Stills & Nash.
There is always harmony in nature, but finding an image to convey that feeling took a little time. I came across some reflections which came close, but then remembered this shot. The balance from left to right, then reflected, seemed to be the right one. The location is Mount Hood, Oregon at the appropriately named Mirror Lake.
WordPress recently informed me that I have been on their site for a year now. To those of you who have followed, liked, commented or enjoyed my posts – Thank You!
It was a little over a year ago when I was spending way too much time on a computer because a leg injury was keeping me inactive. Those who know me know I don’t do well at sitting. I came across a page that explained why photographers should start a blog and listed some sites. I really had no idea what I was getting into, but I have a lot of photographs that never made publication, and many that have a story behind them. I was always disappointed when I came across other photographer’s websites and saw interesting images that had no words to convey the thoughts, motivation or process behind the image.
I suppose I should start with my title. Quite a few years ago, I had the chance to meet with Josef Muench. Josef was one of the pioneers of modern day landscape photography, and around that time an editor told me that Josef was still submitting photos to the magazine, some of which couldn’t be used because the emulsion had started to degrade. As I was talking with Josef, I asked him, “Out of all your photographs, which is your favorite?” He responded quickly with “The one I haven’t taken yet!” He was an inspiration with his images, but even more so with his philosophy. I want to reach that age and continue taking photographs that I still care about. That’s where the name Gottatakemorepix got its initiation.
I had a couple stories that I wanted to write when I first started, but I wasn’t sure how long I would keep this going. Then I started noticing blog posts that all had the words “Weekly Photo Challenge” in the title, and soon began posting those. I’ve participated in other blogger’s challenges, and as much as I enjoy seeing what other people respond with, I never knew how time consuming this could become. I also noticed a lot of people posting “Wordless Wednesday”. After doing a couple of these myself, I thought I can’t do this…I need words. So my alternative is Mid-week Mixings. This allows me to get away with Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, too! To those of you that post every day, my hat’s off to you – I don’t know how you do it.
If you don’t see a post from me for a while, it’s a good bet that I’m travelling or just plain busy. My priorities are still real life, family, and friends before cyberspace. My end of December and beginning of January were way too busy to do a 2015 recap, so I’m going to do it here.
Old fence on a ranch in the desert, photo by Steve Bruno
While the most liked/commented images were in the Daily Post’s Challenges, many of you enjoyed these images from one of Cee’s Challenges
This grasshopper shot was another challenge that the blogging community seemed to enjoy
grasshopper clings to agave plant, photo by Steve Bruno
The Daily Post’s Symbol challenge gave me a reason to go out and photograph something that everybody and their brother has a shot of, and when I got there, I discovered more subjects fitting the challenge
Elvis impersonator performs under the Las Vegas sign. Photo by Steve Bruno
Although not a challenge, but close to home, I enjoyed capturing fireworks last summer
Las Vegas Fireworks July 2015. Photo by Steve Bruno.
Away from the challenges, this one was a little departure for me, but has become one of my favorites, as well as yours
The Atlantic Ocean in early morning. Photo by Steve Bruno.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before that I really don’t enjoy shooting with clear blue skies, but I found a situation where it worked well
Crescent moon in the skies above an ocotillo plant in the Arizona desert by Steve Bruno
Late season bloom of yucca plants, as twilight approaches, in the Arizona desert by Steve Bruno
Weather is a little more to my liking for taking photos, and I showed this in one of my first posts of the year. I don’t know what grinder WordPress uses to compress images, but the first time I posted it did not look as good as it does on my screen. I like unique captures, and this is a favorite so far this year, and hopefully it looks better this time
A window of sunlight shines through clouds in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. Photo by Steve Bruno
Sunset over Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. Photo by Steve Bruno.
You know by now that I can’t resist the view out of airplane windows, and I have plenty of those from last year. Here’s one more that you haven’t seen yet. Over Montana, I believe
Aerial view over the Rocky Mountains. Photo by Steve Bruno.
I can’t go a year without returning to my Muse, and here’s one from last year at Valley of Fire State Park
Sandstone cave in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. Photo by Steve Bruno.
And lastly, I know phone cameras have improved, but I still consider my DSLR my real camera. My shots in the rain in Seattle last November started making me appreciate the phone a little more
Pedestrian in the nighttime rain in Seattle. Photo by Steve Bruno.
On my first visit to Yellowstone National Park, I entered the park via the Beartooth Highway, on the northeast side. When I started in the morning, it had been relatively sunny and warm, but by the time I reached the road’s summit, winter conditions prevailed. This was in the 2nd week of July.
The snow had started to accumulate to at least a couple inches, and the clouds made visibility very poor. This mountain road turns and climbs to an elevation well above treeline. What I remember most was the lack of a guardrail, and the eerie bamboo poles stuck into the ground at the road’s edge – a guide for the plows to find the road when their time came.
I had been in 4wd, and I’m sure my top speed was no more than 25mph. At one point I came across a fairly long section of straightaway and decided to test the braking ability ever so lightly. As I did, I could feel there was no traction underneath and I started to slide a little towards the downhill side. That was the last time I made any attempts at braking, and slowed my pace even further. Although not a sheer cliff, the mountainside sloped downward at least 1000 feet, and if I rolled off, it would have been at least a day before anyone would have found me. I found out later that the road was closed minutes after I started my ascent, which explained why I was the only one out there that day.
Upon descending back to the forested regions, I came across this small lake and pulled over. By now, I was just glad to have something flat on the side of the road, and having that crazy drive over the mountain pass behind me. I remember feeling so much more relaxed when I got out. This scene, with the calm lake, and the storm clouds moving out, echoed my state of mind at the time.
Although there are new studies which are saying the Grand Canyon may be much older, it is generally believed that the Grand Canyon is over 5 million years in the making. This is the first place I thought of when seeing this week’s Daily Post challenge of Time.
Steve Bruno Photo 
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