My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
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!
To be human is to continually mistake our frames of reference for reality itself. We so readily forget that our vantage point is but a speck on the immense plane of possible perspectives. We so readily forget that there are infinitely many kinds of beautiful lives.
Maria Popova
Yesterday, I had lunch with someone who’s frame of reference of themselves is different from how others see them. They are frustrated and also hurt because others to not see them as they do. I’m also aware that people who have had the same experience in the past, such as a car accident, will remember it differently due to their frame of reference. The reality each of us experiences is definitely not the same. The same is true of the reality my eyes see and what my camera sensor can see.
As I watched the sunrise this morning I was fascinated with the dewdrops clinging atop each blade of grass glowing in the sunlight. When looking at the scene on my LCD or through my viewfinder I could barely see those dewdrops. This is because my Fujifilm X-T3 has a dynamic range of around 9-10 stops of light while the human eye can see up to 24 stops of light. However, I know the sensor is able to capture a bit more detail than the limited range of the viewfinder or LCD are showing me and know that my editing software will be able to increase the dynamic range, drawing some of the details out of the shadows. This allows us to see the glow of those dewdrops closer to what my eyes see. So, I press my shutter button with confidence. This reminds me how our frames of reference for reality differ.
Straight out of the camera
The second image is what the LCD showed me and the top image is what my software was able to pull out of the data captured by the sensor. If you click on each image you will get a larger view. And if you click on that image it will give you the full size image. You will also notice a couple of dust spots in the second image that were removed in the final image.
Cloud shelf along the eastern plains last Thursday provided me the opportunity to create a panorama image using four photos in Lightroom. A wide angle lens would be the better solution but this cheaper. Happy Monday!
haiku is not a poem, it is not literature; it is a hand beckoning, a door half-opened, a mirror wiped clean.
It is a way of returning to nature, to our moon nature, our cherry blossom nature, our falling leaf nature, in short, to our Buddha nature.
R. H. Blyth
I normally crop all my landscapes in 16 x 9 but this image is cropped in 16 x 10. It’s a subtle difference. So, fair warning as I may be on a new kick for awhile.
I’ve read where we should never place the subject in the middle of an image because placing the subjects off-center yields a stronger, more natural-looking composition and allows us to make creative use of negative space. Well I dodid will break that composition rule technique. I’ve also read that we should not should on ourselves, so I suppose I should stop that.
The top image is predawn light over Dixon Reservoir taken at 5:49 am and the second image was taken seven minutes later at 5:56 am about 40 feet from the first one. Again, showing us how nature continuously creates. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
“With words at your disposal, you can see more clearly. Finding the words is another step in learning to see.”
Robin Kimmerer
I believe that each pen, or any writing instrument, is a tool filled with words and that it is the task of the writer to find them. And, I define a writer as everyone! We just don’t know it yet. Just pick up the pen and put it to paper. I also believe words are found in blank journals and it is the writer’s task to find them. If you don’t believe me then get a journal and pen and begin to write daily. The words may be just for you but they are there.
This morning we had a light frost with the temperature around 30 degrees. By mid-morning the sun and bright blue sky had melted it away. It has been a quiet day for me. This afternoon I sat in my chair in the sunshine and let the sun warm me, inside and out. I watched the wind blow leaves across the yard, making that rustling sound as they danced in front of me. Now it is overcast and cooling down. My journals are my attempts to find words that describe such moments. and they also help me see such moments. It is a practice where progress not perfection is the task. I love what I see in this world so I use photography and my journals as ways to describe them. That’s my reason to journal and why I love my photography.
Morning light entering my bedroom, casting shadows across the wall. I see this almost daily and never tire of it.
I have a feeling That through the hole in reason’s ceiling, In Heaven you can perch, Without ever going to church!
Courtney Milne
I really did not know about Courtney Milne until this past week. I am impressed with his photography. I was also surprised to find he has published 12 books from the conventional to the abstract. One source I read says his photos are a celebration of the world’s “sacred places,” and a seemingly endless meditation on the beauty of the natural world. Sounds like my kind of photographer. Why didn’t someone tell me about his work? One of his best-selling books is Sacred Earth, which I just ordered a used copy of. Seeing his books makes me realize how little a collection I have of other photographers books.
As morning light came in through my living room window yesterday, the camera came out. Exposed for highlights and wah lah. It works for this photographer.
Thought I would mention the purchases I made this past year. One was the purchase of a nice pair of the Nikon Prostaff S3 8×42 binoculars. Just love them and I feel one the better purchases I made. I’m learning a lot about the birds in this area. Another was purchasing the Fujifilm XF 70-300mm lens. I have not owned a lens of this focal length for a long time. Loving it! So this year included several more bird photos than I normally would not have made. This image is one of my favoritest images of one of my favoritest songbirds, the Western Meadowlark, so I needed to post it again. And finally was the purchase of another Pelikan fountain pen the Marbled Petrol. I’m a sucker for fountain pens!
I have tried to post on a regular basis quality images and decent content. Sometimes I do well and other times I struggle but I put it out there. I’ve also continued to write haiku, even though I’ve slacked of the past few weeks. I also still venture to coffee shops to socialize, read and journal. Probably will do the same in 2022 also.
I am also extremely grateful for my family. I’ve watched wonderful growth in them as they mature into adults. They are growing up along with me. I am also grateful for the friends I have in my life. They have supported me when I needed to talk, work through my feelings and they have allowed me to do the same for them.
There is more. Maybe later. Have a great day and stay warm!
“The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some, it’s a Broadway spotlight; for others, a lamplit desk. Use your natural powers — of persistence, concentration, and insight — to do work you love and work that matters. Solve problems. make art, think deeply.”
Susan Cain
For any photographer to return home with an image that we feel is a keeper, we must place ourselves in the right spot, at the right time, to find the right light. Photography as well as a spiritual practice have been the work I needed to help me to live life, solve problems, make art and think deeply. I think Susan is spot on. It’s 23 degrees this morning with clear skies and wind. They are predicting rain and snow this evening in the high country and a slight possibility for the foothills and plains. Hope you use your natural powers!
