Let’s begin today’s post with some superb images from our guest photographers.

Firstly I bring you  an old friend with an artistic soul, and her name
is Kristen Westlake.

There’s a lot going on in this image yet it remains elegant and
simple. That may seem to be a dichotomy but when there is a sense or
order within chaos, then a photo can be both simple and complex.

The composition here is perfect as the pier leads us to the sky and
those dappled clouds, and the irregular (rather than symmetrical)
division among the parts of the picture is both interesting and
artistic. There is active life here beside the clouds, as a single
gull carries out its flight pattern within the small areas of sky that
exists between the pier and those clouds.

Well-done!!

Now for a winter wildlife image from photographer C.harles Glatzer

Charles is a master at getting into the right position for the point
of view needed to create a compelling image. Such is the case with
this photo of a mother Polar Bear and her adolescent offspring resting
in the chilly snow.  Great work!

Now for a few of my own humble images.

I have had a love affair with the relationship between light and
shadow since I was a child and well before I made my first picture.
The revelation of the obvious, which occurs in the highlights, and the
mystery in the shadows, presents a contradiction that I find forever
fascinating.

This image is about a twisted old (very, very, old) Juniper tree on a
plateau near the edge of a great canyon in Colorado. The shadows both
hide and reveal the direction and texture that they take. A
contradiction.

The sunlight and shadows that occur between the rocks on the side of
that same canyon, define the shape of things on the canyon wall. That
shape is no less twisted than the old tree.

What lurks in the shadows?  We will never know.

This next picture was created at the Badlands of South Dakota. Either
late or early in the day no doubt. I loved the way this land form led
my vision up to the clouds. Even more, I loved the way the warm, rich
sidelight left a large and mysterious shadow on the right side of it.
It added dimension. Even more than that big shadow, all of those tiny
shadows that were created throughout the land form, added texture. So
much so that we can almost feel the roughness of it.

Light and shadow together creates  mysteries, but also answers
questions. This mudflat can almost be felt by anyone who views this
image. That is of course once again, due to sidelight and the shadows
it creates.

This was also created in the Badlands.

Patterns

Photography is a tool as much as an art form, and tools can be used to
discover and share things such as shape and pattern.

I have been in love with leafless trees at dawn and dusk since I was a
little boy. Maybe I am still just a little boy. Combine the rich,
delicious colors of a sunrise or sunset, and the “barebones” shape and
natural design of some leafless trees, and you have art that is just
waiting for someone with a camera.

Natural designs, some perfectly repetitive, and others irregular and
individualistic, are waiting for photographers everywhere.

Dewy orb webs often contain favorite patterns. Whether they make a
repetitive and perfect pattern, or they sort of follow their own road,
I always looked at it as my job to capture them as I see it, and share
them with the world.

Now Let’s finish with a few birds.

Whether we capture the behavior, or just the natural art of birds,
doing so is a dream job.

The American Avocet shorebird, is a Godly work of natural art. I was
privileged only twice to be able to make images of such and share some
of that natural art with the world. This pair was photographed in New
Mexico and I was happy for that fact. They moved around in tandem, and
while the marshland habitat could have used a little art ( via more
simplicity) of its own, their physical behavior and their natural
appearance was art enough.

This Killdeer (another shorebird) is not just taking a rest, she is
sitting on eggs. I was in my car when I made this photo, and when I
left her she was still just where you see her in the picture. I did my
job, and then moved away as to not call attention to her. She had a
job to do that was more important than mine.

Images that merely show us natural behavior, are just as important as art.

I do not remember where or when I photographed this Cassin’s Finch.
The burst of sunlight which is splaying out in back of the bird, was a
natural phenomenon as far as I remember.

The image has a delicate quality that I like.

Who goes there?  I am quite sure this raptor had a head when I made
this picture.  I have made my (and everyone else’s) share of birds
pictured from behind, but they usually have a head. Preening makes for
unusual shapes and designs and unusual images.

With that I will say goodbye, have a great day, and may God Bless,
Wayne