Cainville Triangles   

   My wife and I just returned from a 41 day, 9400 mile trip across the country to Yellowstone & Glacier National Parks, up into Canada and then down to Utah (by far my favorite state for photography.) A terrific by-product of driving long hours is your mind drifts to the creative mode, detailed in the book, The Net and the Butterfly. The book changed my approach to making visual imagery offering a clear understanding of how the creative process can be activated. In those daydreaming drives heading back East the following paragraph took shape for the 1st Story Behind Every Photograph since our return home.

   This month’s image is not my most prized of the trip, but factoring in the harsh light of mid-day is pretty much untested waters for me, the image is certainly the biggest surprise. Driving home my mind conjured up the uncertainty of this image with that of a first date! Think about it, you’re out looking for an image/date, you see something/someone that creates a spark. You size up the potential/desire and if the stars are aligned you decide to get the camera out/get up the nerve to move forward. You meter the scene/plan your approach, make the exposure/inquiry. Trip the shutter/she accepts your ask. Now the waiting begins until the film is development/date actually happens. Not till the lights go on to see the negative and the results of your imagination…does the initial spark grow or diwindle?? You’ll have to make a print/ask for another date to learn the fruits of your talents/appeal !   

   I love the Southwest, particularly the Utah landscape for photography, however, I had not been out to the West since 2013. The beginning of this 2024 trip I freely struggled zeroing in on interesting photo compositions in my much anticipated return to the western landscape. Truth told, I probably pushed the first two film setups as I was so intent on not giving into a quick digital camera image. My focus was on reinforcing my passion for the big film camera and the many challenges that come with it.

Glacier NP

Only when I got to Glacier National Park a full 2 weeks after leaving Connecticut did my vision become more clear with this composition captured on 5×7″ film. 

   Jump ahead to July 6th, the day after my youngest son and family left Moab for home. We were staying 2 more nights around the incredible landscape area of Hanksville UT. Each morning I was out before sunrise for photo opps but would return for a quick bite to eat with my wife. We would then get out in the environment for the inspiration that surely is realized from the diversity of the Utah landscape. I came across this month’s image at about 11am and sketched out a composition in my mind. With temps already creeping towards 100 degrees there had to be extra motivation to setup the big camera in those conditions. Triangular shapes tend to catch my eye fairly easily, so, there was all the motivation I needed to take on the Utah heat. It’s important to note, the midday sun being higher in the sky produced the rim lighting on the diagonal ridges of stones creating the sense of repeating triangular shapes in the middle of this composition. With the morning sun lower in the sky the shapes never jump out and no image would result. 

   Triangles create interest and cause a subliminal attraction to move the viewer’s eye around an image for a deeper dive into the essence of an image. Angular shapes and relationships are powerful visual tools to capture the viewers extended interest. Conversely, North to South and East to West straight lines tend to divide the image into two halves, many times leading to confusion as to the focus of an image. Therein lies the basic reason for always moving the horizon line up or down to offer a clearer understanding of the image’s purpose.

    I have always maintained the main focus of visual imagery is usually fairly easy to identify, the challenges lie in where to begin and end an image ! The decision of where the borders will be is equally important, if not more so to me. Stay tuned for more Endless Horizons imagery in the coming months, and once again to those who followed along our journey…Thank You !