• clouds,  John O'Donohue,  landscape,  quotes

    A New Beginning

    June 8, 2022

    When love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like the dawn breaking within you. Where before there was anonymity, now there is intimacy; where before there was fear, now there is courage; where before in your life there was awkwardness, now there is a rhythm of grace and gracefulness; where before you used to be jagged, now you are elegant and in rhythm with your self. When love awakens in your life, it is like a rebirth, a new beginning.

    John O’Donohue

    I love clouds! Some cloud formations will stop me in my tracks and I gawk at them. It’s a wonder I’ve not had a car accident. I took the above image while heading north out of town. Once I saw them I had to pull over and grab my camera. Did I mention I love clouds?

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  • clouds,  John O'Donohue,  landscape,  Plants,  quotes,  silence,  trees

    Landscape

    June 7, 2022

    When you cease to fear your solitude, a new creativity awakens in you. Your forgotten or neglected inner wealth begins to reveal itself. You come home to yourself and learn to rest within. Thoughts are our inner senses. Infused with silence and solitude, they bring out the mystery of the inner landscape.

    John O’Donohue

    I consider myself a landscape photographer because I enjoy moments of solitude whether I’m in nature or not. That inner landscape has been an interest for many years now. I enjoy spending time in nature or the inner landscape and what I’m discovering in those two landscapes.

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  • Black and White,  John O'Donohue,  quotes

    … the lantern

    April 16, 2022

    One of the most exciting and energizing forms of thought is the question. I always think that the question is like a lantern. It illuminates new landscapes and new areas as it moves. Therefore, the question always assumes that there are many different dimensions to a thought that you are either blind to or that are not available to you. One of the reasons that we wonder is because we are limited, and that limitation is one of the great gateways of wonder.

    John O’Donohue

    If asking a question does offer a new landscape, then altering how I ask that question, even slightly, offers a new landscape in thought. This is a wonderful metaphor for landscape photographers. When I move 10 feet this way, or lower my perspective, I change how the camera sees the landscape. It’s good to always be asking questions.

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  • John O'Donohue,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Understanding

    December 9, 2021
    Sunrise on Weld County Rd. 15

    “Love allows understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood, you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person’s soul.”

    John O’Donohue

    When I first read this quote my mind pictured myself in relationship with another person. But, after reading it several times I believe that it also can be in the relationship we have with ourselves. It seems to me when we have a healthy love for ourselves we also will have a better understanding of ourselves. Actually all of creation. ❤️

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  • clouds,  horizons,  John O'Donohue,  landscape,  quotes,  writing/reading

    A Prayer

    July 30, 2021

    “May I have the courage today
    To live the life that I would love,
    To postpone my dream no longer
    But do at last what I came here for
    And waste my heart on fear no more.”

    John O’Donohue

    This image was taken back in May. There is something about this tree that keeps me coming back to visit. Wonder if it’s the solitude this tree lives plus the courage to live the life it’s called to live. I also wonder how many of us have failed to live the life we would love.

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  • grass,  John O'Donohue,  natural areas,  Plants,  quotes,  Reservoir Ridge Natural Area

    Sunlit Grass

    July 22, 2021
    Another image from that older Fujifilm X-T10 camera

    “No one else has access to the world you carry around within yourself; you are its custodian and entrance. No one else can see the world the way you see it. No one else can feel your life the way you feel it. Thus it is impossible to ever compare two people because each stands on such different ground. When you compare yourself to others, you are inviting envy into your consciousness; it can be a dangerous and destructive guest.”

    John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
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  • Avian,  Fujifilm X-T3,  Fujifilm XF70-300mm f4.0-5.6,  John O'Donohue,  quotes

    A Mode of Silence

    May 21, 2021
    Western Kingbird

    “The innocence and silence of the animal world has a huge subtlety to it that is anything but dumb, but rather notices everything and is present in everything. Animals carry a huge ministry of witness to the silence of time and to the depth of nature. They are like the landscape in a sense: they live too in a mode of silence.”

    John O’Donohue

    I believe this to be a Western Kingbird. I am not that familiar with them but they are a beautiful bird. I encountered this one along Weld County Road 15 in an open prairie area. This is a major crop and looks fairly decent.

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  • Art,  Art/Design,  Creativity,  John O'Donohue,  lifestyles,  quotes

    Standing on Different Ground

    March 22, 2021

    “No one else has access to the world you carry around within yourself; you are its custodian and entrance. No one else can see the world the way you see it. No one else can feel your life the way you feel it. Thus it is impossible to ever compare two people because each stands on such different ground. When you compare yourself to others, you are inviting envy into your consciousness; it can be a dangerous and destructive guest.”

    John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
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  • John O'Donohue,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Morning’s Light

    February 16, 2021

    Light is the greatest unnoticed force of transfiguration in the world: it literally alters everything it touches and through colour dresses nature to delight, befriend, inspire and shelter us.

    John O’Donohue

    Another cold morning (-3 degrees) but braved the temperatures to watch and photograph the morning’s first light. Hope everyone stays warm and dry.

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  • Black and White,  Camera Equipment,  fountain pens,  Fujifilm X-T3,  John O'Donohue,  Photography,  quotes,  writing/reading

    Giving Thanks

    February 10, 2021

    A gracious mind has compassion and sensitive understanding. It is without greed; rather than concentrating on what is absent or missing, it is able to celebrate and give thanks for what is present.

    John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace

    It’s 10 degrees outside. Drove to the natural area for the quiet and to journal. Did not stay long, though. Grateful to be warm and inside. Overcast sky and a few snowflakes have been sited. It has that cold wintery feel. And, it’s going to be cold for the next 4 days or so, very cold. I have coffee, chocolate, peanut butter, a new book of poetry (Devotions by Mary Oliver) and plenty of fountain pen ink. I’m good and giving thanks. Stay warm.

    The above image was shot with the Fujifilm Acros film simulation. The Fujifilm website describes Acros as: a recently introduced black & white mode that’s richer in clarity and sharpness, and was inspired by our NEOPAN 100 ACROS film, which was known for its fine grain, rich gradation, and outstanding sharpness. Like the MONOCHROME mode, it’s also available in yellow, red, and green versions, but ACROS also has an embedded graininess that matches the film emulsion original. I like it.

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