long empty highway headed across the desert landscape and into the distance

The Calm Before The Storm

The calm before the storm is the title of this photo of a long empty highway headed across the desert landscape and into the distance. Overhead storm clouds begin to move in. The scene is peaceful and bucolic, but the clouds portend of turmoil to come. Beautiful warm afternoon light bathes across the land rendering the sparse vegetation in rich detail and the road beckons with promises of of an easy journey on a silken smooth road. And yet the storm approaches belying the perhaps too easy sense of calm. Soon the road will be washed in drenching torrents of rain and the sky will crackle with electricity as the lightning builds its charge. The trip before us may well turn out to be one of challenge and adversity after all.

A Long Road And Threatening Skies

The long road a ribbon of asphalt beneath the threatening skies, is a promise of the future and of better times to come. The tarmac rolls out over the hills and disappears only to reappear further along before it dives out of site a final time hiding the destination and all that the travels will bring. The air is filled with anticipation as the clouds drift silently in our direction blanketing the light as they as come dragging a blanket of darkness behind.

Roads, Storm Clouds, And The Calm As Symbol And Business Metaphor

The elements of this picture, the road, the impending storm, the sense of pre-storm calm, all lend to the powerful symbolic meanings and metaphor for life and for business that this image provides. A picture of the calm before the storm adds visual impact and cross-cultural recognition to advertisements and editorial offerings that broach topics of preparation and readiness, of vision and vigilance that is necessary for success in our digital age of near instant access to information and equally rapid deterioration of the best laid plans. This picture of an approaching storm is a metaphor for market place turmoil, the road ahead, the future, and adversity and challenge as well as promise and opportunity. This is also a great background photograph. The road offers connection and hope while the sky speaks of disruption and difficulty.