Mountains

"Mountains are to the rest of the body of the earth, what violent musclar action is to the body of man. The muscles and tendons of its anatomy are, in the mountains, brought out with force and convulsive energy, full of expression, passion and strength." John Ruskin (1819-1900) England

If you follow this blog or visit my website very often, you've probably seen this picture before. I shot this one at Glacier National Park last year, late in the evening as the sun was setting. I used my tripod and took several shots so I could process the images in HDR. Some of the colors that you see in this image, were not even visible when I looked at the scene. Processing in HDR, however, brought out the colors that were hidden from my eyes. I processed this particular image a little differently from the previous version to accentuate the warm colors.

What Music Will You Make?

A camera, like a guitar, is just a box with a hole in it. Until it is placed in the hands of a true artist, it will not make music, only noise. Author Unknown

What do you want your music to sound like today? What effect do you want your images to have on those who view them? We can influence others through the pictures we make. Let's make sure we're sending them in the right direction.

Importance of Photography

"If a day goes by without me doing something related to photography it's though I've neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up." Richard Avedon

I was watching a photo webinar last night and they mentioned this quote. I thought it was quite appropriate for a photo blog. Of course, this photo blog addresses much more than photography. Would you rather I have more photo-related information and skip some of the quotes? If you're a regular reader, or plan to be, I'd really like your opinion.

By the way, this picture is on a building across from the Jackson County County Courthouse Annex. I thought it was an interesting composite of Independence history.

Vision

"Vision is not enough. It must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs." By: Voclav Havel (b.1936) Czechoslovakia

This reminds me of something my mom used to say regarding goals and planning. "Just do it!"

Yes, you've probably seen those words before, perhaps even associated with a NIKE commercial. Mom was saying it long before NIKE started using it, though. She was a very wise woman who was always willing to share her knowledge and experience with others. All you had to do was listen.

This is an unusual view of the historic Independence Courthouse. Sometimes it's fun, and challenging, to see how many different views you can come up with using the same subject.

Eyes & Beauty

"If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), USA

This is Spouting Horn on the island of Kuaui. It's a beautiful spot and these picture shows a little different perspective than what you'd usually see. As is often the case with nature photography, particularly seascapes, I don't think you could ever get two pictures alike at this location. The waves are constantly changing & the horn spouts indiscremently and unpredictably. In situations like this, you have to focus and shoot right before you think the water is going to shoot up; otherwise you won't get the shot. Nature photography can be challenging but, in my opinion, it's definitely worth the time and effort.

Beauty of the Sea

"I asked the earth, I asked the sea and the deeps, among the living animals, the things that creep. I asked the winds that blow, I asked the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars and all the things that stand at the doors of my flesh ....

My question was the gaze I turned to them

Their answer was their beauty."

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), North Africa

The beauty of the sea is boundless. When we were in Hawaii recently, I could have spent days just gazing at the sea, each wave being different from the one before. Whether or not I took pictures was irrelevant, because it was the beauty of the sea that was important. I did, however, take as many pictures as I could, because I wanted to document the beauty & share it with those who weren't there to experience it.

Which Wolf Will Win?

A Native American was talking to his grandson about how he felt.

He said,

"I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart.

One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one.

The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one."

The grandson asked him,

"Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?"

The grandfather answered,

"The one I feed."

Native American parable

Isn't this true with all of us? We have two sides - one which wants to do good and serve humanity and the other which is self-serving and maybe a little bad (dare I say evil). We can choose which force to listen to and control which personality wins out. The future success of our great country depends on those who listen to their "good side". So, feed your good wolf & let the bad wolf starve.