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Desert Scenes

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 01:16 PM

Dry lake bed on left of highway as you approach BOLA.

Barrel cactus in boulder field.

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 01:17 PM

Near Catavina.

Agave and cirios in winter

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 01:18 PM

Adam tree

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 01:20 PM

On the way to San Francisquito

Arroyo in the evening

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 01:22 PM

Elephant tree viewed from above

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 01:23 PM

Agave field south of El Rosario

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 01:26 PM

The only digital image. All others were from color slides.

Al G - 11-7-2007 at 01:30 PM

Great work Joe...an education for me...thanks

Natalie Ann - 11-7-2007 at 02:33 PM

What beautiful desert scenes, Igor. I especially like that first one - the dry lake bed has amazing color and texture. I also very much like the agave and cirios. Very different photos... both appealing in color and texture.
Actually, they're all interesting shots. Thanks for sharing them.

Nena

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Natalie Ann
What beautiful desert scenes, Igor. I especially like that first one - the dry lake bed has amazing color and texture. I also very much like the agave and cirios. Very different photos... both appealing in color and texture.
Actually, they're all interesting shots. Thanks for sharing them.

Nena

Yes, I like the first one too. I should call it "a whole lot of nothing".

There was a thread recently, by Dennis I think: "What do you like most about baja". My answer should have been: "Nothing".

The earth in parts of baja has that rich red color. I never grow tired of it.

I remember camping at this spot some time ago. The coyotes came at night and howled right outside the van. The following morning their tracks were all around the camper. I made a batch of oatmeal and ate with the door open, listening to the wind blowing through the silence.

Paulina - 11-7-2007 at 03:43 PM

Great photos. I can't pick which one is my fav. Maybe number 2, no wait, number 3...I like them all. They're making me homesick!

P<*)))><

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 03:50 PM

Thanks, Paulina. I didn't think these type of images were your cup of tea. I always figured you to prefer ones of people and events.

Paula - 11-7-2007 at 03:57 PM

Beautiful pictures! Where were you standing when you took the picture of the elephant tree?

DENNIS - 11-7-2007 at 04:05 PM

I like the Elephant Tree as well. It's a stand-alone beautiful graphic. A surreal abstraction if I may blend the techniques. Blow it up huge and hang it on your wall.

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Paula
Beautiful pictures! Where were you standing when you took the picture of the elephant tree?

On top of one those big boulders. I was younger back then and more willing. :lol:

I have always liked that image but it doesn't come across real well on the computer screen. Perhaps it's that when you project it on to a home screen and sit fairly close to it the limbs just seem to spread away from you in all directions. I'm also more attracted to form over color. I can be real happy with an image that has very little color. Very nonlatino in that respect.

Paulina - 11-7-2007 at 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Thanks, Paulina. I didn't think these type of images were your cup of tea. I always figured you to prefer ones of people and events.

I try to take photos like these, but they never turn out as pretty as they looked in my mind's eye. I loved that one you did of the dead cow in the desert.

P<*)))><

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
I like the Elephant Tree as well. It's a stand-alone beautiful graphic. A surreal abstraction if I may blend the techniques. Blow it up huge and hang it on your wall.

Amazing! I just finished writing to Paula only to discover that you said the same thing. It's very reassuring to read your take on it.

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Paulina
I try to take photos like these, but they never turn out as pretty as they looked in my mind's eye. I loved that one you did of the dead cow in the desert.

P<*)))><

Thanks, Paulina. I guess I feel like a squeezed another compliment from you.

The dead cow picture was this summer. And so is the last one in the above list.

To be honest with you I like my old stuff more than the new. The new ones lack the imagination, or something. But what I really suspect is that it's due to traveling with kids. I suspect that the good ideas take more time and devotion. I mean I get lucky sometimes and see it but to get an image like the first one takes a bit of time moping around and looking. Maybe artists see and react quickly but it takes a lot of time for me.

><

))*>I

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 04:50 PM

Quote:

quote]Originally posted by Paulina
I try to take photos like these, but they never turn out as pretty as they looked in my mind's eye.

That happens a lot to me also. Especially during the film era. You get it developed and rush home to look. Place it in the slide projector and:

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I remember an image of a closeup of a bush I got all worked up about. It was just lines going in all directions. It seemed so special through the viewfinder. But later on you couldn't tell what it was. You couldn't even tell what I was getting at.

... But I still love it.

DENNIS - 11-7-2007 at 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe

I remember an image of a closeup of a bush I got all worked up about. It was just lines going in all directions. It seemed so special through the viewfinder. But later on you couldn't tell what it was. You couldn't even tell what I was getting at.

... But I still love it.

Patterns, orderly or chaotic, are appealing for a lot of reasons. An attraction to one type or other might explain whst's going on within you at the time.
Then, on the other hand....... Who knows why?

Skipjack Joe - 11-7-2007 at 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
Patterns, orderly or chaotic, are appealing for a lot of reasons. An attraction to one type or other might explain whst's going on within you at the time.

Yes, I've said that many times myself.

bajajudy - 11-7-2007 at 05:52 PM

Excellent!
Thanks for sharing. We sure have a lot of pix on the board lately. I love to see others' take on Baja. You have a very discriminating eye.
cheers!

Hey Joe:

vgabndo - 11-7-2007 at 05:54 PM

Was that beautiful dry lake big enough for me to do this at highway speed in any direction depending on the wind until I got real thirsty and wanted shade and a cold one???

I'm lookin' for spots.

NICE PHOTOS...

IMG_9240.JPG - 35kB

bajadock - 11-7-2007 at 06:04 PM

Nice desert shots, Joe and all. Just discussed my previous disdain for color red until I moved to Colorado 30 years ago. The desert is full of unique beauty. Nomad is full of good photographers.

Paula - 11-7-2007 at 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
quote]Originally posted by Paulina
I try to take photos like these, but they never turn out as pretty as they looked in my mind's eye.

I have this problem too. I'm really not skilled with a camera, but I do take some good snapshots. I use a point and shoot digital. It helps to be able to do a lot of shots, and maybe one works well, but often none of them come out. I think I had more success with my klunky old Olympus than with my wonderfully tiny Cannon. But Don's little Pentax is far better than either, and maybe I'll start using it now that he has upgraded. I'm hard on cameras, though I've never damaged one, in that I often keep it unprotected in my pocet while on the boat or hiking. The day I jump off the boat with it in that pocket I guess I'll have to give up on photography entirely.

bajadogs - 11-7-2007 at 10:37 PM

Hey Skipjack Joe,
I really enjoyed your photos. You've inspired me... and soon I'll be heading south with a new wide angle/macro lens hoping to compete with you. I especially like photo #1.
Thanks!

Mexitron - 11-8-2007 at 08:10 AM

Thanks for the nice jab of Baja Zen--especially the first pic--really nice! Do you mind if I use that photo as a basis for a painting?

Paula - 11-8-2007 at 08:53 AM

Mexitron,
Is your avitar a painting? I always assumed it is a photo. Whichever it is it's very pretty!

Skipjack Joe - 11-8-2007 at 10:25 AM

Sheees, Mexitron, what can I say. I'm flattered. Sure. Feel free to paint it. Now I wish I had made a greater effort.

Paula, that switch from SLR to point-and-click has been difficult for all of us (bajajudy and myself). I think it's that dinky viewfinder they provide that makes it so hard to see through the camera. Furthermore, I think the manufacturers are doing it on purpose to protect their SLR market. Most point-and-clicks don't even have a viewfinder. I don't know what those people are doing.

Mexitron - 11-8-2007 at 11:44 AM

Paula--The avitar's a photo but I did paint it as well. Thanks Skipjack!

Mexitron - 11-8-2007 at 11:56 AM

Here it is Paula:

DianaT - 11-8-2007 at 01:49 PM

Great Thread---Igor, your pictures are always worth the wait while this dial-up loads them.

I think I like the wide open space one the best, but I also love wide open spaces. I sometimes think I am one of the few who really loved driving across the praries of South and North Dakota---the wonderful wide open spaces.

I must say, however, that for some reason, for wide open spaces, my favorite is still the dead cow---everyone has different favorites.

Mexitron, I drooled all over the picture of your painting---you are obviously a very talented artist. I will look forward to seeing your painting of Igor's image.

Diane

Skipjack Joe - 11-8-2007 at 02:04 PM

Yes, I agree, that painting is awesome. And I'm not just saying that to return a compliment.

Is there a website where I can see more of your work?

That painting captures my favorite time of day in baja. We've all seen it and we all know what you're after. I was just thinking after posting my stuff that baja is a great subject for photography. But the most powerful images seem to be those landscapes in the evening rays with the warm saturated colors and long black shadows.

Mexitron - 11-8-2007 at 03:51 PM

I'm getting around to putting up a website...

Diane--those wide open spaces--yes! Fort Worth is on the southern end of the Midwest Prairie and its breathtaking to get just outside of town and see the expanse--you get a sense of just how big this world is.

Paula - 11-8-2007 at 08:04 PM

Mexitron,
The painting is beautiful, and I'm looking forward to seeing that website that is coming!

Diane,
I agree with you on the Dakotas! Add eastern Montana to my favorite expanses of nothingness. I am continually amazed by what there is to see where so many people see nothing.

Sunset at Rancho Santa Inez

Halboo - 11-9-2007 at 11:58 AM

Skipjack Joe - 11-9-2007 at 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Paula
Diane,
I agree with you on the Dakotas! Add eastern Montana to my favorite expanses of nothingness. I am continually amazed by what there is to see where so many people see nothing.

I would like to add my 2 cents on this subject but the only thing that comes to mind is a scene from "How the West was Won".

In it, the Jane Fonda character lowers her neckline to an admirer revealing her cleavage and says:

"Here out west we do have our wide open spaces."

But it didn't seem appropriate to do that. So I won't.

Bob H - 11-9-2007 at 01:42 PM

Fantastic shots Skipjack. I love the agave plants too. Here's one I took a couple of years ago... near El Rosario.
Bob H

Natalie Ann - 11-9-2007 at 02:39 PM

I like your shot of the agave, Bob - especially the imprint of the new leaves which will grow to separate from the larger whole one.

nena

DianaT - 11-9-2007 at 03:15 PM

Quote:

Love the way you say that. :yes:

Igor, I loved that movie, but for some strange reason, I don't remember that line. :rolleyes:

Never get tired of seeing what other people see in Baja through their cameras. So much Baja, and so many different ways to see it.

Diane

Mexitron - 11-9-2007 at 03:58 PM

More desert...

Skipjack Joe - 11-9-2007 at 04:34 PM

Diane, you're right. I can't find a record that she even played in that film. I guess my prepubescent memory was in overdrive, or something.

Speaking of wide open spaces. This one is of the backside of Tres Viregens:

Mexitron - 11-9-2007 at 09:26 PM

Yah Skipjack--nice! Take me home!!!

DianaT - 11-10-2007 at 04:44 PM

Mexitron,

I see another painting in that last picture Igor posted----

Diane

BigWooo - 11-11-2007 at 06:56 AM

I don't know how I missed this thread. Those are awesome photos. Worthy of bumping to the top one more time.

Mexitron - 11-22-2007 at 04:08 PM

Here's the Skipjack photo of the dry lake bed painted:

Natalie Ann - 11-22-2007 at 04:40 PM

Oh that's nice, Mexictron - lovely!

nena

Skipjack Joe - 11-22-2007 at 05:14 PM

Excellent, Mexitron. Better than the original. How big is the canvas? How long does it take to paint someething like that?

I'm going to look at this a bit longer and try to see how you interpreted the image.

It certainly captures the spirit of the place. Better than the original. The wide format is superior.

Wish I could paint like that. Cleary shows the freedom and control you have over that of a camera.

Thanks for posting this. I need more time ....

Mexitron - 11-22-2007 at 07:47 PM

Skipjack--I looked at the original, and while for a photograph the sense of depth worked I wasn't sure whether that would translate into a painting; I remembered I had a 4x2 canvas though and it occured to me the photo would work if I skewed it into a shallower depth of field. I kept it sort of abstract by not showing all the plants and pebbles, just a few of them...more like a dream you would have of the place rather than the realistic image. You can thank the Texas weather--Tuesday it was a balmy 84 degs and today it was snowing! Got me inside to paint.

Paula - 11-22-2007 at 10:01 PM

Skipjack and Mexitron,

I can see where you two could do a collaborative gallery show-- Mexitron's paintings of Skipjack's photographs. I hope it shows at a gallery near my house!

Skipjack Joe - 11-23-2007 at 11:21 AM

Mexitron,

I would like to recommend a seascape for you to paint that fits your style very well. Perhaps you have already done that. The few photos I took came out looking somewhat like your paintings.

It's the evening view of the BOLA islas from the outlook of the highway going into town.

The islands rise out of the sea in a dream like manner that seems to be too beautiful to be real. They are far less interesting during the day, black objects on blinding white water.

But in the evening the water colors start to appear and change with the falling light becoming a deeper and deeper blue. The islands become a flame orange as the light reflects their surface. All of it is offset by the distant Isla La Guardia which is more diffused and gentler in nature.

It's a real show to behold. And there is more than one painting to paint. The changes are so great that if you turn away for five minutes you feel as though you are seeing something totally different.

If you have painted this already we all would love to see it. I am sure of that.

DianaT - 11-23-2007 at 12:36 PM

Mexitron, just beautiful---

Would love to be able to paint and really admire those who have your talent.

Diane

Mexitron - 11-23-2007 at 01:40 PM

Natalie, Paula, and Diane--thank-you so much for your kind comments!
Skipjack--BOLA is an awesome place to paint and photograph--actually my wife and I are trying to get down there for an extended visit fairly soon to do some paintings. If we don't get down there though I'll be knocking on your door about those photos you have! Here's a little one of Smith Island from a few years ago: