in praise of the snapshot

black and white photograph of an ocotillo in the colorado desert of southern california
long tall ocotillo at sunrise – colorado desert, california | 4.11.26

“I am a passionate lover of the snapshot, because of all photographic images it comes closest to truth.”

Lisette Model

That may be a bit of a stretch, but then again… there is more than a little truth to that. There is no pretense, no theatrics, no attempt to be ‘arty’ in simple snapshots. They’re real and honest. There can be more art in that than in all the attempts to grab a viewer by the eyeballs.

I’ll play around with different things once in awhile like double exposures, adding a vintage look and the like, and sometimes they work, but mostly I just adjust the tones and contrast a bit (I use Snapseed if you care), maybe add a little grain, and slap a border and date on it and call it good. If I have to spend more than two or three minutes on a picture I figure it didn’t work and I shitcan it. I have others to choose from.

The desert, and any place else for that matter, speaks for itself, and doesn’t need theatrics or dramatic color or anything else. The art, if you want to call it that, is in how you see your world and how you choose to fit what you see into a rectangle or square. Anything more than that can be like putting legs on a snake.

palo verde and desert sunrise

palo verde tree and morning sun in the southern california desert
palo verde at sunrise – colorado desert, california | 4.10.26

When you think of desert plants cactus immediately come to mind. But there are others. There is much desert plant life that thrives in this hot, arid climate.

One of the more common ones is the palo verde. It’s instantly recognizable with its green bark, yet every one is a unique individual. They grow in all shapes and sizes. A visual feast.

old water tank

chiriaco summit, california | 3.28.26

I’ve been having a ball doing these color snapshots of the everyday world around me lately. They remind me of the drugstore prints I used to get as a kid, date stamp and all.

When I want to get into the heart and guts of the desert, when I want to do the hard-edged, stick in the eye shots of what it’s like out here in the desert sun I’ll do contrasty grainy black and white. That’s what the desert feels like. That’s the spirit of it. Right now though I’m having a lot of fun with these quieter color snapshots. Right now it feeds my soul.

desert iguana

3.20.26

I have no desire to be a wildlife photographer, but it can be fun to take an occasional snapshot of some of my wild neighbors.

It can be a challenge to do it with a phone – not impossible, but not easy. It depends on the situation and the subject.

This desert iguana proved to be pretty cooperative. He (or she) has taken up residence about ten feet from my door. Welcome to the neighborhood my friend…