The Merced River in Winter

If it’s possible to offer a “tip-of-the-ole” hat to Ansel Adams… this is my attempt. No iconic El Capitan, or Half Dome shot. Just a quiet place along the Merced river where nature just goes about its business. The tree seemingly embedded in the river on the right of the frame is what originally caught my eye.

Yosemite is so full of color that it seems almost painful to convert images to black and white. But I have found that the absence of color changes the mood in the photographs from here. Maybe its the Adams influence on us, I’m not sure. For instance in this image the trees, the water, the rocks seem more important in black and white. The live in the frame, vs being lost in the greenery had the conversion not taken place. I love black and white images as they ask you the viewer to fill in the blanks, to use your mind’s eye and see into the image – soak in the textures, the shades of gray and draw your own conclusions on the reality of the place captured… lots to think about here…

Enjoy, and Happy Friday!