An online journal sharing my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, spirituality and asking deep questions.
I’m now in Phoenix visiting my parents. I headed out for some morning sunrise photos and froze out there. I was not expecting the weather to be this cold. It was 27 degrees yesterday morning and about 33 this morning. May have to go back to Colorado to get warm. But, I am enjoying time with my family. This image was taken a couple yeras ago at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal near Denver. Have a super day.
Chambers Lake is a 254 acre lake used for supplying water to eastern Colorado and offering plenty of recreation for the fisherman. It is known for its cutthroat and rainbow trout, Kokanee, Mackinaw and Splake. I visited the lake on the short camping trip last week and almost camped at the lake. It may have been quieter since the lake is locate off the highway. While on an early morning drive looking for aspens I noticed this couple fishing along the shoreline. Loved the colors and feel of this scene so stopped to take a half dozen shots. Wonder if they caught anything. I’m also posting another aspen shot. Found these aspens about two miles from where I took the image of the lake.
I had planned on sleeping in but the internal body clock went off around 4:15 am. Tossed and turned then decided to grab the camera and see what the morning sunrise would offer. The nature areas within the city provide some wonderful opportunities for quiet and wonder as the day begins. I headed for the Cattail Chorus Ponds as it’s been a while since visiting the area. A smile came across my face as a meadowlark greeted me when I stepped out of the car. As I walked to the ponds I could feel my pants getting wet from the morning dew. The last time I was out there was about four years ago so there was a lot more growth along the banks than expected. Never the less, I found a rock to sit on along the bank and take it all in. I waited and I smiled.
This is an HDR experiment. The image was taken with my D300 and a Tamron 17-50 mm f2.8 lens. The metered exposure was at 17 mm f16 @ 1/60. It is a series of nine (9) images exposed at 1 stop, then processed in HDR Efex Pro. I chose Full Scene Compression preset and lowered the tone compression then adjusted exposure and contrast/tone in Lightroom. I would like you to let me know what you like and don’t like about the image.
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.
“My goal as a person and, consequently, as a photographer, is to witness, participate in, and hopefully share the delicate beauty of wilderness – those moments in time when nature and spirit transcend the make-believe world of politics, economics, religious squabbles, fleeting fashion, mass “entertainment,” and other means of wasting the precious gift of thought and inspiration we are each endowed with.” – Guy Tal
I just observed a young boy, maybe 6 years old, walk into this coffee shop with his eyes glued to a smart phone or game boy? He never looked up. Unfortunately, he had been sucked into that small box with its dings, dongs, chimes, bells and whistles, blasting away to kill as many opponents as quickly as his nimble fingers could move. It was obvious he was no longer “witnessing or participating” in the world around him. His mother sat passively beside him with no attempt or chance of a conversation and I’m not sure she even wanted any of that. I wondered what that conversation would be like. Could he even have a conversation with her? Does he have, or will he ever have, the precious gift of thought and inspiration? Just watch our children, and unfortunately many adults, as they walk through life looking down at their handheld devices. Addicted?
Anyway, I wanted to share the above quote from Guy Tal. His words so resonate with my heart and soul in this misguided world. If you have a chance to visit his website and blog, I highly recommend it. He’s a very good photographer and very much in touch with the world around him. I enjoy his little quips called, “Just saying.”
I finished a trip yesterday afternoon and felt exhausted. After unpacking and getting a bite to eat I wandered around the lake. There were a half dozen pelicans cruising the lake. I sat the edge of the lake on the grass and watched small fish darting among the rocks. Egrets were wading on the opposite side and probably dinning on the small fish. Mallards were everywhere but all of them quiet. I wrote, took in all the sounds and smells of the lake. The sun was setting in the west presenting a wonderfully soothing sight for the eyes of my soul. An enjoyable evening.
My parents are out here for a visit for a few days, staying with one of my sisters in Loveland. I will be heading up that way so may not be on line for the next few days. Hope everyone enjoys the upcoming weekend.
These birds make their presence in our western wetlands. They usually breed in loose colonies and build their nests over water, attached to cattails and reeds. Along with its cousin, the Red-winged Blackbird, they seem to pose for me on my walks around our lake.