Tag: Water

Ah the fun that an old man can have with the simplicity of a small piece of an already beautiful thing. How light reflects, creates shadows, small valleys and rises. The color, already vibrant, can be made to seem to make a solid into transparency. All with the simplicity of a bloom and a small maglite. Add the fact that in can all be done within the comfort of eighty degrees when it’s 101 outside.

It somehow seems a bit of cheating the mindful practice, using artificial means to achieve what used to take hours of waiting until the natural light became what you needed or wanted. I long to be of the nature like Ansel Adams. I had read of the lengths that Mr Adams would go (or wait) for the images to form to his liking. But then I read his description of the making of his haunting image: Moonrise over Espanola.

                                                                                               ©Ansel Adams

From Ansel Adams, in Examples:

“We were sailing southward along the highway not far from Espanola(NM) when I glanced to the left and saw an extraordinary situation—an inevitable photograph! I almost ditched the car and rushed to set up my 8×10 camera. I was yelling to my companions to bring me things from the car as I struggled to change components on my Cooke Triple-Convertible lens. I had a clear visualization of the image I wanted, but when the Wratten No. 15 (G) filter and the film holder were in place, I could not find my Weston exposure meter! The situation was desperate: the low sun was trailing the edge of the clouds in the west, and shadow would soon dim the white crosses.

I was at a loss with the subject luminance values, and I confess I was thinking about bracketing several exposures, when I suddenly realized that I knew the luminance of the moon—250 c/ft2. Using the Exposure Formula, I placed this luminance on Zone VII; 60 c/ft2 therefore fell on Zone V, and the exposure with the filter factor o 3x was about 1 second at f/32 with ASA 64 film. I had no idea what the value of the foreground was, but I hoped it barely fell within the exposure scale. Not wanting to take chances, I indicated a water-bath development for the negative.”

Realizing as I released the shutter that I had an unusual photograph which deserved a duplicate negative, I swiftly reversed the film holder, but as I pulled the darkslide the sunlight passed from the white crosses; I was a few seconds too late!”

Please do not think that I am comparing myself to “Da Man”, other than we both use the same tool (of sorts), the likeness fades like an under-fixed print…..Peace Out †††

“WE BUILD TOO MANY BRIDGES AND NOT ENOUGH WALLS.”   Isaac Newton….. 

Shades of Gray from Grayson Co, TX #907 – The Peace of Wild Things

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The Peace of Wild Things

BY WENDELL BERRY

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
It is always a draw to me as to where we find peace in our story. May you find some today!
 
monos en theos † jas L

Shades of Gray from Grayson Co, TX #785 – TRYING TO KEEP MY EYES OPEN!

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“My profession is to always be on the alert to find God in nature, to know his lurking places, to attend all the oratorios, the operas, in nature.”

Henry David Thoreau

While it may be a lofty goal, I often find the bar set too high and I walk past in blindness,deafness and self-indulgence.,,,,monos en theos….jim

Shades of Gray from Grayson Co, TX #779 – WHAT AM I LOOKING AT OR FOR?

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This image falls into a case of what the heck am I looking at. It looks to me like an image taken far above the earth. But it is just a three foot section of the waters edge at our local small lake at Waterloo park in Denison TX.

It was taken a couple of days ago after two days of fairly heavy rainfall. I am sure it is some sort of chemical run off into the water. I am of the mind that I probably do not want to know what it is.

It just re-enforces the notion that some days I feel like I do not know what the heck I am looking at or what I am looking for. Furthermore, I probably won’t recognize it when I see it!  monos en theos…†…jim

Shades of Gray from Grayson Co, TX #771 – @ DAY’S END

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At A Day’s End (By John Hall)

Is anybody happier
because you passed their way?
Does anyone remember
that you spoke to them today?

The day is almost over,
and its toiling time is through,
Is there anyone that will utter
a kind word about you?

Can you say tonight in parting,
with the day that’s slipping fast,
that you helped a single person
of the many that you passed?

Is a single heart rejoicing
over what you did or said?
Does the one whose hopes were fading
now with courage look ahead?

Did you win the day or lose it?
Was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness,
or a scar of discontent?

As you close your eyes in slumber,
do you think that God will say,
“you have earned one more tomorrow
by the good you did today?”

 

So often we think there is tomorrow, but why not today?     monos en theos…†…jim

IMAGES OF SMALL THINGS FROM THE BIGGEST COUNTY IN TEXAS #730 – LIVING LIVE BY THE DROP!

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Hello there my old friend
Not so long ago it was till the end
We played outside in the pourin’ rain
On our way up the road we started over again

You’re livin’ out dreams of you on top
My mind is achin’ oh lord it won’t stop
that’s how it happened livin’ life by the drop

Up and down the road in our worn out shoes
Talkin’ ’bout good things and singin’ the blues
You went your way and I stayed behind
We both knew it was just a matter or time

You’re livin’ out dreams of you on top
My mind is achin’ oh lord it won’t stop
that’s how it happened life by the drop

No waste of time we’re allowed today
Churnin’ up the past, there’s no easier way
Times been between us,a means to a end
God its good to be here walkin’ together my friend

Livin’ our dreams
My mind stoped achin’
that’s how it happened livin’ life by the drop…DOYLE BRAMHALL

Hello there to my old friend Doyle. Don’t ever think that you are forgotten! en theos monos

IMAGES OF SMALL THINGS FROM THE BIGGEST COUNTY IN TEXAS #724 – UP AGAINST A WALL !

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Last week I stumbled across a post that was entitled “The 10 photos that every photographer will attempt”. It had things like sunset at a beach, running water, fog, trees and several other cliches that we see all too often.

Somehow reading that articles caused a block to form. A resistance to produce an image of anything that might be considered trite. I sat this morning and bemoaned the task of finding a photo to post. All out of the fear of being perceived as having the same vision and producing meaningless images.

Out here in the desert and living in ranch country, windmills become a “go to” subject. I see a great sunset coming and I gravitate to the nearest windmill. Somehow they become the beach, the trees, the ordinary trite and overdone images of the west.

So with a bit of ado, I give you my latest windmill. I can’t help myself. Last week while in New Mexico, I even purchased a print of another photographer’s gorgeous print of what else, a windmill.

Try to crawl out of your box. en theos monos ††† jim

 

IMAGES OF SMALL THINGS FROM THE BIGGEST COUNTY IN TEXAS #720 – FIND THE COURAGE TO LIFTOFF!

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“There are powers far beyond us, plans far beyond what we could have ever thought of, visions far more vast than what we can ever see on our own with our own eyes, there are horizons long gone beyond our own horizons. This is courage- to throw away what is our own that is limited and to thrust ourselves into the hands of these higher powers- God and Destiny.To do this is to abide in the realm of the eternal, to walk in the path of the everlasting to follow in the footprints of God and demi-gods. The hardest part for man is the letting go. For some reason, he thinks himself big enough to know and to see what’s good for him. But in the letting go……..is found freedom. In the letting go…….. is found the flight!”
― C. JoyBell C.

http://cjoybellc.com

Oh, to find the courage to fly! ….en theos monos ††† jim

IMAGES OF SMALL THINGS FROM THE BIGGEST COUNTY IN TEXAS #706 – ENJOY THE CALM

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“When the world is all at odds
And the mind is all at sea
Then cease the useless tedium
And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its’ fragrance,
There is solace in its’ taste;
And the laden moments vanish
Somehow into space.

And the world becomes a lovely thing!
There’s beauty as you’ll see;
All because you briefly stopped
To brew a cup of tea.”

~ Unknown author

I actually drink more coffee than tea. Yet, the alure of the romance of tea, the whole ceremony of brewing and serving pulls on me with a constant force.

enjoy your morning with the beverage of your choice. †  en theos ††† jim