Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : Pareidolia

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Pausing for the Moment, Where the Adventure Leads

Tumbleweeds, Zebra Lizards and a Tunnel to Nowhere!

Sometimes do you just have urge to get out and see where the journey takes you? This was my feeling after so many days of 100°+ temperatures, smoke from all the wildfires and then a percussive 4.4 earthquake that almost blew me off my office chair. After packing lunch, water and camera gear, I ventured out to find a road less traveled.

In less than one hour, I came to the tunnel in the desert that goes to nowhere. This seemed to be where I was supposed to go, so I stopped and prepared to take a hike.

Some interesting patterns in the dried mud caught my attention at the tunnel's entrance, reminding me of what a severe drought we were still facing.

There was not even much variety in the flora and fauna on this hot September day other than a zebra-tailed lizard scurrying by to find shade in the rocks.

The tumbleweeds were doing well, flowering and soon to be going to seed. This invasive species, as flammable as lighter fluid, is taking over the hillsides of the Great Basin Desert.

A refreshing coolness greeted me inside the thick tunnel walls, making me want to linger before pressing back out into the intense high noon sun. The absence of spider webs reminded me of how desolate this area was. Careful footing was a must or you just might become something's dinner.

Exiting the tunnel, the fluttering of wings caught me by surprise and I managed to catch one frame of a hawk departing the rock outcropping.

From the layers of white droppings, these rocks were a favorite nesting area for raptors. It would be interesting to check back here in spring with my 500mm lens, in hope of photographing the chicks. The long lens will allow me to focus up close on the nests without disturbing the birds. My creed as a nature photographer is to take only photos and leave with only memories.

As much as my mind was feasting on the Pareidolia in the dropping on the surface of the rocks, the heat index was climbing so it was time to turn back.

I am hoping to return when its cooler and I can get past the tumbleweeds to further explore more of this interesting outcropping of rocks. Maybe then I will find the purpose to a tunnel that leads to nowhere in the desert.

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences.

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"

Many of these images are available on my website:

http://www.bonnierannald.com/

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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Nature's Artistry with Rocks

Familiar Shapes in Rocks

Rock formations and clouds share a common bond because interesting shapes and images are often found in them.

Perceiving images in objects like rocks and clouds is a psychological phenomenon termed Pareidolia. Many of the master artists including Leonardo da Vinci were aware of pareidolia and used the imagery for artistic expression.

One thing we do have plenty of in the Southwestern Desert is rocks, which most of the time are more numerous than clouds.

Some of my favorite rocks that are great examples pareidolia are as follows:

Natural Bridge in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah stands out against the snow and the Ponderosa forest and is actually an 85 foot (25.908 m) arch. The rusty-orange flying buttresses of Natural Bridge were formed over millions of years by wind, water, and chemical erosion.

Bell Rock in Sedona, Arizona has a distinctive shape and is one of the favorite tourist attractions. Standing at 4,919 feet (1499 m), Bell Rock is actually a butte, composed of horizontally bedded sedimentary rock.

The red and white sandstone of Calico Hills accents the desert landscape in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (RRCNCA) with peaks that extend up 4870 feet (1484 m). Towering in the distance behind Calico Hills at 6324 feet (1928 m) is the famous Turtlehead Peak which is the only limestone formation in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

The Chief, wearing a full headdress watches out from a volcanic cliff at the entrance to Wilson Canyon, Nevada. The two mile long (3.2 km) Wilson Canyon gorge was cut by the Walker River many years ago.

An elephant rock sits atop what was once the lakebed of Walker Lake. During the last Ice Age, the prehistoric Lake Lahontan covered much of northwestern Nevada, as the climate dried, the lake receded, leaving behind unusual tufa based outcroppings.

A colorful outcropping of sandstone resembles an eagle at Buffington Pockets which is an area of unusual rock formations and canyons near the Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada.

In most of the areas where these unique rock formations are located, traces of early humans can be found who left their stories carved in the desert varnish on the faces of these ancient boulders. Over the millennia, many different cultures have lived and hunted through these canyons and along the streams.

Today as I walk on the trails, I feel these ancient spirits that still dwell within the rocks. As I look closely I catch a glimpse of the former inhabitants through the pareidolia that stand out in the rocks. Maybe that is why I feel so drawn to spend countless hours just gazing at rocks. And when the gentle breeze touches my face at dusk, I know that they are there watching over their sacred home.