An online journal sharing my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Where light and shadow fall on your subject – that is the essence of expression and art through photography.
Scott Bourne
Shadows always pull my attention to a specific point in an image. Shadows primarily hide features that may be better left unseen or slightly hidden. They for sure add a hint of drama, emotion, or mystery to an image. A bright sunny morning was perfect for providing these shadows on my front porch.
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
Maya Angelou
Personally some defeats in my life knocked me down and I stayed down: defeated. Yet for some defeats I was able to get back up, try again, and more often than I want to admit, sometimes failed again. I remember when I labeled my defeats as who I was, a failure, and in many areas of my life. But, over time we do begin to grow up and with the help of others I’ve since learned I am not my failures. Each of those defeats has been a lesson in life when I pay attention and vitally needed for my growth. Maya knows what she’s talking about. Have a super Awesome Sunday!
Joe had a post last week where he talks about accepting the gift of images rather than taking them or capturing them. I believe that’s true and evident in my photography. And then this morning I was reflecting on how I call myself a photographer as if it’s something I became through self will, practice, training, study, vision. While all of those are needed, maybe I need to see it as another gift where “I’m being given the opportunity to be a photographer.” 😍
Each of us is an artist of our days; the greater the integrity and awareness, the more original and creative our time will become.
John O’Donohue
Thought I would share a few reasons I enjoy spending more time in nature, whether that’s dreaming of living in an RV or taking a short drive to one of the natural areas near me. Some of these I’ve written about before so I apologize if I’m repeating myself.
Connection: My experiences in nature have always brought a deeper feeling of connection with nature. Connection with nature is a pleasurable experience for me. Sometimes I wonder if we are drawn closer to nature as we age, with some unconscious knowing we are nearing our time of returning to the earth. Finding a greater separation from the busyness of the city brings a deeper connection with nature. The connection includes not just observing through sound, smell, touch and sight but I also talk to creation. I used to see that as weird but seems so natural to me at this stage of life.
Solitude: Solitude is a vital part of my spiritual life. As an introvert the solitude helps recharge my batteries. I like my condo and consider it a place of solitude, a sanctuary, but there are those times I must move away from the comforts it brings and the external noises around me.
Silence: I find a deeper silence by driving to some place in the country where there is less man-made noise, allowing for the sounds of nature to dominate and heal. Once I passed the 60 year mark I needed fewer days listening to traffic, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, refrigerator, furnace, and trash trucks.
Journaling: Journaling is also a part of my spiritual life and a daily exercise. What few times I’ve missed journaling was due to hospital vacations or where words could not be heard from within. I also find the writing on this blog to be fun and enjoyable. I was a horrible English student as a youth and disliked reading and writing. Now both reading and writing make up a majority of day. Never thought I would enjoy reading poetry but find I do, even venturing into attempts at writing in a poetic form.
Photography: Photography is a real interest or goal for time in nature. I have loved nature photography since I was a teenager with my first twin lens reflex camera. Over time, photography has help develop what some call the eye of the heart, so that I see nature from a new place. A much larger world for me to experience.
Discovery: There is a world to discover beyond the small world many of us spend most of our time living in. For many years I chose my world that consisted of a cubicle with a paycheck. There are new horizons of discovery and adventure yet to be seen and fully experienced. Time in nature helps me stay alive as a fulltime student.
And, what are yours, if you care to share?
May we be the artists of our days! 😎❤️
I mentioned a while back that I was working on a project. Well over a year and a half ago I began creating a Blurb book within Lightroom. My focus was on horizons because I have come to see the attraction and draw they have with me. My initial intent was to make a book for my children with a select few of my images and with my own words. After almost a year of labor and feeling like I was done, I read what I’d written and heard a familiar voice inside telling it was sh*t and I was a fool for trying such a project. So I set it aside and stopped working on it. Do you ever hear that voice and listen to the lie?
When the pandemic hit and lockdown arrived I found myself looking at what I’d written and my perspective was in a very different place. After three months I began to rewrite and my writing began to transform into what I’ve come to know as a poetic journal style of writing. A new energy began and words I’d not written before appeared. I made several revisions, deleted some writings and images while adding new writings and images. My wonderful neighbor, Kristin who teaches creative writing and poetry at CSU, did three proofreadings for me.
I am not promoting this for you to buy because print on demand is expensive. I’m doing it to toot my horn. This is something I’d never imagined I would or could do and an uncomfortable risk. Please click on the image for a preview of the book, for free. Let me know what you think. Thanks!
I mentioned a while back that I was working on a project. Well over a year and a half ago I began creating a Blurb book within Lightroom. My focus was on horizons because I have come to see the attraction and draw they have with me. My initial intent was to make a book for my children with a select few of my images and with my own words. After almost a year of labor and feeling like I was done, I read what I’d written and heard a familiar voice inside telling it was sh*t and I was a fool for trying such a project. So I set it aside and stopped working on it. Do you ever hear that voice and listen to the lie?
When the pandemic hit and lockdown arrived I found myself looking at what I’d written and my perspective was in a very different place. After three months I began to rewrite and my writing began to transform into what I’ve come to know as a poetic journal style of writing. A new energy began and words I’d not written before appeared. I made several revisions, deleted some writings and images while adding new writings and images. My wonderful neighbor, Kristin who teaches creative writing and poetry at CSU, did three proofreadings for me.
I am not promoting this for you to buy because print on demand is expensive. I’m doing it to toot my horn. This is something I’d never imagined I would or could do and an uncomfortable risk. Please click on the image for a preview of the book, for free. Let me know what you think. Thanks!
“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.
