Jack Dykinga is a prominent photographer whose pictures of mountains, forests, and prairies continue to fascinate many people. His rich palette and ability to depict space is very difficult to recreate, but they produce a powerful impression on viewers. To examine his style, one can take a look at two of his photograph of Petrified Forest National Park and Sand Tank Mountains.
Overall, I can say that Jack Dykinga has been able to portray the beauty of nature in Arizona. Moreover, his techniques should be considered by professional photographers who are interested in landscape. There are several aspects of these photographs that I would like to discuss, namely the interplay of light and shadow and structured space. These are the issues should be examined.
There are several qualities of these photographs that make them almost unforgettable. One of them is structured space. For instance, one can look at his picture of Petrified Forest National Park (Picture 1). There is horizontal divide that separates shaded and illuminated parts of the mountain.
Overall, I say that such a moment is very difficult to capture and it is a skill of a great photographer. It is worth noting that this picture was taken at sunset and but the Moon is still visible. Moreover, this picture has a very rich palette.
The viewer can see how grey color of the mountain is transformed into fiery orange and this image is unforgettable. In my opinion, this effect is difficult to produce because one has to occupy a certain position and use a certain type of camera. Overall, these qualities distinguish Jack Dykinga among others.
Additionally, one can look at the way in which Jack Dykinga photographs Sand Tank Mountains (Picture 2). There is one detail that attracts the attention of the viewer, in particular one can mention the contrast between bright and dull colors.
Overall, the photographs of Jack Dykinga enjoy considerable popularity among people who like the landscapes of Arizona. It should be noted that Jack Dykinga is one of those photographers who has made the images of Arizona nature popular among many people (Browden, 1994).
On the whole, the works of this photographer are of great interest to me. While working on this project, I attempted to recreate some of the techniques used by Jack Dykinga. For example, I attempted to emulate his palette in which there is a divide between dark and bright colors.
In my opinion, this effect is very difficult to achieve because a photographer should choose a certain angle and moment when one can see an interplay of light and shadow.
This task is quite challenging. Furthermore, one has to choose the best moment at which one can capture the game of light and shadow. Certainly, I will try to develop my own style of photography. However, I do like Dykinga’s perception of nature and his ability to highlight the beauty of landscape.
The pictures discussed in the paper show that that a photographer is not a mere observer of people or physical environment. This individual should be able to see how colors, shapes, and space can interact. Only in this way, one can create unique and unforgettable images. This is the main lesson that I learned from the works of Jack Dykinga.
Reference List
Browden, C. (1994). Frog Mountain Blues. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.