Aguerreberry

Three of us were exploring the Death Valley area, and decided to take in the miner's camp at Aguerreberry. We drove up the dirt road and pulled into a small parking area. As we walked toward the miner's dissipated cabin, the first thing that got my attention was this broken glass bottle, even though we were still some distance away. The light was flat, due to high clouds, and it was the contrast of color that had served notice: magenta and green.

As we got closer I began exploring different points of view for the photograph. I wanted the glass to dominate and was thinking of a very wide-angle view from a position quite close to the glass. I soon realized, though, that I was too close, and my proximity had so altered the relationship between glass and cabin that they no longer communicated with each other. They were separate and unrelated. A longer focal length, from further back, restored them as "parts of the whole," which I had perceived earlier.

Light was easily manageable. This photograph was made with a digital camera in its "faithful" mode. In that configuration, there is no contrast or saturation boost, and color is recorded in a linear manner across the spectrum. The result is an image file that is flat and neutral. From that, I can process directly toward what the view feels like, without the influence of needing to undo something made within the camera. For this exposure file, I increased saturation and contrast slightly overall, with further and substantial increases on the glass. This is the photograph that I had anticipated from the start.