B&W Shapes | A Little Ice
B&W Shapes | A Little Ice Pugs love the snow; ice, not so much. It’s slipping and sliding, even on the icy grass, put a new meaning to “do your duty.” For the whole story with all images, see B&W Shapes | a 7 Image Story.
B&W Shapes | a 7 Image Story
B&W Shapes | a 7 Image Story In black and white photographs, shapes and contrasts make all the difference. It’s all about the lines, the curves, and the contours along with how they contrast and/or blend. A strong photograph without color will generally also be strong photograph with color. B&W wildlife images rarely work for me. This bull elk bugling during the rut shows such an iconic elk shape, it needs no color.
Long Exposure A long exposure not only flattens and smooths the water, it also can create interesting shapes. In this case, the trees made nice curved shapes on the water. A Little Ice Pugs love the snow; ice, not so much. It’s slipping and sliding, even on the icy grass, put a new meaning to “do your duty.” Milkweed Sometimes, even weeds with sharp angles and smooth end points look good in black & white. Western Texture The old west had some pretty rough buildings. Still, horses liked this small open barn instead of the snow outside. Icy Leaves Texture, symmetry, and depth of field draw the eye into the image. Early winter must be upon us.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category B&W Shapes.
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Yellowstone NP Wild | Mammoth Hot Springs
Yellowstone NP Wild | Mammoth Hot Springs This Mammoth Hot Springs image was captured during a rain shower. Mammoth Hot Springs, in the northwestern part of Yellowstone NP, is a large complex of hot springs on a mound of travertine, a form of limestone, created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. The spring’s energy comes from the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas. The hot water that feeds Mammoth comes from Norris Geyser Basin after traveling underground via a fault line. The water temperature at the spring hovers at about 170 °F (80 °C). Algae living in the warm pools have tinted the travertine shades of brown, orange, red, and green. For the whole story with all images, see Yellowstone NP Wild | a 7 Image Story.
The Sunday Drive | Down a Two Track
The Sunday Drive | Down a Two Track Sometimes, the drive can be less scenic and perhaps more adventurous. Hard telling what’s at the end of the two track. For the whole story with all images, see The Sunday Drive | a 7 Image Story.
The Sunday Drive | a 7 Image Story
The Sunday Drive | a 7 Image Story When I was a young boy growing up on a Midwest farm, my parents often took a Sunday drive. It became a bit of a tradition. Now, we did not go every Sunday, but fairly often. Sometimes, the purpose was to “look at the crops.” Sometimes, it was to “just to get off the farm.” Sometimes, it was a short ride; sometimes a long ride. Occasionally, the Sunday drive took us all the way to Chicago’s Midway Airport to watch the planes land and take-off. Apparently, my parents were not the only ones to partake in this “tradition.” The Sunday drive was a relatively inexpensive way to showdown, spend family time, and enjoy the world around us.
Why remember those Sunday Drives now? With the world in crisis mode over the corona virus, states and even countries are issuing stay at home orders. It’s forcing us to slowdown a bit and value the simpler things in life. More people seem to be going for walks. Although the stay at home orders generally discourage travel by car except for the essentials, the slowdown somehow reminded me of those Sunday Drives. As some of the restrictions are raised, maybe the Sunday drive will make a resurgence. Or, perhaps a Sunday walk or bike ride will take its place.
Thru the Woods Spring is technically here. A nice spring snow shower made beautiful surroundings on my way to the grocery store this morning. The stay at home order does not say you must take the shortest route to the store. This route may be less traveled, but its beauty improved my mood for the day. On Gravel Roads The countryside in Montana contains numerous gravel roads running along old fence lines. Unless you live in a large city, back country, gravel roads aren’t all that far away for a lazy Sunday drive. In the Hills Arizona can get pretty hot in the summer. A nice Sunday drive into the mountains can show you breathtaking beauty as well as much cooler air. And in the winter months, snow and ski runs might great you at the end of the road. Over the Snow Most of us don’t live close enough to Yellowstone NP to go for a Sunday drive. Still, many of us live near hills and mountains. When covered with snow, they make a nice scenic day drive.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category The Sunday Drive.
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Gallatin River Ranch | Mule Deer
Gallatin River Ranch | Mule Deer On the ranch, Mule Deer roam the hills all year-long. They know a good thing when they see it. This one seemed quite happy to pose for a simple click. For the whole story with all images, see Gallatin River Ranch | a 7 Image Story.
Gallatin River Ranch | a 7 Image Story
Gallatin River Ranch | a 7 Image Story The Gallatin River Ranch is a 5,900 acre ranch converted into a residential ranch community with a ranch style “old west” feel. Located in the Horseshoe Hills of southern Montana, northwest of Bozeman, MT, it has stunning views of eight mountain ranges, rivers, and rolling farmlands. It’s a hilly high, dry desert area at around 4800 foot elevation. As a midwestern flatlander, walking round the ranch can be challenging. The thinner air quickly becomes obvious and a water bottle is your best friend on a hike. The ranch’s southern boundary lies along the the confluence where the East and West Gallatin Rivers meet. Mule deer and Pronghorn cross the river while eagles, hawks, and water fowl fly overhead.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Gallatin River Ranch.
Click any image below for a slide show!
This ranch image was stitched from several images captured in landscape mode, then cropped to smooth the edges. 
Rock Formations | The Ranch
Rock Formations | The Ranch The Ranch is a 5,900 acre ranch converted into a residential ranch community. Located in the Horseshoe Hills of southern Montana, it has stunning views and ranch style living. A short walk up to Castle Rock always yields a few good images. For the whole story with all images, see Rock Formations | a 7 Image Story.
Hank Conrad © 2023
