Man Is Not Himself Only

Man is not himself only . . . He is all that he sees; all that flows to him from a thousand sources . . . He is the land, the lift of its mountain lines, the reach of its valleys.  Mary Austin.

I guess what Mary Austin is saying here is that what makes us up, our very being, is influenced and is a part of everything around us.  So, I guess it would make sense to try to be around things that are beautiful and uplifting.  If we surround ourselves with darkness, sadness and despair doesn't it make sense that it would have a negative effect on us?   I think it does, but there are some people who can't change their surroundings for one reason or another.  For those people, perhaps listening to beautiful music, watching uplifting movies or surrounding themselves with as much beauty as possible could help to improve their lives at least in a small way.  I think doing those things is probably good for all of us anyway.  I know that when I'm stressed out or in a bad mood, if I put on headphones and listen to my favorite songs it improves my mood and makes the world seem like a better place.   So, do something nice for yourself whether it's listening to music, watching a good movie, cuddling up with your significant other or just hanging out.  Try to surround yourself with beautiful things.  It can't hurt!  :-)

Finding Yourself

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."  Mahatma Gandhi

Doing things for others doesn't only help that person, it also helps you.  It improves your sense of well-being and contributes to a happier, more productive life.   It gives you a sense of purpose, a reason for living.  Being engaged with other people, whether in a volunteer or social setting is important to several aspects of our lives, including our physical and mental health.

I Love This World!

I am in love with this world . . . I have climbed its mountains, roamed its forests, sailed its waters, crossed its deserts, felt the sting of its frosts, the oppression of its heats, the drench of its rains, the fury of its winds, and always have beauty and joy waited upon my goings and comings. John Burroughs

I know I've posted this photo before, but I thought it was very appropriate for this quote by John Burroughs, so I decided to share it again.  This picture was taken a couple of years ago with my iPhone at Red Rock Refuge, which is just a few miles west of the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park.  If you're in the area, and have some extra time, be sure to check it out.

I hope you enjoy the blog and are having a wonderful day!

"The Earth Beneath My Feet"

"What a joy it is to feel the soft, springy earth under my feet once more, to follow grassy roads that lead to ferny brooks where I can bathe my fingers in a cataract of rippling notes, or to clamber over a stone wall into green fields that tumble and roll and climb in riotous gladness!"  Helen Keller

I love sitting next to streams, listening to the soft sounds of the water falling over rocks, rushing to an end destination.  When photographing streams I sometimes use a fast shutter speed to stop the motion of the water and show the tremendous power that it possesses.  Other times, like in this case, I use a slow shutter speed to alter reality by slowing the motion of the water to create a soft, gentle look.  Creating the "soft water" look is my favorite method of shooting waterfalls and streams, but I usually shoot them both ways for those who prefer to see the individual droplets of water.

The Mind is Everything!

"The mind is everything.  What you think, you become."  Buddha

I agree with Buddha.  If you think you will be successful, you will be.  If you think you're going to fail, you will.   Many of the decisions we make in life will determine the outcomes we'll have, good or bad.   So, when you're planning your day, your week or your year, think about how those decisions  will impact the rest of your life.  That being said, however, you can always change things to improve your situation in life.   Just by changing the way you react to things or the way you think about your future can have a tremendous impact on how your life will turn out.  Start today.  Think about what you want to become and then do it.  Have a great day!

Explore, Dream, Discover - The Sky's Your Limit

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover." –Mark Twain

So, follow Mark Twain's advice.  Get out there, do the things you really want to do and have fun!  Don't leave anything on your bucket list when you're done!  The sky's your limit! 

By the way, I did use a slight oil painting effect from Blake Rudis on this picture of the mountains.  I liked the original, but wanted to add a little bit of a dreamy effect to the picture.   I hope you enjoy it!

Soda Butte Lodge

This is an old lodge in Cooke City, Montana.  I've taken several pictures of it through the years, but have never processed one in black and white.  I decided it was about time to try that.
I processed this image in Lightroom using only Adobe Camera Raw.  Here are the steps I took:
I used the eye dropper tool to get the correct white balance (I hadn't yet decided to convert it to black and white at that point).
I held down the shift key and double clicked on first the white and then the black to set my white and black points.
I then tweaked the exposure just a little to bring out a darker sky.
I opened the shadows up a little using the shadow slider.  I also used the adjustment brush on the inside of the house to open those shadows up just a little more.
I moved the clarity slider up just a little.
I added some contrast.
I hit the "v" key to turn the photo to black and white.
I added a little more clarity and then I was done.
This lodge now looks quite a bit different.  One side is almost completely gone.  When you see something that interests you be sure to take a picture of it because the next time you see it (if you do) it may look totally different.  I have pictures of this lodge with the walls all standing, with one of them bulging way out and with one of them mostly gone.  It's been interesting watching the progress of the decay of this wonderful old building.  I wish someone had taken care of it or restored it.  Too much history has been lost through decay and neglect.  There's nothing I can do about that, though, so I'll just take pictures to document what happens and enjoy the history that I'm able to capture.  I hope you enjoy it too.

Altering Reality

Adding texture or a painterly effect to pictures can be done in various plug-ins.  This one was created in Topaz Impressions 2.  If you don't want to buy plug-ins, you can also create a painterly effect by using various filters in PhotoShop such as the blur tool, the Iris filter, etc.  You won't get the same effect, but you will be altering the reality of the photo and creating something that is uniquely yours.

Live YOUR Life!

I never listened to the group Sting much, but here's a quote from one of them that I think makes sense.  "Be yourself, no matter what they say."   If we pretend to be something that we're not, we cannot function completely, efficiently or honestly.  In order to succeed, we must be ourselves, be true to our beliefs and lead the life that we were meant to live.  Another similar quote that I really like comes from the Shakespeare play Hamlet - "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."  If you're not being yourself, and living as you were meant to live, you aren't really being truthful with yourself or with anyone else.  So, go out today and live the good life.  Live YOUR life!  

A Walk With Nature

For my blog post today I thought I'd share a quote with you from John Muir.  "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."    I think the reason this is true is because in nature everything is a surprise, an opportunity for a new beginning.  You never know what you're going to find and that's part of the joy of it, at least it is for me.  As you probably know, I spend a lot of time in Yellowstone.  One of the things that I really enjoy about it is that I never know what I'll find.  Maybe sometimes I'll find a grizzly bear, which is just wonderful, but other times I may not find anything other than the beauty that nature provides for us.  No matter what I find, it's always a wonderful experience.  So, if you're feeling a little down or a little bored, get up out of that chair and take a walk.  You'll be glad you did!   Have a great day!

Happy Spring!

When you're photographing objects it's always good to have an uneven number.  Unfortunately I couldn't do that with this picture because there wasn't another flower in the right place.  Sometimes in nature, you just have to take what you can get.  

May you have warm days, cool nights, a purpose to your life and someone to love.  Happy Spring!

It's Almost Baby Time in Yellowstone

It won't be long before we see bull elk marching through the wild flower meadows of Yellowstone.   In early June, the elk cows will begin to drop their babies.  Watching those little calves trying to run around when their legs aren't quite strong enough to do it, is always great fun.   The cows usually keep the calves pretty well hidden for the first three weeks, but a couple of years ago a cow and her calf were hanging out just across the Madison River, so we got to watch them quite frequently.  I'm hoping we'll get to experience that again this year.  It won't be long before it's time for the babies of Yellowstone to start appearing.  What fun!

The Act Establishing Yellowstone - SAVE OUR PARKS

I don't wan't to get into political discussions here, but I did want to share information about the congressional act that established Yellowstone.  In today's political climate, I am very concerned about the future of our parks and that's why I'm sharing this information.  I hope that Yellowstone, and our other parks, are never harmed for political or financial reasons. I live close to Yellowstone, am in the park a lot and do photo tours in the park so I can share my love of the park with others.  I hope that our legislators protect our parks, so future generations can enjoy them also.  It doesn't matter who you voted for, or if you're Republican or Democrat, if you care about our parks, please ask your legislators to protect them.

Here's Sec 2 of the act that established Yellowstone. If you're interested in reading the rest of the act, you can google it, but this is the most important section.  Act Establishing Yellowstone National Park (1872)

SEC 2. That said public park shall be under the exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior, whose duty it shall be, as soon as practicable, to make and publish such rules and regulations as he may deem necessary or proper for the care and management of the same. Such regulations shall provide for the preservation, from injury or spoliation, of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders within said park, and their retention in their natural condition. The Secretary may in his discretion, grant leases for building purposes for terms not exceeding ten years, of small parcels of ground, at such places in said park as shall require the erection of buildings for the accommodation of visitors; all of the proceeds of said leases, and all other revenues that may be derived from any source connected with said park, to be expended under his direction in the management of the same, and the construction of roads and bridle- paths therein. He shall provide against the wanton destruction of the fish and game found within said park, and against their capture or destruction for the purposes of merchandise or profit. He shall also cause all persons trespassing upon the same after the passage of this act to be removed therefrom, and generally shall be authorized to take all such measures as shall be necessary or proper to fully carry out the objects and purposes of this act.

Drawing Attention to Your Image

There are a lot of things you can do to draw attention to your subject, both when you're taking the picture and when you're editing it.

When I was processing this picture of an animal at Fossil Rim in Texas, I cropped it so it wasn't sitting in the center of the photo and then I used the Darken/Lighten Center option in the NIK Software Collection.  By lighting the animal the viewer's eye is immediately drawn to the subject.  

If you don't currently use the NIK Software, you can download it for free.  Just Google NIK Software and you'll find it.  There are a lot of options and it's really fun to use it to enhance images.

Please feel free to leave comments.  I'd like to know what you'd like to see here.

Thanks and have a great day!

Yellowstone Visitors

It may be snowy now, but soon all the gates to Yellowstone will be open and the crowds will be
pouring in.  If you want to get the most out of your visit to Yellowstone, let me take you to the best
spots for landscape and wildlife photography.  You won't have to worry about where to park, where
to go or anything else.  Just sit back, enjoy the ride and get the best Yellowstone pictures possible.  Visit my website at carolynfoxphotos.com for more information.