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Author Topic: Desolate  (Read 5345 times)

James Clark

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Desolate
« on: July 22, 2012, 12:44:10 pm »

Shot on a cloudy midday at Ghost Ranch, just outside of Abiquiu NM.   (Yes, there's a big black hole under a rock in the far right.  When not compressed down for the web it's nowhere near as distracting, but aside from that I really dig this shot. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

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somu1

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2012, 12:27:36 am »

It is a beautiful image. I especially like the way the path points to the brightest part of the horizon.

I personally feel that the "black hole" under the rock on the right adds to the image. Difficult to put it into words, but I think it adds an element
of dynamic tension which forces the viewer to look more closely.
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Somendra Singh
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wolfnowl

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2012, 01:54:07 am »

There's definitely a lot going on here - a veritable feast for the eye.  Well done.

Mike.
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If your mind is attuned t

sdwilsonsct

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2012, 03:23:45 am »

Nice one, James. You are right to be encouraging midday photography.

Paulo Bizarro

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2012, 04:03:52 am »

I like it, the contrast is well handled. It almost has an infra-red look to it.

jule

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2012, 04:09:31 am »

Great mood. Gritty. Rough. Desolate. Harsh. The path leads to where??? The darkness of the clouds supports the inhospitable nature of the ground.

I really like this image... and White Place just down the road a bit is one of my most memorable places to photograph on a recent trip to the US.

Julie
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francois

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2012, 05:40:50 am »

I agree with the previous comments, this image is stunning... I love the rock that splits the path in the foreground!
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Francois

Chris Calohan

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2012, 07:03:33 am »

And people wonder why Georgia O'Keefe picked such a desolate place to hang her hat. Obvious answer is there is always desolation in the desert but never total aloneness as every footpath, animal track, crevasse and ridge invites yet one more look, one more query, and one more invitation to explore. Nicely composed and exposed, the image is exceptionally representative of O'Keefe's visions of what secrets Abiquiu holds.
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If it Ain't Broke, Leave it Alone; if it is Broke, Fix it; if it's a Maybe, Play With it - Who Knows

sdwilsonsct

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2012, 10:42:36 am »

there is always desolation in the desert but never total aloneness as every footpath, animal track, crevasse and ridge invites yet one more look, one more query, and one more invitation to explore.

Crikey, Chris writes and photographs.  :)

Chris Calohan

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2012, 03:04:26 pm »

I can walk and talk and chew gum, too! Now, go look at my other photos in the Morningside thread and make some relative comments I can use to improve the shooting part.  ;D
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James Clark

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2012, 04:12:09 pm »

Thanks for the kind words - you're seeing things that I didn't, like how the path ends up where the clouds are parting.  I had several exposures at this location but this was my favorite, and I wonder if we don't sometimes see things subconsciously, and even if we're not really aware of what we like most about a set of very similar shots little details like that trigger something that make us prefer on image overt another.  There are always "lucky accidents," and of course sometimes even the best work has a huge element of pure chance, but sometimes maybe we're creating our own luck even if we're not aware of it?
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louoates

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2012, 04:20:28 pm »

That's the best argument against deleting files too soon. I've revisited image folders months and years later to discover hidden gems. How in the world did I miss this image??!!! 
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Chris Calohan

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Re: Desolate
« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2012, 04:48:10 pm »

Here is another shot at Abiquiu, New Mexico. The shot looks out over the souther perimeter of Ghost Ranch. This is a scan of a platinum print I made at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops during a Christopher James workshop. I shot the original image in film (RB67), scanned the film image, made a curved, 8x10 digital negative, then printed on Arches Platine with a 17 second lightbox exposure.

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