Planting seeds
Sunrise is about 2 hours away when my alarm wakes me up. Gather the gear, hoping not to leave some critical piece behind, and head out to whatever location is calling to me today. Maybe its planned, maybe just a whim to see what there is to see. Weather seems good, good light in the forecast, and the elements of nature as my muse. What will it be today? Macro? Wildlife? Landscapes? Artistic? Hard to say in advance sometimes. I am hoping the place will tell me.
The fact is, it is rare that I don’t utter the words in the title of this post upon arriving anywhere, somewhere. It doesn’t matter the place or time of year. It’s as if I am trying to poke my subconscious to bring forth something original. I mean, heck, nature photography should be wide open with so much subject matter it should make your head explode. But my inner judge kicks in – I have seen that before, been there, done that or I am just not “feelin’ it.” Excuses come to mind – too green, too ordinary, too harsh, too ho-hum, too boring. What am I not seeing? Nature certainly can be very subtle in the way she speaks to you.
This is often a hurdle for me when I am out photographing – an internal pressure that I fight. Throw in other elements like distractions, moods, headaches, tiredness, weather, bugs and the hurdle just seems to grow significantly taller. It’s a struggle between the part that just wants to enjoy being there and the other part that feels the need to create something to show that enjoyment and appreciation.
Too often I tell myself just to relax, it’s just a walk in the woods. If something is there worth photographing, you will find it, or it just wasn’t meant to be. Are fate and inspiration so intertwined? Well, certainly being there is the start.
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Fall leaves after rain on riverside slate
Despite being mid-Summer here, I am already yearning for the cooler temperatures and variety of color of fall. I am not a big fan of the heat. It saps my motivation more than I would like on a great many things – photograph – keep up with my blog, keep up with other blogs. :-)
I have always been one to try to look at any particular scene for its very basic graphical elements. Leaves certainly make for good candidates due to their very recognizable shape. This particular image I had sitting in my files for awhile, originally because it had some distortion in it from the wide angle lens I used to create it. The distortion bothered me, so I put it aside to fix it later. Well, my fellow photographers know how long the interval can turn into from putting something aside and then actually working on it.
As it typically happens, I am sorting through my files looking for something else – for a print order on another image or stock submission – and end up finding images I had forgotten about. I originally uploaded this to my gallery as a horizontal, but the more I think about it, I think it looks better as a vertical. So another one gets rescued from purgatory.
Thank you for visiting.
…more fall color leaf pictures …
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Sand ripples
With temperatures this week soaring towards the upper 90′s (37 Deg C or so), and humidity levels well over 50% – I have been yearning for a cool down in Lake Superior. It is difficult to breathe with air this hot and thick.
Unfortunately it wouldn’t yield any immediate relief as Lake Superior is at least a 6 hour drive from where I live. There is definitely a unique character to Superior. The water can be unbelievably clear. Clarity always seems to imply healthy and fresh water. Sandy bay such as the one here offer rhythmic patterns. It can be flat calm to a raging sea that has swallowed many ships in its time. As a diver, I have often appreciated the water clarity and good visibility, even though it gives a glimpse at shipwrecks when times were not so peaceful on this Great Lake.
Ah well, at least I can edit a few images with a fan breeze blowing and at least try to imagine wading the shoreline. Cool water against your legs, soft sand under your feet, and the gentle movement of water as a massage. A feeling of connection with the lake. Sounds pretty good right now.
Fortunately some rain is coming, and a cool down. I have also created a new gallery of Great Lakes pictures during my indoor escape from the heat, stop by and check it out.
Calm reflection on Lake Superior
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Textured Coneflowers
In reviewing this image in post, I thought the composition might lend itself well with a texture blend. By itself I suppose it was fine, but I felt the need to do something a little different instead of a plain, out of focus background. This is the result. I experimented with 3 or 4 different ones until finally settling on this one that just “felt right.” I have always wanted to create a collection of these, just haven’t put the time into it yet.
I also thought it might make for a good candidate in some health care artwork that I have been selling over the past few years. Flowers always seem to do well as they are “universally pleasing.”
Subject matter can be quite particular for hospitals. Birds – a no-no. Some people are just freaked out by them. Thank you Hitchcock! Same goes for any predatory animals, bugs. It even goes as far as avoiding things like using waterfalls in renal treatment areas. The selection process is quite similar to how photo editors may not choose the best image photographically, but the one that better suits their specific needs.
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I think Aaron Johnson hit the nail on the head with this one! I am waiting for the day I can use that sunlight line. 
Photographers can truly be an odd bunch.
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