About the Image(s)

Background: The Yellow Mountains are a photographic paradise where you can spend days exploring. The weather changes constantly, offering opportunities to capture images that convey very different moods. The West Sea Canyon (main image) is one of the most fascinating places, with a loop trail that leads to several viewpoints. Few people visit these spots since the path is not for everyone. The loop reveals a dramatic landscape of sheer granite cliffs and rugged peaks, with dense clusters of ancient pine trees clinging to the rock faces.I took this image on our second day in the mountains. When we woke up, we were surrounded by dense fog, which slowly lifted, leaving behind a mist that created the perfect background for a black-and-white landscape. We walked 8 miles that day up and down on the paved paths but with steep stairs. Both this picture and the secondary one (the Back Mountain) were taken directly in black and white. I wanted to create a series of images inspired by the traditional ink paintings of this region. These works are part of a ritual that begins with preparing the ink on a stone, followed by pre-visualizing the scenery, and finally painting on rice paper. Both these pictures have been accepted for a local exhibition at the Floyd Art Center.

Technical details: images were taken with Fujifilm GFX 100S II medium format camera. The principal was taken with the GF 20-35 mm f/4 lens at 20 mm, the secondary with the GF 45-100 mm f/4 lens at 70 mm. Both images were taken with the camera hand held. I took both images in camera in black and white with an electronic red filter. Other technical details. Principal image (West Sea Canyon) 1/25s, f/13, ISO 80. Secondary (the Back Mountain) 1/80/s, f/11, ISO 80.

Post processing: just cropped to my standard format 2:3 and then applied some basic adjustments with burning and dodging some specific area, increasing contrast and clarity and opening the shadows.