cloudy sky

This is an out-take from a previous shoot for the DPG project titled “Dandy Man”. I thought this image was a fun fit for today’s play.

Photography is eminently suited to depict scale. This image proves the point I believe. No other medium portrays the real world with this kind of authenticity and context.

The dwarfed farmstead at lower left – consisting of three 2-story grain silos and several outbuildings – provides the viewer with a sense as to just how much sky and farmland are being revealed here. It was a spectaular cloud day on a drive to Montana, so much so that I pulled off the road somewhere in Eastern Washington to make this capture and many more. Everywhere I turned there was another incredible scene to record. It was a tough edit to hone it down to this one.

Typically I shy away from nature shots, as they rarely provide any distinguishing conceptual merit for me. This one bucks that trend with its scale, impact and tonal range.

A couple of weeks ago on our latest trip to Northern California, we were all waiting outside an Italian restaurant for a table large enough for our party. Everyone was talking to each other and I wondered off a bit and started making images of the trees that lined the small road not far away. Now I always have a camera with me, looking for images for “The Game”. The silhouette of the trees against the color in the clouds and sky as the sun dropped below the horizon created a pattern that captured my attention. I made many images over the next several minutes until the sky was almost pitch black. I was lost in the moment, a place that I am fond of. Later as I walked back to the group someone asked me, “Where did you go ?” I just smiled and said, “I”ll show you later…. “

Today I find my self in Palm Springs, each year about this time I can be found here relaxing with friends and family. Being a bit playful and enjoying myself in this laidback environment I couldn’t resist answering Martin’s “Cone”, an inverted “V”, with an inversion of his inversion. This image came about as a joke when a friend asked what is that thing out there, a street light, air-raid siren, sidewalk heater, spaceship….   We immediately went to making up stories as to what it might be and as a joke I photo shopped out the pole and settled the argument. Palm Springs to me is a city from the past, a personified throw back and glamorization of all that is Mid-Century Modern. And of course UFO’s were a very big thing in the 50’s and what better place to find a specimen than right here.