Haymes Images

© 2009 Tom Haymes

This image was taken the first evening we were in the Davis Mountains. The state park there has a road that goes to the top of a small hill that offers a dramatic view of the valley in which Fort Davis lies. What really struck me about this trip to the Davis Mountains was the amazing colors created by the dead winter grass throughout the area. Coupled with the evening light, this created a dramatic golden light that accentuated the blue of the desert sky. In this case I also used a polarizer to maximize the effect.

The wizened tree provided a perfect foreground for the valley and mountains in the background. When possible, it is often a good technique to create a “near-far” dynamic in a photo. This is sometimes difficult to achieve but in this case it worked out perfectly as the tree, which was a few feet in front of me, is backed by the mountains, which are 20 miles away. I find this image to be one of the most satisfying from the entire trip.