I’ve been playing with the often gimmicky technique of partial desaturation of images, looking for results that do more than just isolate one element of an image, trying to create a unique visual statement.  Here are a few early attempts.

This one, taken in the hills above Bisbee, Arizona, is an isolation of a single element, as mentioned above, but the inclusion of the sky makes it more interesting for me.

A very simple, almost abstract image was created by desaturating all the cool colors in this one.  I like the way the gold afternoon light is enhanced on the steel cable.

This is one of the earliest examples of what I am really trying to achieve.  I isolated the blue of the graffiti, but touches of it remain in other parts of the image, especially on the fabric below.

One of my most recent, and also a favorite, this shot, unlike the others, was taken with the specific intention of manipulating the color.  By using the narrow depth of field afforded by a macro lens, I was able to transform the small amount of color in this closeup of a saguaro into something more akin to a watercolor wash.

If you live in Tucson, I will be exhibiting images from this series at the Contreras Gallery, opening on March 7th.

As I have aged, I have grown more objective about human effect on the planet.  Sure, I subjectively detest waste, pollution, and destruction of the environment, and I am saddened by human-caused extinctions, but I believe the planet and “nature” will do just fine.  We are part of the system, after all.  We are likely to kill ourselves off long before we stop all the mechanisms of life.  All that said, I would like humans to survive, grow, evolve, and prosper, in ever greater harmony with our environment.  For those involved in the debate over what we are doing and its effects on our environment, this is an interesting and informative article.