Beauty

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Everyone's view of beauty is subjective, and there is no general standard of beauty. What one person finds ugly, another finds beautiful, and vice versa.

There are countless beautiful moments that a camera cannot capture. The number, arrangement, and transitions between elements in a scene must be harmonious. And that harmony is uncommon.

I’ll often walk past a glorious sight that won’t work as a photograph. For example, the Grand Canyon is magnificent. Most of my photos from there are just a boring, large, unattractive dark hole with rocks around it.

Sometimes, ugly is beautiful to the photographer. If I told you my Friday Photo was going to feature mud, how many of you would bother to look?

Mud Cracks

Mud cracks begin when wet, muddy, clay-like sediments dry up and contract. The top layer shrinks while the material below stays the same size. Cracks develop between the layers to ease the strain.

Isolated cracks spread and join up, forming a polygonal, interconnected network of forms called "tessellations." If the strain continues, the polygons can curl upwards, even creating mud chips.

In the desert, rain can saturate areas of clay-like sediments, leading to eye-catching fields of cracks. Finding the right pattern, usually a leading line, can create compelling foregrounds that start the viewer on a visual journey through the image.

The Shot

We spent one of our January mornings in Saudi Arabia on a dry lakebed. The seasonal rain formed a lake that evaporated, leaving behind several square miles of photogenic mud cracks

The trick was finding an interesting subject to pair with a compelling mud crack pattern. The sandstone arch certainly qualified as a wonderful subject. In the pre-dawn, a few clouds were drifting in from west to east, creating another potential set of leading lines to the arch from above.

After twenty minutes of test shots, this spot seemed to hold the most potential. I set up my camera on a tripod and waited about ten minutes for the clouds to drift into position.

When it all seemed to come together, I pressed the shutter. After that, I simply enjoyed being there at such a beautiful moment. After that, I struck out for another location that looked promising.

I’m off next week to chase storms in the Great Plains. The next Friday Photo will hopefully be May 1.

Thanks for looking,

Chuck Derus Zenfolio | Chuck Derus