My plans for the weekend were to fly to California on Saturday for a surprise birthday party, before working the following week in Redlands. When I got to my airport gate, those plans were canceled with a positive Covid test from the host. I connected with my friend Mike, and the two of us made plans to hike on Sunday. We climbed Black Mountain, a peak on the slopes of the Mount San Jacinto massif. It was enjoyable walk, with a fire tower at the top providing views of the surrounding landscape. This photo of a twisted root (and bird house!) became my favorite image of the week.
Twisted Root on Black Mountain
Fujifilm X-T2, Fujinon XF 18-55 f/2.8-4 R LM OIS at 55 mm, f/6.4 at 1/125, ISO 200
Digital Darkroom. I leaned heavy into a high-contrast black-and-white concept here. I increased contrast, clarity, and dehaze. Also brightened shadows and blacks, and punched up highlights and whites. For masks, I added additional texture on the root. I wanted to deempahize the large boulder on the right, so I lowered exposure, highlights, whites, clarity, and dehaze. That put the focus squarely back on the root. I finished the image by adding a vignette and sharpening.
WIRR stands for Weekly Image Rich Ruh. This regular feature on Das Has von Ruh will show and describe my favorite photo created during this weekly period. My weeks start on Mondays, as does the WIRR. I’m hoping to include commentary on the story, the setting, the specs, or the sentiments, depending on the circumstances.
Das Haus von Ruh 