This is a very resilient world we live in, and the desert has many examples of that. When I saw this week’s challenge, one of the first places I thought of was the White Rim in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. It’s hard to fathom the resiliency in this pillar of sandstone which remains standing while everything around it has eroded away. This formation was once part of a long isolated wall similar to those in the background, yet still standing after many thousands (or perhaps millions) of years.
Although I spend a fair amount of time on hiking trails, I rarely photograph the actual trail. On my first trip to the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness in central Arizona, it was past season for the autumn color, yet the canyon floor was filled with lush growth of tall foxtails. The narrow path would have been taken over if it were not so well worn in.
Seasons Greetings to everyone!
This week’s Monochrome Madness photo comes from the state of Washington, and some unusual winter conditions for the rest of the country. My rental car had a temperature gauge which indicated that it was 24 degrees outside. At the same time there was moderate fog in the air. All that moisture was freezing on the trees and bushes, but not the road. As the sun started to move higher in the sky, it did start to melt the fine ice coating, but I had at least an hour of photographing with these amazing conditions.
This is my contribution to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week. You can find the work of other bloggers on her website, as well as instructions on how to join in.
For this week’s Monochrome Madness, I’m featuring another shot from a recent visit to Seattle. The light was going down for the day, and the clouds were moving generally sideways to my composition. I shot this using the in-camera setting for stacking exposures, knowing this would accentuate the cloud movement.
Leanne Cole hosts this weekly challenge, and you can see the monochrome work from other bloggers, as well as instructions on how to join in on her website.
I do a lot of hiking when I take my photographs, and in those cases, there is often strenuous activity involved in getting results. But there’s one place I’ve gone in which I don’t remember working up a sweat, or even a raised pulse – the White Mountains in eastern Arizona. Even though the elevations are between 8000 and 11000 feet, the word mountain is a bit deceptive. Much of the terrain is flat with many lakes and gentle streams. Yes, there are a few trails where one can get the adrenaline going, but mostly it is a popular spot for people to camp and fish, and in general, relax.
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.
Thanksgiving week, and a chance to return to the place that kick started my passion for photography. This location is in the Superstition Mountains, east of Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve spent many days hiking around here, and this is from my most recent visit. Whether it be family, friends, or other aspects of our lives, I hope all my readers have the opportunity to reflect on the things which we have to be appreciative of this Thanksgiving.
You can find this photo, and the contributions of other bloggers in this week’s Monochrome Madness hosted by Leanne Cole.
When I shot with a film camera, I always used the slowest, finest grained film. I would mostly shoot in the early or late parts of the day, and when moving water was the subject, this meant getting a blurred, dream-like effect. I always thought this was a magical look to the waterfalls or streams.
I’ve been to many national parks and other special places in the country, but there’s one place that has always stood out. In the Havasupai Indian Reservation in the western part of the Grand Canyon, you will hike a canyon that is similar to the others in the region, but once you come to the first of many waterfalls, this canyon takes on a magical feeling.
For this week’s Daily Post Challenge of Magic, waterfalls in Havasu Canyon.
Sounds like it’s time to get out the macro lens for this week’s Daily Post Challenge of Tiny.
A couple weeks ago I was on a hike when I came across a spot where small pools of water remained in the canyon bottom. It had rained two nights before, and as the water flowed through, it congregated the tiny pine needles at the edge of the waterline (above).
Some other interpretations of tiny:
I try to avoid chaos in my photos, so this week’s Daily Post Challenge had me searching in vain, until I thought about it from a different angle. Nowadays, millions of visitors flock to this place, but the first people to come here must have thought this was pure chaos. Even though I had seen pictures before visiting, that was pretty much my first impression of Bryce Canyon NP in southern Utah. Beautiful, intriguing chaos!
A few years ago while I was in San Francisco, I was walking along the bay and the piers. I liked the contrast of this older style paddleboat against the city skyline. I knew I had to work it in b&w to convey this contrast and get the feel I wanted for this shot. The reality is that this boat is not very old and is very much in use today.
This is my contribution to Leanne Cole’s Monochrome Madness this week, with the theme of Travel. You can see the work of other bloggers, as well as instructions on how to join in at her website.
Steve Bruno Photo 
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