My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
My sister and I arrived back in Colorado last night. I was home and in bed by about 11:00 pm. It was a wonderful time with my family. Good and plenty of food, laughter, and memories were shared.
This Santa has a unique story to him. We all worked on this Santa wood carving so we now have a tradition where he gets passed along with one of us for the year. Each Thanksgiving we pass him along to the next one for the coming year. So, Santa came home with me this year.
Yes, I’ve been playing around with Lightroom on some images from the past, adjusting colors and any other slider I can find. I’ve been asking myself, “Well what does this one do?” and then see what happens. When it’s an ooops, I type command Z to get back to where I was and try the next one. I feel a bit like a kid.
“As I have practiced it, photography produces pleasure by simplicity, I see something special and show it to the camera. A picture is produced. The moment is held until someone sees it. Then it is theirs. Photography, alone of the arts, seems perfected to serve the desire humans have for a moment — this very moment — to stay.” Sam Abell
“The ancient art of alchemy shows a way: Pay attention to your deep and complex interior life, become more sensitive about your relationships, consider your past thoughtfully, and use your imagination at its full power. Work from the ground up toward finding the work that will make your life worthwhile.”―
I’m sitting in a local coffee shop. The sun has just risen. It is cold but we have clear skies and sunshine. Sort of what you’d expect at this time of the year. We are transitioning from fall to winter. Earlier, on my way over here, the northeastern sky was alive with pink clouds, indicating the chance of snow this evening and into tomorrow. I’ve just described the exterior world around me but what about my interior life that Thomas Moore speaks about in his quote? At this moment there is a peace and serenity, primarily due to my investment in a spiritual practice. I sit in quiet each morning to let go of the chatter in my mind. I’ve learned to take in deep breaths. Throughout the day I pause to check in on my state of awareness and presence. It is just one way I pay attention to the deep and complex interior life. May you enjoy this day!
“A great photograph is a distillation, a reduction of the chaos of our wider experience to a visually satisfying essence where what is excluded is as important as what is included.” David Ward
I have no clue as to why I took this image almost 10 years ago. It’s lost in time. It could have been my creative voice within or my attempt to duplicate an image I’ve seen before or the mystery it evokes or all the above. Today it makes no difference because I see this image taken almost 10 years ago with my eyes of the present moment. And, how it will speak to me in 10 years from now can only be know then.
So, what do I see now after 10 years? This image popped out to me immediately. I find this image to be very minimal as much of what could be seen is hidden within mystery. It has soft visuals line leading me into that mystery. There is someone standing on the dam seemingly lost in their thoughts, gazing into the mystery and yet there is a serene and peaceful feel to all of this. What it evokes is an awareness of how I feel much more comfort in living with mystery than I did 10 years ago. Enough rambling. Now what are your thoughts?
“I beg you, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”
While living in the Westerville, Ohio area I was exposed to nature areas that were so different from my home state of Colorado. I was enthralled with all the green, the insects , the soft diffused light and the amount of rain. I was not used to all the rain and for sure had to adjust to the overcast skies. I cans still in my memory recall the distinct fragrance these forested areas offered, telling me how alive they were.
At the time I was traveling 3-4 days then home for 3-4 days. These extended days off gave me the opportunity to explore the Metro Parks in around the Westerville area. I found two parks within about 10 minutes of my apartment so I ventured into those worlds on regular basis. One was Inniswood Gardens and the other was Blendon Woods. And, the days I was traveling were opportunities to explore new cities, peoples, cultures and almost unlimited photo opportunities. It was during this time I feel I began to grow emotionally and spiritually which in turn allowed my view of the world to grow. And, this emotional and spiritual growth was the seed to the growth of my photography.
“Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art.”
This past couple of days I have been digging through my archives looking for some image that may spark some creativity within me. I happened to pick the year 2010. This is the first one and taken east of Westerville, Ohio in February. I looks like I started taking images early in the day around my apartment and then ventured outside in the fog and snow. Fog is not as prevalent out here in Colorado as it was in Ohio, so my archive images of fog are pretty much all from this area. I brought out more details in the trees with Lightroom that gives it a different feel for me. I have more from this time period that all are more on the creative and artistic side. Our snow storm was short and sweet but has left us with a few days of cold to deal with. Enjoy your weekend.