Tag: palo verde

palo verde double ex

finnLeave a comment
colorado desert, california | 9.23.25

Double exposures can be interesting to experiment with. I’m not talking about the conventional kind that clutters Google photos – the ones of a face in profile with a tree growing out of the forehead or a cityscape blowing out of the top of the head. It’s easy to get gimmicky with it.

I’m talking about a basically straightforward shot with a hint of double ex. Used with restraint it can add another dimension to a photo. And there are more than three dimensions in the desert.

dead palo verde

finn2 Comments
colorado desert, california | 8.15.25

I have to be honest with myself. Color bores me, at least my color does. Sure it can look nice, but still…

Color can show what things look like out here in the desert, which is fine, but it doesn’t dig in to what it feels like. When I’m out in the desert as the sun starts to climb it feels like someone jabbed a sharp stick in my eye and then punched me in the gut. I can feel the roar of the sun as it climbs higher in the sky. That’s the feeling I try to get across, and I can at least hint at it with black and white. Color softens the blow too much.

Color can be a good change pace now and then. It’s fine for some things, and I’ll use it once in a while, but when it comes to evoking the true and fierce heart of the desert it simply doesn’t cut it for me.