Great Sand Dunes National Park,  landscape,  Plants

Nature: The Simple Artist

October 7, 2013
Ripples of a Sand Ocean
Alone in an Ocean of Sand

“What we can easily see is only a small percentage of what is possible. Imagination is having the vision to see what is just below the surface; to picture that which is essential, but invisible to the eye.” – Anonymous

Over time I’ve discovered how to eliminate unneeded elements in my photographs and create a powerful image. A solo tree on the horizon. The fallen maple leaf among the stones. When we first see The Great Sand Dunes we are impressed by their beauty and size as they rise over 750 feet above the valley floor. We grab out cameras,wide angle lens and tripods to capture the grandeur of those dunes. Yet, when we change our view and look closer we can find elements that are essential to making powerful images. Nature is the artist. As a photographer it is our task to find simple images provided by the artist.

Retired. Having fun with photography. Journal daily. Meditate daily. Learning haiku/poetry. Have a love for fountain pens.

8 Comments

  • paul

    October 7, 2013 at 5:56 am

    Monte, I felt the same why at White Sands. You I first arrived, I was amazed at the vastness of it and tried to capture that. As you know, it’s difficult to do; however, when I got to this level, as portrayed in your photograph, or even closer, at the macro level where you could see individual grains of sand, I felt much more productive, in touch. Of course, I loved the wide open vistas, but there was something special about looking closer. Excellent work, young man.

  • Tom Dills

    October 7, 2013 at 6:06 am

    Was it Michaelangelo who said that the way to make a sculpture was to remove everything that wasn’t the subject? Simplicity is often the best expression of what we see.

    My corollary to that is the idea that, frequently, the images that require the least amount of processing are often the ones I like the most.