~Vigilant Sentinel~

~Sonora Desert Arizona~

I guess that this saguaro cactus is about a hundred years old.
Which makes it not very old, about a young middle age.
The arms begin to appear at about seventy-five years of age.
The hole in its side is the nest of an elf owl, at least for now.
But the nest was probably created by a Gila woodpecker.
In all likelihood it has been inhabited by many birds species.
Whoever gets first claim to it in the mating season moves in.
This particular saguaro stands alone, not another one in sight.

I thought I would do a monochrome image of this saguaro.
The color version just didn't say what needed to be said.
I think the b/w photograph emphasizes its singularity more.
In this rendering, the saguaro looks more alone and isolated.

As most of you know, I am woefully addicted to the color image.
Working in monochrome helps me in all of my photographic work.
There is a structure in a single tone that can be missing in a color one.
When imaging in color it's easy for me to miss crucial aesthetic details.
This helps me to see the composition and shape relations more clearly.
Hopefully, this way of seeing will translate back to the color image.



Thanks for coming by!