A good picture ruined

I stated last time that I like subtlties in shade and color. Here's a picture that should have been a doozie. It's a winter scene, foggy day, sun above the trees. When I saw it, I was captivated. I think I used my little pocket point-and-shoot for the shot.

What ruins it, of course, are the four lines running across the picture. I could PhotoShop them out, of course, but I don't like to manipulate photos in more than the most basic ways. After all, if beauty is truth, it ought to be authentic beauty, shouldn't it?

Being subtle

One thing I like in photography is a kind of a subdued tone to things. I'm willing to take garishly colored photos, as much as anybody, I guess. I don't think you can be a serious photographer and not love color. But, some people choose to work in black and white. I like to work in colors, but those that are more subtle gradations.

Here are two shots I took that illustrate this. The one was taken last Christmas, in Prosser, Washington. I didn't mute the color at all with the camera, nor did I tinker with the color afterwards. It's the fog that does it all. The only real color in the photo is on the wreath, with the red bow and the slight read of the binder twine that ties it to the post.

The second shot is simply a flashlight embedded in the snow in my front yard. You can tell it's a color shot by the blue tint of the snow and the yellow in the light cone, but it's just barely there.

Logan in Winter

This is the Logan LDS temple, taken facing west toward the Wellsville mountains. I like this shot because it doesn't have the usual landscape features that are typical with shots of the temple. Instead, it seems to be floating above the trees, as if it were above the concerns of the world.