I like making photographs of rocks! It never ceases to amaze me how erosion can create such incredible shapes. To some it seems like an odd subject, but often the search is the best part of the adventure. This scene is at the end of a very long dirt road visited by wandering cows and the occasional lost ATV rider. One edge of a tall cliff has been eroded into mystical figures standing on a base of stone whipped into shapes via water and wind. I could wander here for hours making photographs.
The silver gelatin print takes a bit of work to get exactly right. This was shot at sunset when the low angle of light emphasized the textures, but it also made the shadows in a straight print extremely dark. This straight print doesn’t really give the feeling of the open heat of the desert, and important parts of the scene are hard to see. So I created a “dodge mask” to lighten the shadows which I think better conveys the feeling of this mystical place.
Purchase an original silver gelatin print of this image.