• Art/Design,  Photography,  still life

    Dreamcatcher

    “Cesar is not a philosophical man. His life has been one long flight from reflection. At least he is clever enough not to expose the poverty of his general ideas; he never permits the conversation to move toward philosophical principles. Men of his type so dread all deliberation that they glory in the practice of the instantaneous decision. They think they are saving themselves from irresolution; in reality they are sparing themselves the contemplation of all the consequences of their acts. Moreover, in this way they can rejoice in the illusion of never having made a mistake; for act follows so swiftly an act that it is impossible to reconstruct the past and say that an alternative decision would have been better. They can pretend that every act was forced on them under emergency and that every decision was mothered by necessity.”

    Thornton Wilder, The Ides of March

    We had rain and a dusting of snow overnight. The wind continues to blow, gusting at time up to 23 mph, and it is a cold 28 degrees. It is one of those days that staying inside is the wisest choice to make. So, I focused my camera on what is indoors, and found my dreamcatcher hanging on my bedroom wall. Hope you enjoy your Sunday. It is also Ides of March which is an ancient Roman calendar date marking the middle of the month and the first full moon, originally associated with festivals and the new year. Now you know!

  • bicycling,  Camera Equipment,  fence,  Photography,  street photography

    … stuff like this

    When I head out the door I usually carry my camera along with my journal, fountain pens and kindle. Seems I have spent a fortune on camera bags looking for the perfect fit. I have lately been using a nice Lowepro Photosport backpack. It has easy access to the camera via a zippered door on the side. I can easily slide it off one shoulder and pull the camera out. It also has a top loading compartment much like a rucksack to put the journal, pens and kindle in. My only complaint is the heaviness of the backpack but it is designed to protect the camera. However, when I have the camera hanging around my neck and my journal, pens and kindle in a small Topo backpack, I almost always take more images. We see photo opportunities all the time but when the camera is in my bag I am less likely to bring home that image. So, I’m carrying my camera around my neck again, even when riding the bicycle, and you may see more images of stuff like this. We have high wind warnings out today with gusts up to 30 mph. Bad hair day!

  • clouds,  landscape,  panorama,  quotes

    …not the way of Tao

    Kryger Reservoir

    To follow the path of Tao does not require extraordinary effort,
    Yet it is easy to be diverted from it.

    Governance and justice are purchased by a relative few,
    As the most powerful in society bathe themselves in disproportionate wealth.
    Poverty, famine, and war point to a corrupt and dishonest system
    maintained by corporate and government collusion.

    Wealth is funneled upward.

    This is known as legal theft.
    It is not the way of Tao.

    Tao Te Ching By Lao Tzu Rendered by: Julian von Bargen, John Braun, Jr., David Warkentin

    This is a 9 image panorama of Kryger Reservoir on the west side of Windsor. This open Space features a 1.5 mile trail that loops around Kyger Reservoir. It is a favorite fishing area for bald eagles. One is perched behind me on large cellular tower as i took these images. I hope you enjoyed your 4th of July.

  • Creativity,  Essays,  Photography,  writing/reading

    He Inspires Me

    I attended a wonderful program last night at CSU. A friend and fellow coffee shop regular, John Barnhardt, told his story of his 27 years as a cinematographer. He shared how he has wanted to make movies since he was about 9 years old. Through hard work and dedication he has/is achieving that dream, which includes winning an Emmy for some of his work. I was impressed with his openness and his vulnerability in telling his a story. I left inspired by his story, the journey he has taken, the challenges he has faced, developing his talents and gifts as a photographer and cinematographer, and how he inspires the students at CSU to believe in themselves and work towards their passions, finding their purpose, and offering their creativity to the world. I encourage you to check out his website.

  • nature,  Photography,  prints

    Canvas Prints

    Our friend, Earl, suggested in one of his comments on the posting of this image back on January 20th to maybe print and frame it. I rarely print my images. But after thinking about this I decided a canvas print would suffice for my needs. Plus, I have never made a canvas print of one of my images. So, I stepped out of my comfort zone and ordered this image and a second one on canvas.

    In September I posted this image taken at the Arapaho Bend Natural Area. I chose this as the second image because it is darker and carries a different mood so I could see the difference between the two. Both canvas prints were made by Fine Art America. These are my first ever canvas prints. If I ever make more canvas prints I would like more details in the shadows and highlights. Earl, also mentioned using a floating frame which I really like but the cost was a bit more. Maybe next time.

  • flowers,  Photography,  Plants,  quotes

    A question…

    Salsify

    Do you have what it takes to explore what your life might look like if you made the change, made the art, or made the difference your heart is calling you to make, in full view of the risks (which might be very real or only perceived but form a terrifying barrier nonetheless) over which you’ll have to climb to find out?

    David duChemin

    I believe answering this question by taking action is life changing. Have a wonderful week!

  • shadows,  Software

    Here we go again…

    Solar eclipse shadows outside my condo.

    Well here’s another theme made by the same developer, Optima, called Savona. It has a few of the things that I could not get to work on the Graceful theme. It very much looks like Graceful and my older theme. It is clean and uses more of the screen. It also defaults to a white background, which I want.

    My primary concern for this website is simplicity so I’ve decided to eliminate the featured image as it does not have the lightbox function. I do not see where that can be added except through code and I’m not going there. 

    The only way I can get an image on the blog post page is with full content instead of excerpt. When I choose an excerpt it displays 50 characters of the post but not an image. With full context on this allows the image to be on the blog post page and the full article to be read. This way my millions of readers can read my content without going to the continue reading link. This is true on both these themes. I have also enlarged the image just a bit.

    This theme also shows the number of comments on the blog post page, which Graceful did not show. Anyway, here is another theme and hoping you will see what I don’t and let me know. Hope you had a good Saturday.

  • blogging,  Photography,  Software

    Pushed the button

    Well I pushed the button yesterday afternoon for a new look to my website. It is much cleaner than my previous website and it also uses more of the screen. Seemed like the previous theme was narrow and left a lot of blank gray space. Please let me know what you think of it. And, please tell me what you find wrong with it. There are two different image sizes for posting. Not sure I like either one. Wish I had something in between and will keep looking into that. My next issue is with my galleries. Sure don’t care for what I had perviously. Enjoy your Sunday!

  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  panorama,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises,  Thomas Berry

    It’s Happening Now

    The greatest of human discoveries in the future will be the discovery of human intimacy with all those other modes of being that live with us on this planet, inspire our art and literature, reveal that numinous world whence all things come into being, and with which we exchange the very substance of life.

    Thomas Berry

    A host of thoughts can run through my head while standing before this pre-dawn scene as I worked at capturing the image. This image is a panorama of 7 images using Lightroom Classic. I wanted the whole cloud bank in the image and my 16mm lens wasn’t wide enough so I decided to try a panorama. It works on this blog but not for printing purposes. When I came home and saw this panoramic image on my monitor my thoughts shifted from the craft of the image to the scene itself. It’s easy to look at this open field, even to the distant horizon, and see it as something separate from me. I’m here, it’s there. But that’s just not true. There is a multitude of ecosystems comprising this image and the world. Maybe that’s what makes this scene so appealing and beautiful to me. Because as Berry suggests there are other modes of being: birds of all sorts, insects, animals, the plants and of course, humans. For me the future of discovery Berry is talking about is happening now.

  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  Photography,  Pineridge Natural Area,  sunrises

    Nostalgia

    Sunrise at Pineridge Natural Area

    nostalgia: a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

    I was cleaning out a drawer when I came across a set of graduated neutral density filters, a filter holder and adaptor ring. Not sure how long ago I used them. But, nostalgia took over and I took them with me to play with one morning. That was all it took for me to remember why they were in the drawer and not in my camera bag. They were awkward, brought on frustration and reminded me that I’m not a professional photographer selling wall size prints. I shoot because of my love for the craft, its creativity, the time it offers me in nature and its simplicity. The improvement in Lightroom masking has made it easier and better to bring forth the images I want for my enjoyment and this blog.  No need for graduated neutral density filters or the nostalgia.

    They had some major flooding east of here yesterday and we are expecting more rain today. Stay dry!