On the north end of the famous Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California is an area where the grass and brush grow tall with Cottonwood trees lining a streambed in the background. In the winter months, as the sun rises, hills behind the Cottonwood trees are bathed in sunlight before the sun rises high enough to illuminate the trees and grasses.
The result of this juxtaposition of vegetation and light is a composition of layers of color and texture. I’m not completely sure, but the green brush in the foreground maybe sagebrush, while the tall yellow grasses in the middle are some form of fountain grass. The blue and black tones in the upper third are backlit trees taking their color from the open blue skies overhead. The fiery orange at the top is, of course, sunlight hitting the hills that rise up in the distance.
A breeze was blowing on this particular morning in February of 2013 and I opted to go with an exposure that made use of that breeze to blur the movement of the fountain grass. This added a dynamic character to what was otherwise a fairly static scene.
I love how the colors in this image are layered from top to bottom, yet the shapes that make up each color layer are continuations of the same vertical lines found in the other layers. Distinct, yet continuous.
Open edition prints of “Colors in the Grass” in metal, wood, canvas, and acrylic are available for purchase by clicking here.
