Photo Evny Not a Pretty Thing

I’ll admit it. I have a bad case of Photo envy. I try not to give into it, but even at night while I sleep, it is in my dreams, haunting me, taunting me with it colors, prospective, and composition. I don’t even need a computer to see it, This image is etched in my mind. I just can’t seem to help it. I haven’t sought professional help, yet.  

I already know the what is causing it. More precisely I should say the who is causing it. She is T without the “h”.   I’m drawn daily to see what new time and place has been captured;   frozen by lens and chip.   Composed by this phototog that is as snap happy  a person I have ever encountered.

Back to the Image

 Look at it.   It should be on a calendar or the cover of an architectural digest.

A St Paul Treasure is what she called this one.  There were others before and I’m sure there will be more to come.   It is the nature of the thing I suppose.

I want to take pictures like this.   I have 4 working digital cameras, one is even a new Nikon D40.   None of my images look this rich.   I have image editing software some that will even edit the raw files from the camera.

I found out from Teresa that she uses Photoshop Elements to touch up her photos.   That same day I went out and bought Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 bundled with Adobe Premier Elements 3.0.   I read the manuals, yes, you heard me I READ THE MANUALS! still my images pale compared to hers.

Then I realized, it isn’t the cameras or the software.   It’s the subject matter itself.   Here in the Southwest Desert everything is dirt or made to look like dirt.

• The houses are made with stucco painted to look like dirt.
• Slump block are made of dirt
• Adobe and Burnt adobe are made of dirt
• Saltillo tile are made from clay, a form of dirt
• Even the air is often filled with dirt making it hard to get   a really good view of the mountains

So it turns out I’m taking pictures of dirt, dirt, and more dirt, things made to look like dirt and all of it fades because of the intense Southwestern Sun.  

Sometimes I change the angle to get color of some kind, any kind except the look of pale faded colors and pale faded dirt.  

Take this one for example.   Nice color in that mesquite tree and the prefect time of year to get the new growth on the cactus with the slight purple tinge to it.

Many subdivisions have HOA color restrictions that make it so the only thing you are free to change is the color of toilet paper on the roll, but don’t let them know they overlooked this or that too could change.

I’m left to taking images of flowers, trees and as much blue sky as I can manage to put in a picture.   Close ups with limited viewable dirt.