Four Peaceful Places . . .

In some earlier posts in these pages, way earlier, I mentioned I'm a fan of Eliot Porter's photography. Few photographers have inspired me like he has. While out tramping around in eastern France these past few days, trying to gain a better appreciation for some of the history of the First World War, a few shots taken could be said to be in homage to Eliot Porter.
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In the shadow of the American memorial monument at Montfaucon, a rose, thistles, and barbed wire still life . . .
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On top of Fort Douaumont, Verdun Battlefield, the ground is still pitted with shell holes, 90 years later . . .
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In the forest that now covers an area just across the Meuse River from Verdun known as Hill 304, yet another of the many intensely bloody battlefields of that conflict, nature and quiet seem to be gaining the upper hand . . .
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On the stone wall of a munitions depot in the forest near the Froideterre Fort, north of Verdun, leaves were going red . . . their roots eating into the mortar, one day those walls will fall . . .
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Homage to Eliot Porter. . .

Quite a ways below in these pages I did a couple of pieces in homage to Eliot Porter ; and continue in that vein here. Eliot Porter did an absolutely stunning photograph of a dead horse which he came across somewhere in Arizona, which you can see on this web site dedicated to his work. I was familiar with Porter's dead horse photo when I did these portraits of a deceased and deteriorating deer carcass on the beach at Elk Neck State Park, Maryland in the Spring of 1988 ; so these were intended from the outset as an homage to Porter.

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After Roses

Having mentioned Eliot Porter just a couple of posts back, as he did the cover photo for the copy of Desert Solitaire shown below (which I've been re-reading these days), here is another photograph I did just a few weeks back, in homage to Eliot, may he sleep peacefully...
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Homage to Eliot

Eliot Porter's photographs shine clear and true and never cease to fill me with wonder no matter how often I gaze into their depths of color. His powerful purity of purpose in pristine appreciation of natural beauty was nothing short of astonishing. Type his name into Google, there are sites that show some of his work. Better, track down his books, they are worth the investment.

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Now I know I don't measure up to your little toe, Eliot, but wherever you may be resting now, please accept this humble homage from a devout admirer... I took this photo the other day thinking of you. Autumn is a beautiful time of year, bringing out warm rich colors from the sea of summer green; before it all fades to the cold heart of winter.