Enjoy Nature

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, alone or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God.  Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature."  Anne Frank (1929-1945)  Netherlands

Through the Fog

"You vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens."  Carl Jung (1875-1961), Switzerland

Harmony With Nature

"All things are parts of one single system, which is called Nature; the individual life is good when it is in harmony with Nature."  Zeno of Citium (300-260 BCE) Cyprus

This vegetation was growing in one of the hot pools in Yellowstone.  You'd think that would be impossible but, apparently, it's in harmony with Nature and, therefore, able to live in this environment which, to us, would appear to be hostile.

With all of today's conveniences and gadgets, it can be difficult to be in harmony with Nature.  In past generations, I think it came easily; today we have to work at it.

Pano Tips

In my book, "Killer Tips for Better Pics",  I give some tips regarding taking panos.  I'll share a couple of them with you.  

In order to ensure that you are able to keep the most important parts of the image, it's a good idea to shoot vertical when you're doing a pano, even on horizontal scenes. If you shoot horizontal and your shots don't line up correctly, you may lose parts of the image that you really wanted. Shooting vertical will give you more latitude.  This method will require that you take more shots, but it'll also improve your chances of retaining all the important information in your photos.  Just be prepared to spend a little more time processing the pano files.

If you're like me, in addition to just shooting a pano, you also take some regular shots of a beautiful scene.  Therefore, when you start processing files, you may have trouble determining where your pano starts and ends.  A good way to avoid this problem is to take a picture of your finger right before and right after the pano shots.  That way, you'll know exactle which shots to include in your pano processing.  This can save you a lot of time and, after all, it's not like we have to pay to process the film any longer.  I hope you'll try doing some pano shots.  It's a lot of fun!

The Simple Life

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated ~Confucius

 The constant rushing, worrying and striving to succeed can sometimes throw us into a spin cycle that's difficult to stop.   This can cause turmoil, depression, anxiety and even health problems.  Sometimes doing something simple, such as fishing or taking pictures, can help put things in perspective and simplify our lives.  So, grab your fishing pole or your camera and start relaxing.  You'll be glad you did. :-)