My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
Prospect Ponds as a series of ponds encircled with trails and located along East Prospect Road. The City of Fort Collins maintains the ponds and trails. It is used by fishermen as the ponds have plenty of small bass, crappie and perch. The natural area is a haven for waterfowl, birds, mice, foxes and raccoons to see in the early mornings and late evenings. As I walked along the edge of one of these ponds on a cool fall morning I had my attention captured by these reeds and the early morning light. After setting up and taking a few images I was given something extra by nature as a fish rose to the surface to make this pleasant splash and ripples, adding more sparkles to the image. Yes, a morning splash with nature.
…to bring something important on a photo shoot? I have and here’s my story. When the alarm clock broke me from my sleep I reach for the snooze button. Man, is it dark. Wonder if that’s because the suns not up yet? Once the annoying sound has been silenced, I rub my eyes hoping it will help them adjust to the darkness. I start to see the dim light coming through my bedroom window from the street light. My mind asks if I really want to crawl out of this warm bed on a cold October morning in hopes of a beautiful sunrise. But, the voice of passion within a photographer coaxes the body to get out of the bed at this early hour!
I dress and pack my gear in the car. Brrr, it is cold. Let’s get that car heater going. There is very little traffic as everyone else with any sort of sanity is still in bed. Since I’m not driving very far and this is one of my favorite places, the Arapaho Bend Natural Area, I arrive in plenty of time. I find my parking spot in the small turnout along the dirt road, turn off the engine and step back out into the cold. I know I will have to walk down to the waters edge for the view I want and hopefully not get too wet from the tall grasses. I do love the quiet of these morning hours. Strangely, I’m not feeling the cold as much. Once I’m at the waters edge I set up my tripod and get ready to shoot. Wait a minute! No way! Yes, I did! I frantically look in this pocket of my bag and then in that pocket but it’s not there. Yep, I forgot to put my L-bracket on my camera and now I cannot place my camera on my tripod. S#@*!!!!
Frustrated and angry at myself, I sit down on the wet ground and stare at the horizon as the sun begins to rise. Look at the colors in those clouds! Their reflection in the water! This is awesome! My senses are waking up as I can hear the geese on the far side of the pond. I’m breathing slower and gently. The light breeze is gently lapping the water along the shoreline. I am realizing the calming beauty of nature is embracing my spirit. I’m enjoying all of this, the sights, the smells, the sounds and I’m not cold anymore. Once again,the voice inside of us that wants us to photograph speaks to me. It begs me to go ahead and shoot. “Why not? You’re here. Go ahead and hand hold that camera. Forget the tripod. Now is the time. So, pull up those knees, prop your elbows on top of the knees, take a breath and press the shutter. Lets’ see what you get.” So, I did.
Another lesson in learning to listen to the voice inside. And, that’s my story.
I noticed a few leaves are turning red and some are falling to the ground in preparation for the coming of Fall. Summer is almost gone so here’s one more flower image, taken last month at Inniswood Gardens. Have a wonderful weekend.
I began journaling about 18 years ago. Not sure how I got started. I was in a confused place in life and maybe thought it would help me through it. I have used it ever since although not on a daily basis. It has become a way for me to reduce the chatter in my head, get a better view of myself and where I’m at. Yesterday was one of those days where I needed to write. Before I knew it I was headed out the door and ended up at a local coffee house. As I walked in the door they served up my usual, a decaffeinated mocha. I found a table on the west side of the patio and sat down. I brought along David DuChemin‘s book, Within the Frame, read from it for awhile. But my primary purpose was to write down my thoughts and feelings in my moleskin. As words found their way onto the pages, confusion and serenity began to settle in. Before I knew it I was enjoying a beautiful sunset and I felt so much better.
With the above image, you are probably asking if I’ve lost my head. The answer is no but I have lost Kevin’s head.
Ever notice how some people dislike having a camera pointed in their direction while others are comfortable in front of a camera? Kevin, who is missing in the above photo, is a bit of both. He can ham it up in front of a camera like the image taken just before this one where he has a finger penetrating one nostril and his eyes crosssed. At other times he can dodge a 1/60 second shutter with ease.
Some people hate (a pretty strong word) to have their photo taken (also a pretty strong word.) When someone points a camera at them the image may not be a good one because they are turning away or placing a hand in front of their face. When I encounter someone like that I move on. How do you deal with those who do not like to have their photo taken?
Anyone seen Kevin? He was there a second ago. Yoh, Kevin!
I can’t let Paul have all the fun with black and white street shots. So here is one from New York City a few weeks ago. Of course this one was not taken with an M6. 🙁 I don’t remember where I found her but she had her own little place on the street.
The automobile is this country’s primary mode of transportation. A study made in February of 2008 shows the national average is 2.28 cars per household. To someone from a foreign country, especially one with limited numbers of automobiles, our traffic flow and amount of congestion, could really confuse them. How do we keep these automobiles all in line? We build massive highways and roads to get us from point A to point B. We post signs to control speed, direction, in hopes of controlling congestion. In this image we at least know this car is going the right way but I’m not so sure about the speed.
I thought this rose was so different in color. I also know that the colors of roses have certain meanings to them and I wondered what this color of a rose indicated? Here’s what I found. A red and yellow rose means : Jovial and Happy Feelings
On one of my day trips to Westerville, I discovered a small shop called SerenDipity. You can find a posting about my first visit and a photo of there front porch here. This time I ventured out on the patio and had it all to myself. I tried the Raspberry Cheesecake ice cream and will highly recommend it. Along the edge of the patio was a flower bed with these unique water sprinklers.
