The Whole Story

We cannot see the whole story or the end of the story from where we stand right now.

Ordinary

There is so much more to the ordinary than we're first inclined to believe.

Light's Presence

The light that bounced off the tips of the tulips and edges of the leaves caught my eye. The shadows remained but the light resonated, deeply.

There have been dark shadows cast with the difficult and tragic events that have unfolded or collided with our lives over the past days and weeks. I think what drew me to the light on these tulips was the hope it symbolized for love and goodness and healing in a world where shadows remain.

What I was reminded of when I looked at these flowers was that shadows prove Light's presence. Something may be standing in the way of Light's reach but Light is surely present. I just may have to move a little to see it or, maybe, sometimes, I will need to get out of the way so another's view of Light is not blocked.

Gentle Snow

The gentleness of this snowfall is shown beautifully through my 75-300 mm lens. With the aperture set at f/5.6 there is a lovely blur in the foreground and background, further softening the scene. I shot at a speed of 1/160.

Allowing the posts to run through much of the image, from foreground to background, brings a sense of longevity...no hurry. For the foreseeable future, this is as it is, a winter wonderland.

Old School

I shot this image at f/2.8 with a speed of 1/60 using my 24-70 mm lens. Getting close and eye level brought an interesting perspective and allowed for the focus to be drawn to the uneven edges and beautifully aged paper of this vintage book.
I decreased the saturation in Lightroom and also added a layer in Photoshop to soften the lighting.

Last Bits of Summer

The sunflowers have been pulled from the garden. This bloom escaped the garbage bag to sun itself a little longer. After taking her picture, I left her to warm for at least another day. The last bits of summer remain and I cannot bag them up and put them on the curb. Not all of the bits. Not just yet.

The warmth of today made it easier to lie on the grass and take this shot. Getting low, face to face with the bloom, I shot with my 60 mm macro lens. The bright sunny day meant I had to use a faster shutter speed or smaller aperture. I wanted a shallow depth of field for this image, so I chose to use f/2.8 which also meant a shutter speed of 1/800 so it would not be overexposed. If you've been following my blog, you've come to assume that I chose to use ISO 100...and you are right.

Wind's Sigh

To catch the spirit of the prairies one must include wheat and wind.

Finding a new perspective when shooting can make a big difference in the outcome. Getting low to the ground and shooting the subject of the wheat upward gives a sense of shelter and security.

Shelter and security are both strong characteristics found in homesteading on the prairies; we see the wind but are not fearful.

New Perspective

To really see something familiar, sometimes we need to see it from an unfamiliar perspective. That which is so familiar is often overlooked. Our brains tell us that we've already seen it; we don't need to look at it any longer.

Don't listen! Find a new perspective and take another look.

I took this shot of a sunflower from behind. Most often we like to see the face of a sunflower but the back end is actually quite interesting.

I used f/2.8 in order to blur the background. I didn't want all that busyness in my photo. Because the sun shone strong and the aperture was wide open, I chose a fast shutter speed of 1/1000 which resulted in a properly exposed image.

Sun, Moon and Stars

This shot reminds me of all three: sun, moon and stars. Sometimes the perspective we choose and the composition of the image can push our imagination further. When you take a picture consider what else might be there. Don't lock in to what it is; allow your mind to explore what it might be, even if only in your imagination.

You may have to pull the colour from your shot in order to move further away from the origin and make room for possibility.

Close. Closer.

Get close.

Now closer (and maybe turn your head to the side).

It amazes me what I can see through my macro lens. The excellence of creation and its detailed design boggles my mind. A whole new appreciation for that which is sometimes comes through the lens of my camera. What do you see through your lens?

Pair and a Spare

This pair was none too happy to have me on their tails. I'm sure they were a little nervous because they likely have eggs or wee ones nearby.

The Canada Geese are plentiful in our area. They seem to find the most interesting and unusual places to nest. I've seen them nesting right close to a busy street, in the middle of a sidewalk, perched in a planter and then of course in the more likely of places like this farmer's field.

I've caught a few glimpses of some of the goslings that have hatched but so far I haven't had my camera with me to get some shots. They sure are cute though!

It is often more interesting to take pictures of wildlife at their eye level. This may require getting down and dirty but the results are usually worth it.  Being eye level allows the viewer a different perspective. Instead of a vantage point either well below these as they fly, or above as they nest, we are with them.

Delight of Dandelions

On my trail walk I saw many many many dandelions today. Determined to see their beauty, I looked through my lens and gained a different perspective than the one that seemed so easy to come by. Plenty to choose from, I captured image after image of these textured blooms.

I decided to turn them into black and white images to show off their textures the best I could. The bright yellow I saw on my computer screen just seemed to distract me again and scream "weed!" - this is what I ended up with.

Choosing Perspective - Hyacinth

Often I will get down on my hands and knees and sometimes I'll even be belly-to-the ground to get shots of flowers. I find that the lower perspective makes for a more interesting photo just as getting down to the eye level of a child and then taking their picture almost always makes for a better photo than standing and shooting downward.

Here I've chosen otherwise and I think the exception to my habit has turned out pretty well.

Seeing

Sometimes we need to see things from a different perspective to see things at all. Here is a good example. The gaps between the bricks on a wall are home to sprouts of moss. Looking straight on, it looks like green grout and the assumption is made that mossy mounds fill the valleys. On closer inspection, they are not mounds at all. The sprouts reach further than we think. We see each one growing and reaching, instead of just as a mound or mass of, well, green.

Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from this. When we see groups of people do we make certain assumptions that stop us from looking closer to see the individuals? Or do we notice that each one is growing and reaching and living? They are not just one thing. They are not just green.

East and West

Standing on the sidewalk, I looked east down the trail alongside the tracks and this is what I saw...

I turned around and looked west. This is what the sky showed me...

No colour changes in photoshop, both taken within a minute of each other...isn't this cool?

Individuals, together.

I quite like this pair of blooms. They are together yet see the world around them from different angles. Rooted and grounded together in the same soil, growing together side by side, influenced by each others presence for sure and I'd also like to think they enjoy each other yet they are individuals. I am thankful for the blooms that grow alongside me in this garden of life!