Another image from the thousands I have taken at 44 Farms, near Cameron, Texas. The land has been in Bob McClaren’s family for over 100 years, and he has turned it into a first class Angus breeding and ranching facility. 44 Farms Beef is available to the public through their online store, and is served in many restaurants in Texas and even Louisiana.
This hill is not very far from the main buildings on the ranch, including their sales barn. It was late evening, and the sun raked across the hillside, illuminating not only the lone tree, but the rising moon in the eastern sky.
As opposed to the days of film, when you were only able to use one filter over the lens (like a #25 Wratten red filter to darken the sky), the great control we have in digital processing enabled me to affect the individual colors independently. Darkening the blue sky while lightening the greens and yellows of the grasses made for a wonderful contrast in the shades of grey. And the composition almost created itself in the viewfinder.
This image was selected by Juror Susan Burnstine to be included in the 2025 "Shades of Black & White" exhibition at The SE Center for Photography Virtual Gallery in Greenville, SC.
