Memorial Day is this weekend here in the US, which typically marks the start of summer travel season. Many of America’s National Parks can be exorbitantly crowded this time of year. Arches National Park (above) is no exception to the crowds, but doesn’t have the nearby accommodations to handle the masses that visit Great Smoky Mountain or Grand Canyon. The National Park Service is celebrating its 100th year in 2016, and is offering some free days to visit (in case an incentive is needed) this year. The remaining days are: August 25-28, September 24, and November 11.
This photograph is an older one of mine, taken in summer when things were a little quieter in Arches NP. This is not a conversion from color, and the original is on Kodak Pan-X 4×5 film. In the past, I made several prints from this in my home darkroom, one of which still hangs on my mom’s walls (she happened to be a few feet away when I released the shutter on this one). It’s been kind of reassuring to know I learned the printing process correctly when I see this print on my visits, as I have replaced several color prints of hers which have not stood the test of time.
This is my addition to the collection of b&w images for Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week. You can check out other photographers shots on her site.
Cumulus clouds and sunsets can often combine for some of my favorite lighting in color photographs. This was a bit early for the underside of the clouds to display the changing colors, but the atmospheric conditions made the timing for this shot perfect.
This is my contribution to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week. You can see more b&w images from other photographers on her website’s blog.
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.
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.
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.
Back when I was younger, my best friend from high school years would come to visit me in Arizona. We were always looking for a camping adventure that was a little bit different, and I think I was the one who suggested going atop Arizona’s highest mountain, the San Francisco Peaks…..in early January.
The weather forecast called for typical sunny Arizona weather, with no storms predicted, so it seemed like a great idea. I was lugging the bulky heavy camera gear and tripod in addition to camping supplies, while my friend travelled relatively light. At least we didn’t have to carry much water!
As we found our way to the top and picked out a good spot for setting up the tent, we couldn’t help but notice that the rocks were exposed and there didn’t seem to be a lot of snow on the western slope. We weren’t on the absolute summit, but we were still above 12,000 feet, and above treeline, and above the people skiing on the mountain below us.
View from the summit ridge of the San Francisco Peaks looking east. Photo by Steve Bruno.
I managed to take a few photographs before the sun went down, and as we enjoyed our dinner the conditions were very calm. Shortly after getting into our sleeping bags, however, the breeze started to pick up. During the course of the night it continued to pick up, and by morning it was probably close to level 1 hurricane force winds. We had very lengthy ice stakes holding down the tent, but within minutes of us being out of the tent, the winds were removing the stakes and attempting to send the tent to the bottom of the eastern side of the mountain.
Although there were some high thin clouds, there was no moisture falling from them. This was just the result of the pressure difference from the front passing far to the north, and being exposed on a summit 5000′ above the surrounding plateau. I managed to take one photograph that morning. If you look closely in the lower right, you can see the snow being blown over the ridge. What you can’t see is me huddled over the camera and tripod in an effort to keep the camera steady (and within reach!)
High winds whip snow across the summit ridge of the San Francisco Peaks at sunrise. Photo by Steve Bruno.
Now that my camera gear no longer exceeds the weight of all my camping gear, this is an adventure I might consider again. I know what to expect when I see exposed rocks in a snowy landscape.
Steve Bruno Photo 
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