monochrome

Monochrome Madness: MM3-52

As spring storms start to lose their punch, it’s time to start venturing further northward. One place I love to photograph is Cathedral Gorge State Park. It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of spot along the Great Basin Highway in eastern Nevada. Full of texture and contrast, it offers many opportunities for black and white photography, and there are places and times where color photography works too. Storm clouds added another dimension on this spring day.

This photo is my contribution to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week. Next week starts the fourth year for this project for Leanne. To see what other photographers have contributed, or instructions to join in, visit her website.

April 23, 2017 2

Monochrome Madness: MM3-51

As spring transitions towards summer, cold fronts still pass through the desert, but they rarely contain significant moisture. They always bring a little breeze, and sometimes, a lot. A couple weeks ago we had wind gusts in the 70-80 mph range, and there’s never enough moisture to hold down the sand and dust when those fronts come through. Usually this is landscape photography hell, but if you happen to be in the right spot, you can turn it into opportunity.

My photo was taken in the desert of southern California during one of these spring fronts, and is my contribution to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness. Instructions on how to participate, and the contributions of others can be found on her site.

April 15, 2017 8

Monochrome Madness: MM3-38

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon can be miserably hot in the early parts of summer, so many people find it surprising how miserably cold it can be in winter. As with many canyons of the southwest, snow doesn’t stick to the sheer walls, so the layers are accentuated by the snow. Even in relatively flat light, this adds depth to the scene. Photos taken when winter storms are in the clearing process are some of the most dramatic I’ve ever seen of the canyon, and the temps are usually tolerable at that point. Watch out for the days following, when wind chill factors can make it feel like Canada.

This is my contribution to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week. Instructions on how to participate, and the contributions of others can be found on her website.

January 11, 2017 4

Monochrome Madness: MM3-37

Last Saturday I had a chance to head out to our nearby mountains. It had rained down here in the Las Vegas area the day before, and I thought there would be a good chance for some fresh snow higher up. Even at an elevation of 8000′ there was only a dusting, yet the light up there made for photographs that didn’t disappoint. I was heading back down when I came across this location. I knew this was meant to be b&w, and this is straight out of the camera using the monochrome settings. This is my last shot from 2016, and a nice way to finish the year.

You can find this photo, along with the work of others on Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness weekly posting. There are instructions on her website on how to participate, if you’d like.

January 5, 2017 4

Monochrome Madness: MM3-33

On a recent trip into Seattle, the pilot announced that we would be landing in overcast and light rain conditions. Either the weather changed very quickly or his updates were not recent. Low clouds with pockets of sunshine made for all kinds of great light on the Puget Sound and downtown Seattle.

This is my contribution to this week’s Monochrome Madness hosted by Leanne Cole. The photos from other bloggers and instructions on how to participate can be found on her site.

December 1, 2016 6