Stratton Journals

A deep dive into a scene shot by California based photographer Casey Horner.

Casey Horner is a landscape photographer based out of California. The specific image I will be analyzing was taken on a stretch of highway in Nevada. This image has many possible design uses including: advertising, album covers and much more. I originally found this piece while searching for a landscape image on the website Unsplash. When I analyze this image I will be placing myself inside the scene using my five senses to describe my surroundings.

As I stand at the center of this image I can feel the heat from the afternoon sun blaring down on me, reflecting off the hot asphalt. The wind blows across my body as specks of dust fly across my face. I can hear the wind howling and the nearby desert-creatures scurrying throughout the brush. Off in the distance my eyes direct to where the highway ends, a mountain-scape that to me looks as if it will take hours to get to. The longer I walk on this path the further I feel I am. My lips are chapped from the dry and desolate environment. All I taste is dirt, emptiness and the occasional fly encroaching on my personal space. With no human in sight, a sense of peace rushes over me, knowing it is just me and the road. The path offers me a sense of security and protection from the wild unknown that ravages through the vast desert to each side of me. I see waves of heat clashing with road, I watch as the sweat falls off my skin. This image is not about the absence of a subject but rather the awareness of ones surroundings, from the sight of the mountains to the taste of the dust.