#NoFilter

When I started posting pictures to Instagram I was thrown into the new world of hashtags. # I'm old school, so to me the symbol mostly was something call "pound" on your telephone. 

I quickly learned that hashtags could help your pictures gain visibility and help those with an interest in your type of photography to find your pictures among the millions posted. 

This gave me an opportunity to pause and think about what my photos really meant to me. I live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, visited by millions of people each year. How I saw this place represented in photographs was in technicolor brilliance, highly processed, with lots of gloss and shine, but that wasn't what I saw.

I saw the beautiful Verde Valley and Sedona region with no filters. I saw the greens that build during the summer monsoons. I saw the Verde River in it's spring green and summer muddy brown. I saw the red rocks of Sedona as they are, with no need to enhancement. I saw the amazing sunrises and sunsets, which sometime sets in the east, all with no need for a boost. And I saw the quirky little places that make our small towns so special.

So each time I post an image, or print a card, I hold onto my #nofilter pedigree. I crop and process my photos as little as possible. I want you to see what I see, to join me on my morning walk, or my kayak ride down the Verde. I want you to gasp at the beauty and find comfort in the simple beauty of my world.

Thanks,

Laura