We are very much spoilt for good weather in Southern California - lots of sunshine and blue skies, which means that we get plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.
Clear blue skies are great - unless you're a landscape photographer - who relishes poor weather, storms, and moody skies to add interest to a photograph. Since moving to California from Europe some years ago, I've realized that I now subconsciously accommodate the 'good weather' into my photos by changing how I approach the landscape and compose my images.
This image is an excellent example of that. I took this image in the middle of the day in bright sunshine, and without thinking about it, knowing that low contrast black and white was the way to go. I also reduced the amount of sky in the image as there was simply nothing of interest to include. I like the graphical quality of the rock shapes, the repeating shapes (for example, the two marbles), and the rock's texture.
As I spend much of my time taking photographs in the southern Californian desert landscape, I've had to come up with several tricks to allow me to shoot during the day and not just relegate my photography to sunrise and sunset. Textures, shapes, and more intimate landscape shots are usually the way to go when the light is stark and there are no clouds to be seen.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor