Washing my Spirit

February 5, 2012 by Monte Stevens | Leave a comment

Ladora Lake

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. John Muir

It was not a good day. They happen, ya know. Sometime in the morning I felt this restlessness rising within me. I lost my anger on a couple of trivial things, calling inanimate things names, as if they could hear and understand. My focus was all over the place. I walked into the kitchen for something and could not remember why I went there (still can’t). These are signals for me that my spirit and soul are in need of more time in nature. So, with a sunny and warm day I made my way to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR. I knew a long walk was the needed therapy. I had just read a post by Dave Showalter whoincluded an image of one of the approximately 50 eagles that have been seen at the refuge. No eagles were spotted but it was just what I needed. John Muir looked to nature as a temple, a place where he encountered his Creator. So, I guess I needed to wash my spirit with a walk in nature.

Posted in Clouds, Lake, Landscapes/Rural, Quotes Tagged , , , , , |

The Little Tree

February 4, 2012 by Monte Stevens | 3 Comments

The Little Tree

I spend way too much time on the computer. I wonder if I’m a blog addict ( notice the quiver in my voice). I think it all started when I joined a small community of photographers sharing their images on a site called pBase. I enjoyed seeing others images and enjoyed the feedback on my images. Loved those at-a-boys. I then started buying more equipment, spent more time in the field and making great plans for a career as a pro, bringing in the big bucks. I joined a couple more photo websites. Next came the world of blogging and the spiral began increasing. I started spending more time on the computer in my attempt to be a better photographer. That was all good but I could easily get lost in my computer, leave the present world of real relationships, working on projects, eating and sleeping. It is amazing how deep and dark that hole of cyber-space is. Two to three hours later I would find my way out, shaken, dazed and confused. The tea pot had boiled dry, the sun had gone down and I’d missed meeting up with Patricia. Could be why I’m still single. Anyway, here’s the little tree I’ve discovered.

Posted in Plants/Nature, Trees Tagged , |

What a Gift

February 3, 2012 by Monte Stevens | 6 Comments

Nature's Gifts

The morning this image was made I woke up late. The sun was shining through my window. I took a shower and dressed ready to start the day. I walked into the living room and noticed the sky was now cloudy and large snow flakes were falling. Making sure my windows were not dirty, I went back to the bedroom window and saw the same thing. I knew I shouldn’t have washed the car! Anyway, by noon the clouds broke and the light was magical. Grabbing the tripod I headed east to see natures art and get away from the city. What a gift it is!

As a side note: we’re getting a nice dose of winter this morning. It started snowing late last night and is expected to continue into tonight and tomorrow. Forecasting 5-10 inches along the front range. They cancelled my first flight this morning and now report this afternoon. It’s a morning for a cup of hot chocolate, another gift. Stay warm!

Posted in Clouds, Landscapes/Rural Tagged , |

The Window

February 2, 2012 by Monte Stevens | 2 Comments

The Window

I enjoy traveling and recording far-away places and people with my camera. But I also find it wonderfully rewarding to see what I can discover outside my own window. You only need to study the scene with the eyes of a photographer. - Alfred Eisenstaedt

While visiting my parents a couple of weeks ago, we stopped by a friend of theirs to see a massive garage he was having built. I roamed around his home with my camera and did some scene studying. It feels to me that changing this to sepia tone also changes the tone of the story in image.

Posted in Architecture, Canon Powershot G12, window Tagged |

Bridge at Sunset

February 1, 2012 by Monte Stevens | 6 Comments

Bridge at Sunset

Earls post about the crossings cause me to remember this image I took back in December. It was taken out the window of my hotel in Alexandria, Virginia. I was drawn to the light and patterns. I like how other photographers, or events, can inspire us with ideas or in this case, trigger a memory. I had worked on the image but was not pleased with it so I did not post it until now. Thanks, Earl!

Posted in Architecture, bridges, Landscapes/Rural, Sunsets Tagged , |

How ’bout a cold drink?

January 31, 2012 by Monte Stevens | 4 Comments

A Cold Drink

There are those who take photographs arranged beforehand and those who go out to discover the image and seize it. - Henri Cartier-Bresson

I did not arrange this image, someone else did. I just discovered it and pressed the shutter button. Found somewhere on the streets of downtown Omaha, NE on a cold and overcast day.

Posted in Canon Powershot G12, Documentary/Street Tagged , , |

Blue Skies

January 30, 2012 by Monte Stevens | 6 Comments

Blue Skies

This is another image where it pays to look up. My dad and I had walked to a coffee shop located in a small shopping mall and were on our way back to the house when I looked up and saw this gorgeous blue sky framed by the buildings. Dad waited as I took a few frames. It reminds me of younger years hiking with my dad. I wonder how much I missed because I was so focused on the trail in my attempt to keep up with him and not stumble. Photography has taught me to slow down, look around and see all that is present to me. Dont’ want to miss those blue skies.

Posted in Architecture, Canon Powershot G12 Tagged , , |

Overcast Skies

January 28, 2012 by Monte Stevens | 8 Comments

Overcast Skies

I go and get the camera and do it. Photography is a medium in which if you don’t do it then, very often you don’t do it at all, because it doesn’t happen twice. A rock will probably always be more or less there just the way you saw it yesterday. But other things change, they’re not always there the day after or the week after. Either you do it or you don’t. Certainly with things as changeable as sky and landscape with moving clouds and so on, if they look wonderful to you on a certain day and if you don’t do it then, you may never see them again for the rest of your life. So as a photographer you become very conscious – at least I do – that everything is in movement. -Paul Strand,

My subject when taking this image was the fading red barn. However, when I loaded it on my computer the barn was not as interesting to me as the sky. It’s a drab sky, nothing spectacular, just an overcast sky. Not sure what but the image has something in it for me, so I started playing around with it. Once I converted it to black and white I saw it completely differently. An emotion rose within me to keep playing. I played with tone and contrast and some vignetting, giving me what I needed. Now the overcast skies are what speaks to me.

Posted in Architecture, Barn Tagged , |

Stretched Out

January 27, 2012 by Monte Stevens | 6 Comments

Stretched Out


On one of flights last week we had a very light load, less than half full. While in the aft galley I looked forward and smiled when I saw this guys foot out in the aisle. He was all stretched out and deserved a photograph.

Posted in aircraft, Canon Powershot G12 Tagged , |

Spoon Shadows

January 24, 2012 by Monte Stevens | 6 Comments

Spoon Shadows

“Well, I do think, particularly the way I work, the better images occur when you’re moving to the fringes of your own understanding. That’s where self-doubt and risk taking are likely to occur. It’s when you trust what’s happening at a non-intellectual non-conscious level that you can produce work that later resonates, often in a way that you can’t articulate a response to.” – Jerry Uelsmann

I have the next two days off and I need them. The last several days have been busy with lots of travel time. Would love to venture out for some landscape images but the motivation is not there. When this happens my focus is on those things near. I find it interesting that for a simple image as the one above, I can change my perspective so much easier than I can of vast open valley or meadow. I can easily take the spoon and turn it to alter the shape of its shadow. Can’t turn a mountain or move a tree teh same way. In vast landscapes I have to be the moving object to get the perspective I need.

Posted in Canon Powershot G12, Miscellaneous Tagged , |