Sunset Solitude
June 06, 2013
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As autumn’s colors start to fade and those of us who live in the “high country” of Colorado anticipate the first snows of winter photography opportunities are sometimes hard to find. This season is a perfect chance to explore new or different perspectives and equipment. I tend to approach landscape photographs with wide angle lenses, attempting to capture as much of the surrounding beauty as possible. “Sunset Solitude” is a complete reversal of this idea. Captured with a 300 mm telephoto lens, the scene in the East River Valley near Crested Butte is a greatly compressed point of view. The lower slopes of Whiterock Mountain are squished into the sunlit meadows of West Brush Creek.
Sunset light coming from the west really shows off the variety of textures in this valley. That’s one of the great characteristics of light coming from the side of a scene, especially at a low angle. The higher points of the scene are brightly lit while the lower parts fall into deep shadow creating relief and contrast that accentuate texture and contours.
Normally the purplish mountain in the background would be black but light reflecting from the west side of Crested Butte Mountain on the left and out of the scene, casts just enough light to add some mystery and muted detail to the background. Since our eyes are naturally attracted to the brighter, more contrasty part of an image, our immediate gaze falls into the sunlit center of the photo. As we continue to view the photograph, we discover the minute details in the shadow areas of the scene.
This image is a bit of a departure from my usual offerings in that it is much more subtle than most. The mystery and secrets of the scene lie in the shadows and must be searched for instead of being found “in your face” in the sunlight. I think this image also reflects my usual mood at this time of year. Generally outgoing and extroverted, in late fall I tend more toward introspection and quiet solitude. Most unique imagery reflects the mood, character and personality of the artist at the time it was created in some way. “Sunset Solitude” is no exception.
As always, you can see a larger version of the photograph by clicking on the image. I would love to know your thoughts and feelings about this photograph via the “leave a reply” opportunity on this page or via the link below for email/facebook etc. Feel free to share this blog with anyone you think might enjoy the subjects.
With the holidays fast approaching I can still offer limited opportunities for family or individual portraits to be delivered in time for gifts. Check out my portrait site at: http://www.demersonphotography.com for additional information.
Until next week, enjoy some solitude and introspection.
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Keywords:
Art,
Photography,
autumn,
color,
Colorado,
Crested Butte,
fall,
Landscape,
Photo,
Photographer,
The art of photography,
theory
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