Eloquent Images by Gary Hart
Insight, information, and inspiration for the inquisitive nature photographer
My camera is a time machine
Sunset Pastoral, Sierra Foothills (2015)
Sony a7R
Tamron 150-600 (Canon-mount with Metabones IV adapter)
.6 seconds
F/9
ISO 100
Photographers frequently complain about what their camera can’t do, and take for granted the things it does well. A lot of this is a frustration with the inability to duplicate the world the way we see it. But honestly, what fun is that? My favorite photographs are those that show me something I might have overlooked or were not visible to my eye to my eye at all. As someone who tries to photograph a world untouched by the hand of Man, I particularly love the camera’s ability to return me to simpler times, reducing a scene to its essence by subtracting reminders of human incursion.
Tequila Sunset, Sierra Foothills, California (2005)
I recently returned to this small stand of oak trees huddled atop a hill in the low foothills east of Sacramento. Since I first photographed this scene over ten years ago, the peaceful country road “my” hill overlooks has evolved into a bustling artery for oblivious commuters. More recently, fencing has sprung up and an arcing dirt road has been carved into the hillside, a harbinger I fear of an impending subdivision. They’re everywhere up here now, these cookie-cutter developments with meaningless, corporate-crafted street names (Aspen Meadows Drive, Teakwood Court), devouring this once bucolic setting like a stage-4 cancer.
Despite the distractions, my camera’s “limited” vision instantly returns me to more peaceful times. Gone in a shutter-click are the highway’s roar and choking exhaust, while the encroaching suburbs are banished by the narrow view of a telephoto lens. And that scar of a road? It disappears in the shadows of the camera’s narrow dynamic range.
Photo workshop schedule
Celebrating the camera’s “limited” vision
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Eloquent Images by Gary Hart 
Great article! I am interested in your spring trip to Columbia Gorge, Oregon you usually do in April but don’t see it on your schedule for 2017? Thanks R. Gray
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Thanks for reading, Rita—I’m glad you liked it. Don and I do two collaborative workshops, the Grand Canyon Monsoon and the Columbia River Gorge (additionally, Don assists some of my workshops, and I assist some of his). I handle the GCM signups, and Don handles the CRG signups. So yes, we’re definitely doing a Gorge workshop this year: http://www.donsmithphotography.com/Workshops/COLUMBIA-RIVER-GORGE.
Stunning Photos!
Thanks, Christel.