In the high desert of the American Southwest, winter is the most monochromatic of seasons.  Nothing is in bloom.  In some places, the ground is covered with snow.  Berries add occasional splashes of color as do robins flitting from point to point and dining on the berries.  But basically the landscape feels flat. It is a time when artists' abilities to look at everything that surrounds them - to really look deeper, and feel what is transpiring - is crucial. There are abundant photographic opportunities, including the sky.  During the remainder of the year, there are massive and vocal cumulous and cumulonimbus clouds (not to mention rainbows) requiring our attention.  However, the winter sky is different, seemingly producing paintings all its own, frequently filled with stratus, alto stratus, and cirrus clouds.  The movement of winds is the paintbrush.  

The photo below was taken on a photo shoot with fellow photographer Steve Immel near Ft. Union, on the edge of New Mexico's eastern plains.  Not a touch of spring was in sight on the endless horizon.   

Fort Union Trip 01-12-10A
 

As clear as the edges are in this confluence of cirrus clouds, you can almost feel the ice crystals.    

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As clouds move in the sky, they are frequently framed by buildings and other human-made elements.  

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Clouds create one of nature's perfect backdrops.

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Looking for artistic inspiration during winter?  There is an amazing and disparate variety in the world of media.  Being a photographer and writer, it is one of the professional hazards and joys to analyze both visual and written media. From the costume pastels to historic buildings and sets of the Regency era-series Bridgerton to the beautifully filmed, scripted, edited and acted spy series (with a touch of Bond) The Night Manager, there is abundance of talent to ponder.  Written in 2019 but new to me is a book by Patrik Svensson titled The Book of Eels.  It is one of the most fascinating books I have read of late, given both the subject matter, writing style, and content construction.  Finally, the written journal I started in an online file at the beginning of COVID is now 521 pages long.  The material is endless.  Particularly pithy quotes include this one from your personal astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson:

“It fascinates me that giving to charities is considered noble and praiseworthy, but creating a society that doesn’t require charity is considered socialist and bad.” 

My thanks to all of you who read and commented on last week's blog including Terry T., Tim, Sara, Lawrence, Jean & Sam, Heather H., Steve, and Marilyn G.

May February bring endless inspiration to all! 

until next week,

DB

a passion for the image©