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Photography
Nothing clears my head like being in nature, and when I’m out enjoying the glorious scenes that surround us on this amazing earth, my camera is always by my side. I can’t help wanting to capture the joy to share. Here are a few of my favorite photos for you to savor. Enjoy!
Denali Fog
Mount Denali is known for its fog. As a photographer, I have a love/hate relationship with fog. It is wonderfully moody, but often makes it hard to get the photo I want. To be upfront and honest, this is not Mount Denali, just another cool mountain in Alaska, beautiful, but smaller than Denali’s 20,310 feet. I was lucky enough, on another day, to be one of the 30 percent of Alaska visitors who actually do see Denali, but I only glimpsed it for a split second when the fog lifted briefly. Isn’t that often the way? What we long for, hope for, strive for, comes so briefly we must grasp it while it’s here. Joy sometimes comes in tiny bits, at unexpected times. We have to always be on the lookout for it and catch it whenever we can.
Picture Lake
What drew me to his place was the mountain scenery. Here in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in northern Washington state, there is a short window of opportunity to drive all the way up the mountain. When I first moved here, I made a habit of going up Mount Baker on the first day snow removal was completed. Often that is as late as August. At Mount baker’s 10,781 feet of elevation, the first snow may come as early as September. Summer may be short, but it really is quite spectacular.
On the day I was here, I was mesmerized by this spot, Picture Lake, at just 6,00 feet. The inviting bench just begged me to sit still, be quiet, and enjoy the reflection. Inevitably, the scene led to reflection of another sort. On the day I took this photo, I was nearing the (successful) end of my cancer battle. Inevitably, the peace and beauty of this scene led me to reflect on all I had come through, the physical strength I hadn’t known I had, the faith that was stronger than I knew. I was flooded with gratitude; for the day, for my health, for the future I now knew I would have.
On the day I was here, I was mesmerized by this spot, Picture Lake, at just 6,00 feet. The inviting bench just begged me to sit still, be quiet, and enjoy the reflection. Inevitably, the scene led to reflection of another sort. On the day I took this photo, I was nearing the (successful) end of my cancer battle. Inevitably, the peace and beauty of this scene led me to reflect on all I had come through, the physical strength I hadn’t known I had, the faith that was stronger than I knew. I was flooded with gratitude; for the day, for my health, for the future I now knew I would have.
Day's End
When I’m on a photo trip, I feel obligated to be out before sunrise, to capture that beauty while it lasts. But sunset is also beautiful, so I need to be outside then, too. Makes for a long day, but what joy! On this Oregon beach, this gorgeous sunset rewarded my perseverance. It reminded me of this song by Matt Redman:
"The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes."
Yes, each new day is a new dawn, another opportunity to be our best self, live our best life. and sing, if only in the shower!
"The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes."
Yes, each new day is a new dawn, another opportunity to be our best self, live our best life. and sing, if only in the shower!
Light After Dark
This was a very dark evening in St. Mark’s Square in Venice. The day had been rainy, as October in Venice can be, and the iconic 'aqua alta' had made getting around the city challenging. As dusk fell, the bright lights around the perimeter of the square were a delight to my photographer’s eye. How I loved the contrast between the bright lights and the darkness, soft and gentle, as the atmosphere in Venice always feels. Here, as in life, the dark makes the bright seem brighter, joys more powerful when they come after dark.
Also Pretty Big Sky
This is South Dakota. How I underestimated it. Driving from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, I was quite discouraged by the time it would take to drive across this big state, through the area known as the Badlands. What an off-putting name. Couldn’t they think of anything more inviting? South Dakota is the 17th largest state in the U.S, 370 miles from east to west. That would be exactly 10 times the east-west expanse of my home state of Rhode Island, 37 miles from east to west, and the smallest in the country. My attitude about South Dakota improved, however, as soon as I experienced its beauty. It is magnificent! Montana claims to be Big Sky Country, but the sky in South Dakota, with its spectacular scenery, seems pretty special to me as well.
Explore: Paintings
My camera is not the only tool I use to celebrate nature’s beauty. Back home, in my art studio, my paintbrush takes over. Click here to see some of my paintings, mostly abstract, but all inspired by the natural world.
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