The Black Hills of South Dakota
On June 2nd I took this picture from well up on the slope of a mountain (was it Mount Coolidge?) in Custer State Park, which lies in the Black Hills of South Dakota. In addition to looking outward and far away, I looked downward and close, where I found pastel-colored rocks and lichens, brown pine needles and cones, and an entrance to an ant nest.
© 2017 Steven Schwartzman
Nice! I like the composition with the opening in the clouds and the dark trunks pointing to them! And while looking, it is fun to look down to find other subjects!
Reed Andariese
July 5, 2017 at 7:04 AM
That opening of blue sky in the clouds called out to me, too, and that’s one reason I chose to show this picture out of the two dozen or so I took of dead pine trees against dramatic clouds. As much as I liked those grand views, I couldn’t resist the intimate details below.
Steve Schwartzman
July 5, 2017 at 7:20 AM
Those rocks are really pretty. I love that close look at the ground.
melissabluefineart
July 5, 2017 at 8:16 AM
So in this case you prefer the small drama to the larger one. Because the smaller is what I often focus on at home, I notice such things elsewhere. I did plenty of the larger on our trip because we get to see almost none of that kind of grandeur in central Texas.
Steve Schwartzman
July 5, 2017 at 8:38 AM
I notice in my paintings I usually am zeroed in on the smaller dynamic, even though most people seem to prefer my larger landscapes.
melissabluefineart
July 8, 2017 at 8:25 AM
Small is fine with me.
Steve Schwartzman
July 8, 2017 at 8:29 AM
The doc is very gud n great photography too .. Awsm photography wrk u hv dne.
durgarani
July 5, 2017 at 9:41 AM
Thnx.
Steve Schwartzman
July 5, 2017 at 10:04 AM
Sometimes it’s worth coming in late to your comment section — that previous exchange is priceless, and sent me into fits of laughter. You are so funny.
It occurs to me that humor’s like the bits of green growth in that second photo: vibrant and unexpected in an otherwise monochromatic setting.
shoreacres
July 7, 2017 at 7:07 AM
Earlier this morning, based on an encounter yesterday, I was thinking that young people increasingly present themselves as an alien species. I’d considered writing a longer answer in textese but the one-word reply was in the spirit of brevity that that language favors.
Steve Schwartzman
July 7, 2017 at 7:30 AM
Hey Steve ., that first image is amazing! Wow..
Julie@frogpondfarm
July 9, 2017 at 1:37 AM
Let’s hear it for visual drama!
Steve Schwartzman
July 9, 2017 at 7:21 AM