Icons are icons for a reason. They contain heightened levels of intangible photogenic qualities.
And as a photographer, icons are challenging because so many great photographers have already shot them. When I photograph an icon, I want to find my own unique angle, and that’s usually not easy.
We all know Forest Gump Hill, where Tom Hanks expressed his exhaustion and desire to go home. It’s long been a favorite for landscape photographers, but these days everyone and their mother stops there to take photos in the middle of the road.
I sure did that, but then I wanted to do something I hadn’t seen before. And I’d never seen anyone use the bur-sage as a foreground subject.
However, it’s not just about finding a new foreground subject, it’s about finding something new to say, a new message to send. I think this image imparts a metaphor seldom touched upon here.
With the road flowing out of the scrub, the asphalt appears as a narrow, eventually-disappearing strip supporting a little speck of a car, while the bur-sage appears oversized, standing tall over the highway.
You see, our little manmade structures will eventually fall to ruin if left unattended for long. The life of the desert, however, is resilient. The burrobush and the yucca and the junipers will carry on while someday the elements will shred the blacktop to pieces and rust the car into disintegration.
So while I love a good road shot as much as the next person, the power and importance of mother nature is a far more poignant message to me. A message that comes from my heart. And a message that our society needs.
Sorry to get so heavy on a Friday, but here we are. Take care, my friends.
-Jake
Sign up to get the Daily Dose of the Southwest delivered directly to your email inbox every weekday.
Awsome photo, and agree with your narrative completely!