Don't Follow The Herd

Keep your eyes on the goal and don't let anything influence you to stray from the path that you've set for yourself.

"If you're going to make a difference in the world, you'll soon learn that you can't follow the herd." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Following the herd might give you a sense of security, but if you really want to make a difference and succeed in life, you need to break away from the crowd and follow your own destiny. Decide what you want, set your goals, develop your action plan and go for it. If you do that, you'll leave the herd in the dust.

Modifications

"When you're at peace with your life and in a state of tranquility, you actually send out a vibration of energy that impacts all living creatures, including plants, animals and even babies." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Photo Info: I converted this top picture of the Yellowstone landscape to black and white & then played around with different colors and contrast to try to give it a little bit of an IR look. I know it's not IR, but it's my simplified version. :) The 2nd picture is similar to how the scene actually looked. I just lightened the colors in the trees a little to draw attention to them. On the 3rd picture I used the brush tool in PhotoShop & did a little painting on the leaves & then applied a Topaz plug-in to give it the impressionistic look. The 4th picture was painted in PhotoShop and then a different Topaz plug-in was used to give it a different effect. There are a lot of other things I could do with this picture, such as leaving the trees the way they are, but bumping up the saturation in the grass and water, increasing the saturation in the entire picture, lightening the bison, etc. As always, when you're modifying photos, there are many different ways to go and many different ways to get there. That's part of the fun of photography, making the image appear the way you envision it.

Man Will Endure

" I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among the creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of kindness and compassion." William Faulkner.


Although we, too often, see examples of the inhumanity of man, remember that what we hear on the news, is the exception, not the rule. There are still many good and caring people out there who do their best to live a life of compassion and service and strive to help others whenever they see a need. Associate yourself with those types of people, be one of those people, and your life will be better for it.

What's The Hurry?

"What's the big hurry? You're not ever going to get it done, so what are you racing toward? Every single activity you're involved in is for one purpose only, and that is to give you a moment of joy. Lighten up. Laugh more. Appreciate more. All is well." Abraham Hicks

Mirror To The Soul

Through photography, you can let others know how you feel about what you see.
Images, taken thoughfully and with purpose, can be a mirror to the soul.

Giving Oneself

"it is in giving oneself that one receives; it is forgetting oneself that one is found; it is in pardoning that one obtains pardon." St. Francis of Assissi

They say it's better to give than to receive. That doesn't apply strictly to giving gifts, money or other material things. If we give of ourselves, of our time & our energy, we're giving what is truly needed - humanity, caring, compassion and love.

Visit my website at http://www.foxdenimages.com/ for more pictures.

Be Nice

"Avoid the enticement to be mean or argue. Allow others to be right. As far as you're concerned, be peaceful to everyone you encounter." Tavis Smiley

These bears don't seem to be following this advice, but if you do, things will go smoother for you and you'll have a happier life. That doesn't mean, of course, that you shouldn't stand up for what you believe in, or let people walk all over you; it just means that constant fighting & distention isn't the path to happiness.

I wish you a peaceful day.

Be sure to visit my website today, at http://www.foxdenimages.com/ , for a picture of Lake Kootcanusa in Montana. It was named after Canada, the USA and the Kooteney River which runs from Canada into Montana. I thought it was an interesting name with an interesting history, so I wanted to share that with you.

Be Mindful

" Be attentive and mindful of what is happening around you at all times" Leon Nacson.

Sometimes just looking around and appreciating the beauty in nature is enough to brighten your day. Take a few minutes today, to slow down and appreciate all that you've been given.

I hope you have a blessed day.

Silence

" Meditation is a time of quiet, when the mind is freed from its attachment to hysterical ravings of a world gone mad. It is a silence in which the spirit of God can enter us and work His divine alchemy upon us." Marianne Williamson

We all need to take some time each day to meditate, to practice yoga or to, at least, just sit in absolute silence, with no cell phones, no noisy TV and no iPods. Otherwise, our busy world can overwhelm us & prevent us from enjoying the beautiful life we've been given.

I wish you a wonderful and peaceful day.

Closed Door?

As you go through life, my wish for you is that when one door closes, a new window opens. Sometimes it seems that doors close for us and that opportunities no longer exist. If you look hard enough, though, sometimes what seems like a closed door may lead to a new and exciting adventure. So, next time you encounter obstacles, and feel like you're getting nowhere, just look around to see what other, new opportunities may exist.

Secret of Success

"Put your heart, mind, intellect and soul even to your smallest acts. This is the secret of success." Swami Sivanada

Often I'll start a project, work on it for awhile and then just give it up. Perhaps when I do that, I don't succeed because I started the project without putting my heart, mind and intellect into it. I guess the best thing to do, is to do some initial soul-searching to determine what I really want to accomplish, develop the steps to succeed & then, and only then, begin working on the project. Um, that sounds a little like setting goals, doesn't it?

I didn't really have a picture that illustrated the concept of this quote, so I guess this one will have to do. Hope you enjoy it and have a great day.

Lighting

Photography is "seeing with light". In this picture of the young lion you can see just a little bit of rim lighting. This occurs when the light is behind the subject and shows through hair, thin material, etc. Although I don't like the weeds across the lions face, I think the rim lighting really helps to make the picture interesting.

Spread Your Love

"Today see if you can stretch your heart and expand your love so that it touches not only those to whom you can give it easily, but also to those who need it so much." Daphne Rose Kingma

It's easy to give love to our friends and families, but sometimes much harder to extend it to those who are not so lovable. Those may be the ones, however, who need it the most. The kindness you give to a stranger, or to someone you don't really like, may make a profound difference in the life of that person and, thereby, in the lives of the people they meet.

I hope you have a wonderful week and make a positive difference in the lives of the people you meet.