Today I have for you a few of my favorite subjects, presented via some very old images.

Among the subjects we have today are rock forms from the American west, sunrise/sunset including some from a “rock park:, dewy webs and birds. The birds are our national symbol the Bald Eagle, and what Benjamin Franklin wanted to be our symbol, the wild Turkey.

Dew or rain both work in image making but dew tends to leave the subject it covers fully intact. Rain can beat down that subject.

My favorite subjects for dew are webs. The background, and whether it is consistent in tone, has a lot to do with the success or failure of your images.

A grayish sky as a background is monotone but still an interesting contrast. .

Green backgrounds from grasses or leaves can make a perfect backdrop for dewy photos. They are at their best (in my opinion) if there are few conflicting tones. In other words, keeping the dew drops and web sharp, and the background out of focus helps. That means fairly shallow depth of field, with pinpoint focus on the web. Of course being careful not to bump the web or anything else in the picture frame is essential.

Sometimes, you can even turn a dewy web into a pearl necklace if you move slow and watch where your tripod legs are placed,

Out of focus autumn leaves in the background are a great addition to such images. Once again, shallow enough depth of field as to render those leaves soft, but rendering the dew and web strands sharp, is essential.

Even varied or busy backgrounds can be okay if the web pops out and advances in the picture frame.

What is and what could have been with a turkey.

Old Ben. He had to settle for the Bald Eagle. I do think this bird and its majesty, its bravery, and what is quite often wisdom, was the one true choice for a symbol.

The images below were made in northeastern Wisconsin many years ago.

I gave thanks and left the bird and its mate alone.

I have only come across photographable Wild Turkeys two times in my life. One was in North Dakota in summer, and the other was in central Wisconsin in the winter.

The bird below was a part of a large flock. It walked around just enough to make resulting images somewhat interesting.

The first image below was made in South Dakota’s Custer State Park, and the rest of the rock form images were made in Badlands N.P. also in South Dakota.

Rock and water, are in some ways contradictory to each other. Still, they compliment each other in images.

Storms are a great addition to western rock pictures. I wish there were more of them when I worked these places. Also the even but slightly overcast light in these shots, helped to saturate the colors in the rock.

Sometimes contrast can be so extreme it is beautiful. I have shown a black and white version of this scene before, but I must admit those late afternoon colors with those shadows are unique. As a photographer, never be afraid of drama when it is real.

Sometimes the values are so low in a part of your scene, that the only answer is exposing for the lightest area, in this case the brilliantly colored clouds, and letting the rock formation go to silhouette

Wherever you are and whatever your photographic goal is, never forget to look down.

With the Badlands mud flat you see below, the answer was sidelight. Low angled sidelight produces small shadows which translates into texture in a photo.

A blend of colorful skies, and shapes (silhouettes) can be magic. Some water can also help. These were made in the Midwest.

Of course, just a few clouds and some light can be a subject when the hour is the “magic hour”.

May God Bless,
Wayne