Shadows

I noticed these shadows and I knew it meant it was sunny.

-- David Hockney, Artist        

By Donna Poulton

My earliest memory of shadows is from a time when I was three or four-years-old lying on my grandmother’s couch for an afternoon nap. I would watch the shadows of the Aspen leaves skipping and playing across the living room walls.  Even at that age I appreciated the ambiguity;  they were small good-natured shadows, but they were shadows.

Cañón shadows—Navaho, Credit: Edward S. Curtis, Library of Congress

Into the shadow—Clayoquot,  Credit: Edward S. Curtis, Library of Congress

Shadows, Crow Agency, Montana c. 1905, Credit: Library of Congress

Ranch in Montana, Credit: Library of Congress

Texas, Shadow of Oil Derrick on Sand Hills, Credit: Library of Congress

There are infinite shadings of light and shadows and colors... it's an extraordinarily subtle language. Figuring out how to speak that language is a lifetime job. 

-- Conrad Hall, Cinematographer         

Fence at Four Corners, Credit: Wenzday01

Cedar Shadows on Snow Covered Slopes, Credit: Library of Congress

Lookout Tower, Montana Credit: mattspinner

Shadow of the Cross, Credit: Bryan Davidson

Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you. 

-- Walt Whitman          

Visual Patterns in the West - We're Seeing Double

 By Donna Poulton

Cedar City, Utah: Credit: My-West.com. ©

Once you start to look for patterns in your environment you’ll see them everywhere: pencils in a cup on the desk, books slanting on a shelf, glasses lined up in the cupboard. Don’t think about it too much, though—it could drive you crazy.  In the sparse regions of the West, even larger patterns emerge in the landscape. Repetition can be subtle or glaringly obvious. 

We've driven around the west for many years. For a long time we just took pictures of things that seemed to be interesting in and of themselves - an old grand stand, wagon wheels, windmills, fences to block drifting snow and horses standing in line against the wind.  Alone these images seemed like a slice of life in the west, but taken together, all the varied patterns began to appear. Here are some images we thought you'd like. 

If you have a photo you’re proud of, send it to info@mywest.com.  We’d love to add it to the line up.

Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Credit: My-West.com. ©

Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Credit: My-West.com. ©

Near Lander, Wyoming. Credit: My-West.com. ©

Near Panguitch, Utah. Credit: My-West.com. ©

Near Red Lodge, Montana. Credit: My-West.com ©

Near Livingston, Montana. Credit: My-West.com. ©

Cedar City, Utah: Credit: My-West.com. ©

Near Dillon, Montana. Credit: Christopher Owen ©

Salt Lake City, Utah. Credit: Christopher Owen ©

Kanab, Utah. Credit. My-West.com ©

Silver Star, Montana. My-West.com ©

Dillon, Montana. My-West.com ©