TR5121 is a photograph by T.M. Schultze taken 2015 at Trinidad, Colorado
I photographed the Trinidad sign at Simpson’s Rest while spending the December 2015 holidays with family in Trinidad, Colorado. During that visit, I made a daily climb to the bluff overlooking town. The walk is relatively short, with a slightly steep approach, and the reward is an expansive view directly above the city.
On this cold, cloudless day, the sign itself became the subject. Its large letters and slender supports stand against an uninterrupted sky, while the rocky foreground and distant landscape give the structure a sense of scale. I made both color and black-and-white versions, but preferred the stronger contrast and stark character of the monochrome image.
Simpson’s Rest offers views toward Fisher’s Peak and the surrounding country, with Lake Trinidad’s dam visible to the west. Here, though, I concentrated on the relationship between the sign and its exposed setting. Removing the color emphasizes the lettering, the framework beneath it, and the textures of the bluff—a somewhat haunting portrait of a familiar local landmark.
Read more about this visit in my Trinidad Sign Simpson’s Rest blog post.
Purchase a print of this photograph through Fine Art America.
