Clear, cool water

Simplicity.

I am having a bit of a crisis in my photography right now.

I am woefully unhappy with the lack of quality in my photos. I want them to reflect this amazing world around me - the freshness and clarity that I see when I look into the sky, the sense of awe when I look at the mountains, the crispness when I look into the river or lake. There is so much - so many things to look at and feel - that I get lost in it all. And when I try to capture it all in my photography, it all gets drowned out. My photos come back dull and lifeless. And I am so sad about that.

Yet, when I look at many of your photos, and the photos of "the great photographers", I see the freshness, the authenticity that I want my photos to reflect. I am, once again, inspired and encouraged.

So, I am going to go back to the basics for a while. I think I need to really learn the basic elements of composition and exposure all over again. Please be patient as I focus on simplicity, color, form and light.

Sometimes, in our journeys, we have to retrace our steps to pick up something we have lost. That is where my direction is right now. After all, it isn't always the destination that defines, molds us and makes us what we are, but the process of our journey.

This is the Truckee River, taken just outside of Truckee. I took about 20 shots in "rapid fire" succession. I choose this photo because it exemplifies the clarity that I was looking for. My processing was limited to converting it to black and white.