Nature’s Mirror

It should be a reminder to us all, reflections that is. Yesterday as I gazed across Marsh Creek at the puffy clouds wafting high above, I couldn’t help but see their reflection in the water below. Each cloud was easily identifiable just like the greenery across the lake. It looked just like what was above, but somehow different. The water gave the view distortion from a gentle breeze that was imperceptible from the shore. It made me think about how and why I saw the world like I do. How many non perceptible forces create the lives we live? Feelings of loss or fear could cause ripples in all we perceive. Thoughts of elation or love can make the planet look different. How much of ourselves do we project onto our world? I took yesterday as a reminder that my reality could be far different from what I perceive it to be.

Nikon D800 Sigma 35mm f/1.4 @ 35mm f/9 ISO 100 1/640 sec

A Breath of Fresh Orange

With the wacky weather we’ve had in the Northeast so far this year, which included a hail storm in late May, I was a bit concerned about our little garden. I say “our” but it’s my wife’s care, concern, and hard work that really keeps things alive and growing. The golfball and larger sized ice balls that screamed from the sky, took quite a toll on the tender greenery that was quietly photosynthesizing away. The few daylilies we had the year before didn’t fare so well, sprouting about half as many as last year. Some of the blossoms had discolorations and gashes in their petals, but there was a shining star or two that pulled through quite handsomely.

Nikon D4 Tokina 100mm/2.8 macro @ 100mm f/25 ISO 400 1/400 sec. flash

Cityscapes

Summer in the city isn’t my favorite thing. I imagine the hubbub of life bustling around on the endless sweltering concrete slabs, the throngs of life teaming in the streets. I reminisce about horns, the din of jack hammers, cell phones, and multiple radio stations floating in the air. I’m prodded by the odor of city life, the stench of waste and heat that assaults the senses during a summer walk around town. It floods my olfactory memories. Sticky feelings of clothing that won't slide easily against my arms or thighs, because of perspiration trapped against my baking skin. The yearning for a breeze that isn’t tainted with poisonous exhaust choking me. I am not a city creature.

That’s why I enjoy cityscapes so much. They let the grandeur and pride of a city shine. When wonderful light baths a city with deep reflections and colors, its wonders beam for the world to take notice. Giants soar into the sky proclaiming their might and regal dignity for miles and miles. Silent strength pushes towards the heavens with grace and tranquility as all the realities of city life are scrubbed clean.

I imagine this is what architects dream about. I hope they do...

Nikon D4 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 62mm f/8 ISO 250 1/400 sec

The Struggle for Passion

A few weekends ago I was photographing an event at the Sands Casino and Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania when I was presented with a thought that I brushed off at the time, but has been eating at me ever since. I was telling another photographer, who was also working the event, about how I had just driven from Pocono Raceway where I was covering a NASCAR race. He asked how I liked shooting that kind of thing even though it wasn’t my passion, to which I replied that I love photography and that I would have a good time taking pictures of just about anything. When I asked about it not being my passion he mentioned my website, which clearly is mostly about nature, landscapes, and the natural beauty of this world. The next day at the track I saw things a bit differently. I do love photography and I do love racing. I am passionate about both things. Now I also saw landscapes in the event I hadn’t noticed before. Sure a race was being furiously fought around the track with grit and determination, but the clouds were dancing in the sky, the pallet of colors in the grandstands was vibrant, and the spaciousness of the track was inviting.
I’m glad my friend brought up something I hadn’t seen. My photography grew because of his observation, and I grew as a photographer.

June 2014 Calendar

The picture this month is from a trip to the California coastline . My wife surprised me a few Christmases ago and bought tickets to watch the MotoGP race (motorcycles) at Laguna Seca. While we were in the area we drove along the coastal highway for a few hours on the way to dinner and stopped frequently to admire the beauty of the Big Sur area.

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