Blodgett Canyon -- Bitterroot Mountains, Montana

This was done in Blodgett Canyon in the Bitterroot Mountains around midday on a hot summer day years ago, a great time of day to be out photographing.

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Clark's Nutcracker

Back in the mid-80′s I spent a few summers living in the woods up the East Fork of the Bitterroot. All I had to do was grab some lunch, bring it outside, and this bum would show up.

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Near the town of Melrose here in Montana, there stand a few remnants of charcoal kilns from the early days of mining in the Butte area. The kilns were active in the late 1800′s, and were used to burn cordwood into charcoal which was then shipped to Anaconda where it was used to fuel the copper smelters. They look like a row of giant brick beehives.

I was poking around there some years back, and after taking the obligatory shots of the kilns and their surroundings, I got the sudden urge to see what one looked like inside. I crawled inside (after checking for snakes) and found it was pretty much nothing but dark, with a little light coming in from holes where bricks had fallen out.

There was one such hole quite high up on one side that framed a bit of the sky and clouds which to me was visually interesting. This is what it looked like to me.

It’s kind of a peculiar shot I guess, but hey, I’ve always liked it.

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High Noon -- Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness

I like bending rules, going against conventional wisdom. There’s something deeply satisfying about going right ahead and doing what many say you should avoid doing. Especially in photography.

There is one rule I take particular delight in thumbing my nose at. It’s not strictly a rule, but it’s a piece of advice that’s thrown around enough that it’s pretty damn close. It’s that one that says shoot early or late in the day, and avoid the midday sun. I’ve heard it a million times. So have you.

Granted, the early morning and late afternoon/evening light can be beautiful, and I certainly suggest taking advantage of it. But so can the midday sun. It’s a strong, powerful, and direct light, and can provide dramatic and powerful images if used well. The shot on this post was made in late June or early July, can’t remember exactly, at high noon. That’s about as directly overhead as the sun can possibly be. It’s still one of my favorites, though I’ve lost the negative over the years and only have one small print to work with.

My point here? Hell yeah, by all means shoot early and late in the day. But don’t be afraid of the midday sun either. It won’t break your camera. If you use it to it’s best advantage, you just might come up with some dramatic and arresting shots. Give it a go.

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