Seeing What's Not There - Day 22

Shadows Within a Cloud Bank  

Shadows on the Underside of Clouds

-  demonstrate atmospheric perspective       

Without the play of light on the top of clouds and the cast shadows on the underside of the clouds, the moisture that is suspended in the atmosphere would be a uniform gray tone. We can only make out clouds because we can see their shadows from underneath.  

Art Every Day Month - Nov 25 -

Snowy Contours

Snowy Contours - velvety textures from many snowy trees  

Source photo

These hills beside the river are thick with uniformly sized and shaped black spruce trees, and the branches of every tree are heavy-laden with deep mounds of snow. Close-up the trees are a dramatic contrast of black, dark green and white shapes, but in the distance, their collective surface softens and the trees define the contours of the terrain.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 17 -

Snow on Distant Mountains

Snow on Distant Mountains - patterns of snow shape the mountains in the distance

Source photo

The contrast of sunlit patches of snow against shaded blue terrain enhances the three-dimensional appearance of the Mealy Mountains in the distance. Close-up, the snow is mounded on the branches of trees growing on the slopes. The next windy day, the trees will release their loads, and this early-season visual effect will change.

Art Every Day Month - Nov 4 -

Sun on the River

Sun on the River - complementary colors in the landscape

Source photo

Most modern cameras have computerized systems which measure light conditions and then adjust the camera's settings to take acceptable photographs under normal conditions. However, these systems can be thwarted by breaking the rules, and a photographer can get really interesting images as a result.
Here, I shot directly into the reflection of the sun on the water (usually a no-no), and the camera tried to compensate by exposing for the bright patches, thus underexposing the surrounding areas. And what lovely contrasting colors of purply-blues and yellow-oranges appeared. It's a bit of a gamble, breaking the rules, but those gorgeous indigo hills were worth it!

Art Every Day Month - Nov 3 -

Rainy Foggy Day

Rainy Foggy Day - full color monochromatic landscape

Source photo

Fog and rain change the look of the landscape. The river stretches flat in the windless atmosphere and clouds obscure the tops of some of the hills on the other side. At the same time, the fog hides the bottoms of some more hills, and leaves the just the tops showing, revealing interesting forms in the distant hills that normally you don't get to see. It's worth getting wet to see it.