Red Aura
Bozeman, Montana
2015
It’s not often that I find a scene with subtle color that I am really attracted to that also doesn’t work, albeit differently, in black and white. I tried converting this one to black and white and it just didn’t do anything for me at all.
I realized that this image reminded me of, and perhaps was heavily influenced by, some of Elliot Porter’s more subtle photos of tangled woodlands that I was really drawn to in the late 60s and 70s. Here are two examples:
Redbud Tree in Bottomland
Eliot Porter Photo
1968
Red Osier
Eliot Porter photo
1957
I too admire Eliot Porter’s work, especially his ability to bring order to the random chaos of the eastern forests. I think your image is definitely in line with his work and the subtle red “background” is what provides depth to the image and acts as a vignette to the white tree trunk in the foreground. A nicely done image that would be most impressive when printed large! 🙂
Thanks Kathy. Orderly chaos, now there’s a concept worth thinking about.