On a walk after a day of rock climbing, I found a grand view of this lazy, winding river from the rim of a fantastic basalt canyon. The water was low, and I could see how it had worn away at the volcanic rock, taming and smoothing it, leaving a soft white trace of minerals to mark its work.
The river rocks looked to me like slowly melting ice cubes, and I photographed it that way. There were cold white clouds in the evening sky, adding a delicious cool cast to the shady valley. I filled the frame with the melting rocks, letting the river slide smoothly through the corners of the frame. The end result reminds me of a creek bed full of ice, breaking up under the chilly spring sun.
Coloured Rocks, River, Dry Grass: Smith Rocks, OR, 2005
I have created two interpretations of this scene. The Colour Photograph is a match to the original slide, while the Black and White Photograph is a second interpretation in monochrome.