There are times when nature presents itself in such a way that I know this lovely planet on which we live is a closed system.  Everything is connected, and some days in the Southwest, the winds bring us smells from hundreds of miles away.  In all honesty, at times I can smell the ocean, blooming trees, and smog.  But one of the most delightful and luscious smells carried to the mesa is the smell of the Sonoran desert.  A combination of creosote bush, myriad desert vegetation, and the soil combine into an incredible gift delivered via air mail.

One of the jewels of the Sonoran Desert is Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains of southern Arizona.  The photographs below were shot on three different occasions with Fujichrome Velvia and then scanned.  The Dragoons are filled with hoodoos and pieces of rock that seem to have been thrown like marbles, fallen to the ground, and shoved upward.    

Every step of a journey into these mountains is filled with surprises, from gnarled Manzanita bark to pond grass in Half Moon tank.  It is a real paradise for photographers. 

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image

a bit like March

The spring winds began this week, bringing more warmth than normal at times but mostly feeling excitingly like March.  Clouds race across the sky.  Gropple falls, rain spits, and the wind is a constant friend.  Even though we will see temperatures in the single digits and have more snow, this is the beginning of spring and with the Equinox just a month away, the light is excellent for photography.  Even though it might be chilly, I encourage everyone who has a camera to get outside and find images.   You won't be disappointed.

Change is in the wind.

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image

season of the heart

If you are reading this on Monday, it is Valentine's Day.  Although sometimes the date seems to have been created as a massive commercial enterprise, it carries with it some true lovliness.  Valentine's Day was established by Pope Gelasius I around the year 496 AD as part of the Roman calendar of saints (later to be deleted in 1969).   According to the news.scotsman.com "The day's connection with romance has possibly become tangled up with the ancient Roman fertility festival Lupercalia, which ran from 13-15 February."    

However you celebrate it (or not), these photographs are for you, from the heart!

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image

cold

Here is Blas, one of those people who cannot wait for the first snowflake to fall.

But have you noticed how the folks on Madison Avenue delight in teasing those who don't snowboard or ski, or generally thrive in the snow using garden catalogs as well as advertisements for exotic, warm places?  Along with the famous Budweiser and eTrade baby commercials, I dare say that a few photographs of people prancing in the sand along the shores of an aquamarine sea show up during the Super Bowl as well.

This collage of signs on the side of a corrugated steel building in Baja, California, is a brilliant way of attracting restaurant business.

As a wise person said this week, "Embrace winter."

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image