When photographing landscapes, conventional wisdom says the best results come while working when the light is most dramatic; dramatic light produces dramatic photographs. The most dramatic light of the day occurs early in the morning and in the evening when the sun's rays pass through more of the atmosphere, drawing out richer colors. This effect of light is further enhanced during bad weather. This means that opportunities for truly dramatic photographs are relatively rare. Thus, the scenes we would most like to hang on the wall don't happen very often.
On the other hand, the conditions we most frequently encounter occur during the rest of the day when the light is most direct and the weather is bright and sunny. Generally, such conditions don't make for very interesting photographs. Relative to lighting, what we want most happens least, and what we want least happens most. That's just the way it is.
This shot was made from the shore of the lower of the two Green River Lakes nestled in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. The first time I visited this area I was totally unprepared for the scene that came into view after I parked the car and walked to the shore of the lake. Boom! There sat Square Top Mountain in the distance. This photo isn't the most dramatic I've seen; but it captures what hits you in the face the first time you see it, which is typically on a bright, sunny summer day. To my eye, coming upon Square Top Mountain for the first time affected me in the same way as coming up to the Grand Canyon does. In the presence of such natural majesty, one loses all sense of space and distance. It's like looking at a huge painting. It is truly magical.
Click here to see the other photos from my 100 Photos project.
(Nikon FA manual focus body with a Nikkor 28.8mm f 2.8 lens; Fuji Velvia 50 film. I'm guessing this was taken around 1:00 p.m.)
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