Partly cloudy weather yesterday between storm systems gave an opportunity to photograph early winter landscapes in the Snake River canyon of eastern Washington State. Shooting was quick in late afternoon as thick clouds moved in from the west to mask the sun just as it lowered to the canyon rim.  In shooting the river and basalts it is always a bit tricky to find a position that balances the basalt layering, water reflection, and clouds while still giving the viewer a comfortable place in the foreground.  In the view below, I like how layers of high cirrus clouds parallel the basalt layers and reflections, and the empty patch of blue sky mimics the shape of the water element.  Using a wide angle lens, the dominant leafless shrub is made to be about the same size as the basalt edifice, a means of balancing the composition. The leading lines of the grass shoreline, water and basalt layers draw attention to the shrub, which identifies with the viewer and lends its emotion of stalwart persistence and patience.