Painterly Palouse
Last year I began a project of photographing the Palouse region from spring until autumn, documenting the changing landscape as the crops of wheat, rapeseed, and other plants sprouted, matured, and were harvested. I had planned to also explore the Palouse in winter, but health issues kept me confined to home. This spring I returned to Steptoe Butte to revisit some favorite spots, and I was pleased to discover some new compositions due to the changing rotation of crops. The photos in this set were all taken just after sunrise in early May. The weather was much milder than last year, so I was able to enjoy photography without having to contend with vicious wind and frigid temperature.
While processing the pictures, I was struck by how much some of them had the appearance of a pastel painting, and my processing decisions were largely based on how I would render the scene if I were painting it rather than photographing it.
The above two pictures seem almost like oil pastel paintings. In black and white, the texture of the landscape seems almost like a charcoal drawing:
For the above two pictures, I couldn't decide whether to compose the scene with the building at the top or the bottom, so I decided to photograph it both ways.
I hope you enjoyed these springtime impressions of the Palouse.
