Sunset Over Dawes County, March 21, 2009

Sunset over Dawes County, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Along Highway 385 south of Chadron, there are views west that show the distant hills of Dawes and Sioux Counties. This is a pretty simple arrangement to showcase the subtle shapes of the hills, the brilliant oranges of the sunset, and even a little rain in the distance.

Sunset over Dawes County, Nebraska, March 21, 2009

 

Sunset near the Chadron Reservoir in Dawes County, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Dawes County, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Morning Clouds, March 19, 2009

 

Morning clouds over Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The moon shows through a break in clouds over Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Moon and clouds over Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Moon and Clouds, March 19, 2009

Moon and clouds over Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

One morning, the clouds formed interesting shapes around the half moon. I like the random patterns throughout this, anchored by the moon and the more solid cloud on the right. This photo has a lot of contrast work to keep the more subtle clouds from disappearing, and to bring out the features of the moon.

Night Scenes in Chadron, Nebraska, March 16, 2009

 

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Night scene in Chadron, Nebraska, March 2009. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Andreas Feininger

Andreas Feininger is one of my favorite photographers. He was a staff photographer for Life in the 1940s and '50s, and did impressive work with extreme telephoto lenses and showed tiny objects larger than life. You can find some of his work on Google Images, in the Life archives. Any of his numerous books are worth owning, and the concepts he explains in his technical books remain relevant, for the most part, even 50 years after they were published.

Fall Colors in Greeley, Colorado, November 1, 2008

Fall colors against a building Greeley, Colorado, November 2008. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Scenes with contrasting organic and geometric shapes are certainly fun to explore. This building, since demolished, provided a good backdrop for the leaves. An additional element, the shadows, provides a third layer. Colors are a bit muted in this treatment, but I think it's fitting. Inside the windows we find some blue for additional contrast with the warm tones. Generally speaking, I like the arrangement of shapes within the frame, except for the shadow in the middle right that cuts across the window. And the lonely branch on the bottom left. Now that I mention it, that bottom left originally had a dark shadow crossing it. Jay Maisel, of the "Light, Color, Gesture" school, teaches that those corner issues are weaknesses, so I selective lightened it. Even so, that corner isn't quite finished, but I'll come back to it, and probably get rid of the thin branch while I'm at it.