There are photographs, and there are photographs

Rock Slide?

Perhaps we all begin with taking the "we-were-there" sort of photos. Or at least those sort of photos are our first exposure to photography whether it was with the Kodak box camera my father gave me or the modern iphone of today. We all seem to want to record where we were and who we were with.

And if the conversation overheard in one of the pools at the Hot Springs was any indication we love to have those photographs or paintings with a mountain, a stream and a blue sky with puffy clouds. I have even been known to take a few myself. I also take detail photographs of architectural elements or rocks, etc to use in paintings. And then there are my "Let's-have-some-fun" shots.

I loved the four rocks above. I know enough geology to deduce how they got on top of this barren ridge of Navajo sandstone but I thought it was fun to tilt it as if they would slide off.

River Rocks

Rocks are one of my favorite things. Anyone want to give me a surprise gift just drop off a truck load of round river rocks. But I admit to taking this picture because of the patterns on the big rock. I think it looks like a cliff face in one of my canyon paintings yet to be painted.

But I also like things people do with rocks. Like the Anasazi at Aztec Ruins. No, the Aztec were never there that we know of. Though there are some indications the Chacoan cultures traded with the Aztecs.

Passage

There has to be a painting in the photograph above too. Though it just may end up being a mere detail in a larger work. What, however, gets conjured up in my mind involves a snake slithering through the hole in the back. Hey, us artists are known for strange minds. There is also mentally a woven rug hanging from the cross pole and blowing in a breeze.

Passage Over

No I do not think I am going to paint a bridge from underneath but I love architectural elements, and the new aluminum panels just were very reflective and cool.

Running horse mural

It is probably, for those familiar with my work, pretty obvious as to why I took this picture. And yes in my folders there is a version of it far more representative. I had a debate while sketching out my most recent mustang painting and it was because we read left to right the horses should run that way. These clearly do not. I find it very interesting. Also the landscape dominates this painting where with my horse paintings the horses dominate. I have also toyed with pintos in my horse herds, and rejected them. Next horse painting will have pintos in it.

Clouds in my coffee

I have my painting style and most likely I am sticking with it but I toy at times with a more abstract approach. Photography allows me to do that without spending lots of time and energy and money with paints and a canvas.

On Golden Pond

I admit to a certain enticement to the surrealist movement. I have any number of photography friends looking for the tripod achieved knife edge clarity which would have allowed you to count the scales on the gold fish in this pond. I, on the other hand, toy with the question of how much of a photograph has to be in focus.

Pools over Pools

I think not a lot. As I work myself through the last few days of photographs from my trip there will be the "serious" photos as well as more like this no doubt. Stay in touch with this blog and Binford-Bell Studio as well as Binford's Back Country Photography. Yes, there are some mountains with streams and puffy white clouds and gold aspens.