I love to take photos which are very, very simple - usually highlighting only one subject at a time. Below are some examples taken from my "Favorites 2016" (the first three), and my "Favorites 2017" (the final photo).

The photo on the right was taken during a visit to the Eastern Sierra Nevada in California in October 2016. I was partaking in a photo workshop along with 9 others, all of us led by a professional photographer by the name of Michael Frye. I stayed a few more days after the workshop and explored the area by myself. On my way to visiting a place called Bodie Historic Park I came across this beautiful Autumn scene of Aspen trees glowing in the late afternoon sun. Notice the simplicity. What makes the photo attractive is the single subject matter portrayed against a uniform background - in this case rolling hill scrubs. The background is interesting in its own right, but primarily serves to draw our eyes to the trees. The diagonal shadows help to add interest too.

  The photo on the left is also characterized by simplicity. There are only three basic elements in the photo: the moon, the lighthouse, and the water/sky. This photo was taken late one evening at Kenosha Marina in SE Wisconsin in May 2016. The simplicity is helped by the fact that the sky and water are almost the same color and texture and tend to blend into one another at the horizon thereby allowing the two main elements of interest, the moon and lighthouse, to become prominent. All the colors are muted which, again, helps the key elements to stand out.

The photo of the lone swamp cypress tree in Lake Atchefelaya in Louisiana was taken on another photo workshop in 2016. I love swamps and I love fog - here we have both! Once more, simplicity is gained by having the primary subject on its own against a background that is pretty uniform. The photo was taken in early morning and the sun had not yet risen. A close look at the photo will bring out the subtle mood of the time and location as well as the inherent beauty in the tree and its elegant shape. (Curves in nature are wonderful!) The smooth water, flatness of the lake, fog, and isolated tree all contribute to a strong sense of peace, tranquility, and solitude - lovely!

The photo of the spider on its web, taken during a trip out to Washington State not far from Seattle, illustrates again the power and beauty possible gained through simplicity. I used a flash to illumine the spider, and cast its background very dark. Just enough of the web is lit up to provide a context for the insect. Again, the uniform, uncluttered background serves to isolate the point of interest.

All these photos are part of the "Favorites" Gallery as indicated at the beginning of this blog. If you look carefully through those galleries you'll be surprised how often I take these sorts of photos - single subject against a uniform backdrop - because I love the simplicity of the resulting image.