I’d walked farther than I thought so it was taking me longer to get back to the car than I expected. Looking at my watch, I had about 15 minutes before they closed the gate to the refuge. But, just as I climbed up the slope to the car I saw the moon just starting to rise above the lake. There was no way I could let this opportunity pass. So, within five minutes I took a few images of the moonrise, while a doe stood off to my left and a raccoon scurried along the waters edge and I made it before they closed the gate.
“My goal as a person and, consequently, as a photographer, is to witness, participate in, and hopefully share the delicate beauty of wilderness – those moments in time when nature and spirit transcend the make-believe world of politics, economics, religious squabbles, fleeting fashion, mass “entertainment,” and other means of wasting the precious gift of thought and inspiration we are each endowed with.” – Guy Tal
I just observed a young boy, maybe 6 years old, walk into this coffee shop with his eyes glued to a smart phone or game boy? He never looked up. Unfortunately, he had been sucked into that small box with its dings, dongs, chimes, bells and whistles, blasting away to kill as many opponents as quickly as his nimble fingers could move. It was obvious he was no longer “witnessing or participating” in the world around him. His mother sat passively beside him with no attempt or chance of a conversation and I’m not sure she even wanted any of that. I wondered what that conversation would be like. Could he even have a conversation with her? Does he have, or will he ever have, the precious gift of thought and inspiration? Just watch our children, and unfortunately many adults, as they walk through life looking down at their handheld devices. Addicted?
Anyway, I wanted to share the above quote from Guy Tal. His words so resonate with my heart and soul in this misguided world. If you have a chance to visit his website and blog, I highly recommend it. He’s a very good photographer and very much in touch with the world around him. I enjoy his little quips called, “Just saying.”
