So right at the beginning of the year I ended up having a nasty accident skiing and a shattered collarbone, 3 broken ribs, and a broken elbow later, I was out of commission. I haven't had a chance to really shoot since then, but I got the all clear to take my pack out so the first chance I got I drove up Mount Lemmon (to escape the heat) and took a short test hike/photo trip. Here are a few from the day:
#1: These trees are a favorite subject of mine:
#2: and this tree was a really tempting target too, especially with the view behind it
#3: another framing of the tree, but with more of the view (and in IR)
#4: I also really like this tree. Here I framed it with the remnants of another tree that didn't survive the fires that swept through this area a few years back
It's great to be back to shooting! As always, CC are greatly appreciated.
Sorry about the accident - I know the feeling. When I tore my ACL a few years ago I missed a year of skiing (first in 50+ years!). I got a Sony A7rV + 200-600mm and took up birding (which I still dabble in).
Nice shots here. #1 is a cool abstract, the long exposure adds to that. The first IR is my favorite though. Glad you are back out there - have a great summer
guidostow wrote:
Nice set Dave! Great you are back out there!
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Jim Dockery wrote:
Sorry about the accident - I know the feeling. When I tore my ACL a few years ago I missed a year of skiing (first in 50+ years!). I got a Sony A7rV + 200-600mm and took up birding (which I still dabble in).
Nice shots here. #1 is a cool abstract, the long exposure adds to that. The first IR is my favorite though. Glad you are back out there - have a great summer
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adventure_photo wrote:
Great set Dave and sorry about the skiing accident. Glad you're back at it though! Those infrared shots are striking!
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Malka_1 wrote:
So sorry to hear about your accident, glad your are back - your images are a treat for the eye. Especially the last one, very other-worldly.
Thanks! I appreciate the comments and the encouragement. A life lesson to share: night skiing is a questionable activity.
manzico_lost wrote:
snip... A life lesson to share: night skiing is a questionable activity.
Dave
As we get older, understanding the right balance between few wonderful but high risk experiences and many (years of) really nice but moderate risk activities gets more important...
Jul 01, 2026 at 06:59 PM
Mark Metternich Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
Gosh man, so sorry for the terribly hard challenges! I so relate! Empathy coming from me! I have been though a tsunami of such over the last few years and aside from lots of prayer, I have learned to not think "why me?" But instead "what do I do next?" instead (got that from a Jocko podcast). Sometimes it's a daily challenge, sometimes an hourly one. Stay positive no-matter what!
Those B+W's are incredible!
guidostow wrote:
As we get older, understanding the right balance between few wonderful but high risk experiences and many (years of) really nice but moderate risk activities gets more important...
So true! When young we have all the time in the world to heal with less responsibility. At least myself as I have got older I realize that everyone suffers when we do, and thinking about the effects on everyone. Hopefully we get more wise, kind and understanding of others suffering around us...
It turns out there was one shot that I remember thinking would be good when I took it, but then I wasn't so sure after I reviewed the photos at home. I decided to process it anyway, and now that I have, I think it might actually be my favorite from that day after all:
Mark Metternich wrote:
Gosh man, so sorry for the terribly hard challenges! I so relate! Empathy coming from me! I have been though a tsunami of such over the last few years and aside from lots of prayer, I have learned to not think "why me?" But instead "what do I do next?" instead (got that from a Jocko podcast). Sometimes it's a daily challenge, sometimes an hourly one. Stay positive no-matter what!
Those B+W's are incredible!
So true! When young we have all the time in the world to heal with less responsibility. At least myself as I have got older I realize that everyone suffers when we do, and thinking about the effects on everyone. Hopefully we get more wise, kind and understanding of others suffering around us...
manzico_lost wrote:
It turns out there was one shot that I remember thinking would be good when I took it, but then I wasn't so sure after I reviewed the photos at home. I decided to process it anyway, and now that I have, I think it might actually be my favorite from that day after all:
I just had to come back to these and looked at them again by the way. I just absolutely have always loved more surreal approaches to photographing. And these hit the mark! They are the kinds of photos a person could get lost looking into.
These something that really interests me about the first one: Those out of focus plants at the bottom of the frame almost look like more clouds, with the effect that the tall structures are simply in the sky. It works for me.
Ross Martin wrote:
Dave, glad you are healing and were able to get back out there with your camera! I like your work here and that newest one with moon is fantastic 😎
Thanks so much! It 's so funny because that was one where, in the moment I thought "maybe this will be great... or it'll just be blah", and I just rattled off the shot quickly. It was only later, after I had processed the other shots and realized that the contrast of the ferns and trees in and out of sunlight was working so well that there might really be something there.
jaggedhorizon wrote:
So sorry to hear about your skiing accident... as a passionate skier I really feel for you.
But what a great return to photography!
Thanks, I appreciate that (both the compassion and the complement).
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Mark Metternich wrote:
I just had to come back to these and looked at them again by the way. I just absolutely have always loved more surreal approaches to photographing. And these hit the mark! They are the kinds of photos a person could get lost looking into.
You are very kind. Thanks for the wonderful complement.
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gdanmitchell wrote:
These something that really interests me about the first one: Those out of focus plants at the bottom of the frame almost look like more clouds, with the effect that the tall structures are simply in the sky. It works for me.
I appreciate that you say that because that's exactly what I was going for. I had to force a long exposure and wait for the wind to really move the ferns at the bottom to get that blur. I wanted it to mirror, somewhat, the blur of the clouds in the sky.
