Vanishing Love

This iconic metal sculpture created by Robert Indiana, is found in center city Philadelphia in a small spot of respite from urban life officially titled JFK Plaza, but this special space is more appropriately, locally called Love Park. Placed there in 1976, day and night there are people waiting to take photographs and be photographed in front of this fun symbol of one of our most basic emotional and physical needs.

Several times over this past year, I have been blessed here with the opportunity to love others less fortunate than myself in the act of providing a warm meal, a kind heart and open ear to the many homeless people who 'live' in and around this park. Although I can clearly see that such a time of nourishment is greatly appreciated by those whose lives paths have taken them to a difficult place, when I have been there, I have always been the one that is more nourished....not in my flesh, but in my spirit, to offer up a small bit of my time for them. In the process, I have had many interesting and challenging conversations as to my faith, love and life in general with the people I have met. Obviously life's experiences form a large part of who we are and what we think and it is always profitably to talk with those of differing opinions as to how and why life has challenged us the varied ways it has.It has been me, when I truly have opened my heart, whose views have been altered in trying to honestly see things that my comfortable life has not presented.

While there, I have also challenged myself to keep my photographic eyes open as well. One one of those evenings, rain dampened us and with it, presented some spots to make some images. I love the rain in the city, for all of it seems to come alive in the reflections of the wet surfaces around me. Below are some images from that evening that are of the fountain in the middle of the park, the adjoining streets and buildings including the Suburban train terminal, City hall (a beautiful example of Second Empire architecture in itself) and some general photographs I made, all from within the confines of the park itself.

As to love, I am certainly no expert on the topic, but have found in this life there are many, many kinds of love waiting for expression within us, from the veritably romantic to brotherly love, to ones of deep care, others that are exciting, or tender, or fun and in the case of this ministry, sacrificial. After 53 years, I see there are many other more forms of this thing called love that I will never likely experience, but to know and feel any one of them is always a good thing for the soul as that is where the heart is allowed to grow.

Sadly, just the other day, I was told by a ministry partner that this wonderful park in the next few years is to be dismantled and replaced with 4 restaurants, to 'update' center city. This news struck me enough to find these images and make this post. If true, I am sure the sculpture will be relocated or integrated somewhere and the worn residents that now sleep in it's boundaries will be scattered elsewhere. It's a shame.... for the very nature... the name of this place and the meaning it has for me along with the care found there in which I am a very small participant, I am sure will change too. I hope that wherever this 'lovely' piece of metal ends up, there too will love be expressed to those with less than meaningful love in their lives, for to live life without love, is to not truly live... at all. 

 

 

"See you in the Spring"

... a phrase I have heard many times and one common among people who live in wintery climates, it carries allot of weight. With snow and darkness the mode of the season, without intentional contact between friends, often months go by without a friendly voice. With the age of cell phones and internet connection I know things have changed dramatically in even the far reaches of the globe, but in areas with limited access it is still often only by face to face meetings that people get to truly engage with each other. In these kinds of places, this phrase is a way of saying I hope to see you again soon, but it might be a long time....spring...until everything opens up and blooms and has life started again until we can spend time together.

With this seemingly endless winter we appear to be experiencing here in the S.E. corner of Pa, the frequent snowfalls, although very pretty, have in a way in spirit, cut off contact even as they blanket the earth with layer after layer of beauty. People stay inside and quiet down. There are not many folks out walking unless out of  necessity. All of the photos today were taken during the very latest snowstorm (not counting today!), which really varied in nature and intensity many times over it's course, my favorite being when it all got really silent and the golf ball sized falling flakes seemed to float about for a while, ever so slowly finding the gravity and a spot on ground to rest. In a day off from work, I slept in and was really taken by the beauty outside of the window when I first sat up in bed. I immediately grabbed my camera and opening a window or two, peeking my lens out and took these shots while still inside. I was pleased to see such things right from within my home and blessed to once again see this kind of beauty in the place where I live. The top image, taken outside my front picture window of the field we enjoy living in, just captures for me the feeling I had that day... of the comfort of being sheltered inside in peace and warmth. The ones below are of one of my favorite trees (an arching Cherry) in our back field, the bamboo grove I planted  being bent under the pressure of the season and a detail from the boughs of a stately cedar tree found there along the hedge row. The last is a detail of bamboo that reminds me of the delicacy found in nature and in our own relationships.

Even in this quiet time though on this wintery day, my sincere want for connection with the outside world is there. Electronic devices, no matter how convenient in their offerings within the myriad of ways to engage, will never replace a face to face talk.. of being able to look someone in the eyes and see the person behind the face...to feel the expression of friendship in the flesh. As a popular song I just heard now expresses, "say something, I'm giving up on you". A sorrowful statement indeed for the quiet, without the perseverance of friendship over time and hope of 'spring' again.

"See you in the Spring" is both a hopeful and sad phrase for it not only sets up this distance of both space and time ahead, but also a potential joy... a 'Vorfruede' so to speak (to borrow a word from my German friends), to once again share time together. In both emotions though. there is always the stark realization for me of perhaps never once again being able to unite in fellowship as is so important to my inward being. The world is always in change and we change with it. Relationships ebb and flow in a ever flexible dynamic and the realities of the limitations of physical life are ever present. I learned this with my Mothers death, as after her long winter hiatus in Florida, she passed two days before I was to see her again. With this and other experiences behind me, I am always aware of how fragile life really is, even my own. In the mean time, I am waiting patiently for spring, for a winter of isolation is too much to bear alone.

A heavy Stone

It is with sincere sadness that I place this post for you, for it is unlike any of the others I have done so far.

In originally setting out to create this little universe of expression, I did so with the mindset that it would have three purposes. One, it would be a place where I would be able to place images, both old and new that I have created as an outlet from my heart and mind in a photographic form. Another was that as I very much enjoy sharing this vision and tiny bits of myself with others here, that these images would find a home within other people who might enjoy them and perhaps inspire them to get out and make their own, or even just find something about them that might cheer up their day. Thirdly, that my thoughts coupled with these images would give the reader a little insight into who I am and maybe reflect on their own lives and become better people as a result of it. I thought all good goals.

Some of you from the beginning have 'signed up' and perhaps regularly check it out to see what I am doing or thinking or maybe just what the photo is. Others, from the analysis the blog provides, might have just stumbled up on it for what ever reason and took a look. There have been over 5,000 views from all over the world, for which I am thankful.

Today though, for a variety of reasons, I am just doubting whether the effort that it takes to shoot, or search my collection for images and then post and write about with careful consideration is really worth it...whether it really reaches anyone and makes any difference at all to them. Expression, in whatever form, whether it be a letter, or with words, a poem, or blo,g or even these photos, unless they touch someone... touch someones heart, is really meaningless in the end.

I really hope that whomever is in fact viewing these entries, enjoys them and that it is making a difference in their life. If it is, please take a quick minute or two and leave a comment on ones that might have caught you in some way, even anonymously if you must. Just a little note of encouragement for me to know this is not all done in vain, for without someone to share it all with, vanity is all that it is and that, is like a heavy stone on my soul.

Below is a self portrait I did a couple of winters ago along a favorite wooded path that I liked so you could see who is speaking to you now.

Thank you,

Ken

Frozen Jewels

This winter in the Eastern part of Pa that I live has been a really pretty one with fairly frequent snowfalls, many of them being lasting for a few days before they melt, which has offered some nice photo opportunities. Yesterday was one such day and I was able to take short bits of time to make some exposures. It was a really nice out, although very cold and as I was out doing chores with my camera in tow, the landscape seemed to be constantly calling my distracted mind here and there with "look at me... no look at me" thoughts popping into my mind continuously around me.

The few shots that are posted here this morning are from views around my own neighborhood as well as a couple ones of the local rivers nearby where I live. I am blessed with living in an area with a varied landscape and nice photo opportunities, but even so, I have found that living with your eyes open helps. Some images are of snow, others of ice, but all of them highlighting the world around me as if it was covered in this temporary jewelery for our momentary enjoyment. 

As mentioned before, I am always drawn to trees, especially as when light snow rests on the branches, outlining their form, I am particularly drawn to them and although I shoot them again and again, I never tire of trying to find new patterns and something always seems to emerge from these familiar friends, refreshing my eye anew. The top image is of the Perkiomen Creek, which runs behind and below my home, taken a few weeks ago early on a Sunday morning, when the trees were heavy laden with ice. The others were taken yesterday and early this morning.

There is allot of wintertime left around here I suspect, and new snow is forecast-ed again tonight, so I might continue to post as I shoot or not, but I hope you enjoy what I have so far.

 

Make me Dizzy

Here is an image that stands in stark contrast to the previous post. It is an upward facing view of the Comcast Building found in center city Philadelphia. This past spring, on a Sunday morning motorcycle ride into the city for breakfast and some time to relax, via a friend whom works in this complex, I was able to take a small tour of his television facility and gain a view of the city I had not seen before. This building, the tallest in my home state is a sight to behold and the engineering is beautifully done. A link that you might enjoy.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comcast_Center_%28Philadelphia%29

Looking out over the city from above is always fun and although I was never really afraid of heights and in fact used to enjoy looking out from a cliff face, I am finding that that older I get, it is less so and in looking down from the this glass and steel structure to the street below, one can get a small sense of dizziness.

That same morning, the two of us traveled some gorgeous back roads into the city and along the route enjoyed seeing Historic Chestnut Hill College and the adjacent Morris Arboretum, a place to which I would like to return someday for a more in depth stop. Once in town, we stopped at had a nice Cajun breakfast at the Reading Terminal Market, a fascinating 1900's era marketplace where one can get all sorts of fresh meats, fish, pastries and other farm fresh items that are brought in from the local countryside and Amish communities. It is a gem to be able to visit and very fun place for strolling and sightseeing.

Here are a few additional images from that morning. One of our bikes on the roadside,  one  out over this historic city looking down at the Art Museum and one of the Market itself.

 

 

It is always fun to get out and spend time with good friends and I very much look forward to doing this again someday. I hope you have enjoyed the images I brought home and if a chance permits, to find yourself here as well.

This Old House

This lovely old stone home shown today, is a historic site located near where I live in suburban Philadelphia. It is one of those places often taken for granted and among many such buildings in the area in which I live. For several years I traveled a road to work that was adjacent to the road this one was on and never knew it was there until one day, for a bridge outing, I tried a new way and spotted this historic gem. He is a link to more information on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Antes_House

Often now, when driving though that area, I will purposefully drive by and have even stopped for a bit to walk the grounds and rest, for there is something about this place that offers quiet and peace and a perspective on a simpler way of life.

When I was younger, I had the opportunity to stay for long periods of time at a friends home, house sitting so to speak, at another place of history, located just outside of New Hope, Pa, an area rich with colonial architechture. I loved my time there, for the experience encompassed caring for their small flock of sheep, chickens, the house and barn, and life there on a daily basis just had a strong attraction for me. I enjoyed the varied tasks of farm life and although I have not always been able to integrate that mindset into my life more recently, I often wish it were so, with time set aside to garden and read and enjoy the simple, small things. The home was one that was added onto over the past couple of centuries and was quite large, but the original space, a simple living room and kitchen with a single room upstairs was my favorite part. That area, now a library and guest bedroom was cozy and warm and when there, I would think about the varied people who perhaps once shared that very space and what their lives looked like in 1736 when it was first built, the same year this one was. It was someone's dream home long before my country even existed. I felt it a privilege to be there and although some nights were a bit too quiet for the semi-city boy I was then, I really cherished the opportunity.

This structure shown here, no longer has a family to occupy it or children playing in the yard as perhaps it once did, but it reminds me of my time in my friend's home and the history that I was blessed to live within every day.

I admire these old places and the craftsmanship and care that went into their construction and design, which clearly was thought out to last a long time. Most homes built today, have neither the skill nor the workmanship a place like this does and I doubt two hundred years from now, many of them would be standing proud as this still does.

I photographed this last winter while driving by on a snowy day, stopping to make a few exposures and have passed on the knowledge of it's whereabouts to friends, who have also enjoyed it. I have found that one of the things I like about this one, is that it somehow has a quality about it like one of those Wyeth paintings that I enjoy. I hope you do enjoy this one today and in thinking about this simple structure, think about the joys to be found in a simpler life as I do now and can set aside the days worry in doing so. 

A Beautiful Underbelly.

This image is of something most people traveling my path that day ordinarily might not ever see or if they did, never would take a serious notice of. It is a shot of the undercarriage of the Tower Bridge in London. While there on an assignment, as I usually did, I took some time either in between official tasks or perhaps after the job was done to get out and about the city to look for experiences and new friends mixed in with the photographs hidden around city.

Just before, I had spent some time shooting from a park on the side of the river Thames next to this most famous of bridges and the ancient and historic Tower complex on the other side. As I was on foot, as I usually was, when I was done, I was about to cross back towards a local pub for an evening meal and a pint when the gates came down and the bridge was closed for some shipping activity on the river below. Looking to take advantage of this opportunity, as I waited, I hopped the fence, walking out in to the center of the empty street over the bridge... for a unique view as this was not something normally available as the traffic always is very heavy. When the bridge opened before me, the setting sunlight was just amazing and strikingly lit up the metal structure underneath to my delight. It was immaculately maintained and painted in a beautiful golden yellow, further accented by the sun. The engineering laid out here was amazing and I marveled at the craftsmanship.

I immediately started to shoot the details pulled out of the scene, rather than the obvious shots that are normally seen from this bridge. It became a graphic element rather than a 'thing' to me and is probably my favorite from that day.

Often, when out shooting, the obvious might capture my attention at the start and cause me to stop and look further, but I have found that there is usually something also hidden there that is the real draw, whether I realize it or not. Sometimes, I can catch up with it and find it in the lens, other times not, and in those times I leave unsatisfied. This was a day in which I was surprised by something not looked for, not expected, but that captured and changed me anyway.

It reminds me to always keep my eyes, and more importantly, my heart open to things not seen with the casual eye, but that are there non the less, for sometimes those hidden things are the little parts of life, in which your real interest lies and where your heart truly can be found.

Ole' !!!

While on a previously posted about trip to Spain, I had the opportunity while on the Costa Del Sol to attend a Bullfight. It was in the small, but beautiful Dali designed Corrida de Torros Rejonao plaza on the Mediterranean along the coast in the tiny town Estepona. A warm sunny day, I remember being both excited and pensive about attending this ancient sport. Excited to follow in the footsteps of a mentor, Ernst Haas in that I was having this photo opportunity, but anxious for the blood sport of it all.

In one of the earliest color photographs, Ernst was covering such a fight with this new film, Kodachrome, which carried an ISO/ASA that he related to me was about 8 to 12. He had previously only photographed in B&W as had all his contemporaries at the time. With such a slow film, he was concerned about shooting a moving subject and after giving it some thought, wondered whether if he moved the camera with subject, he could maintain some sharpness and instil motion at the same time. With this though, he literally invented the much used (think auto racing) and accepted technique of panning and produced this iconic photograph below. 

With this in my mind, I wanted to try and 'reproduce' the feeling that he had captured that day as I entered the stadium. Far from the grand Colosseum type to be found in Madrid, the arena was small and had an authentic little town feel. The band of 6 or so musicians belted out lively tunes as who I presumed was the local 'bullfight queen' was paraded into the ring. It was all a spectacle and was very fun. Eventually the main event arrived and as things unfolded, my reaction surprised me. Originally thinking I would be repulsed my a manipulated slaughter, I was really struck with the courage, bravado and sheer guts that the young, up and coming matadors displayed right in front of these massive ragging bulls. Together, it was almost as if the two of them worked in concert in this beautiful dance as again and again, the young man with the waving cape eluded the beast. At one point, in what I think was to show his lack of fear, in a quiet moment, the young man even knelt down in front of it, leaving me speechless and breaking the wild cheering shouting Ole' with each pass that I found myself caught up in most of the time, along with the Spanish crowd.

When it was all over, I followed everyone down and out via a tunnel under the seats and as I did so, they drug the dead animals right past me into a side room. Sensing a photo opportunity, I followed only to discover blood and guts everywhere as everything was being freshly butchered to give the meat to the local poor. Seeing this, I saw the 'sport' for what it was and for the provision it afforded some needy local folks. I was deeply moved at he entire day and was glad I went. My mind had been transformed by the experience.

I did not make any image like his that day, but later spotted this young boy on horseback who was part of the post parade that went out into the town,.. his face filled with pride and dreams of himself in the ring one day.

I think today of a time when I once I had his youthful enthusiasm in all of life and especially photography, but much of it has waned while wading through life's trials and worries. On further reflection now, oh, how I wish to once again capture the cheering optimistic outlook I had that day... today.

Crisp as Winter

Another image today (can you believe I have posted so many days in a row?) from that 'walkabout' around the neighborhood last winter that I found the be interesting.

I remember the air was really crisp, a sting in your nose kind of bite to it but not enough to form ice on your hair tips kind, but quite cold none the less, much like these days that lie ahead of me now. I have photographed leaves like this in many seasons and they are always a subject that continues to draw me in, as do tree branches and trees in general.

There is something about a tree that fascinates me. I don't know if it is the way their structure expands into ever narrowing branches or the huge variety of shapes, or the way they shed their leaves (well deciduous ones anyway) or the fact that pretty much as a general rule, half of what it is to be a tree is out of site. The way they draw energy from both above the ground in the sunshine and below in water and minerals is just so cool. I seriously doubt whether many people ever consider this hidden world below our feet when encountering a tree, if at all. What is even more intriguing to me, is the vast properties that trees provide that we use to fashion all kinds of useful things from it, to firewood to keep us warm (stored converted sunshine in reality) to lumber, with which to build shelters, to simple things in life like cooking spoons to stir a favorite meal.

This particular leaf, a Sugar Maple I believe, comes from a specie that blesses us even further with a sap, when caught in the middle of it's wintertime rise and fall, then boiled down enough, yields a amazing, rich syrup that is a delight to the tongue.

When I think of my own body and the circulatory system that constantly sustains every cell within me, I think of it like the branches of a great tree, moving the needed elements, nutrition and oxygen to where it is needed and removing the toxins from me in return. Perhaps for me, this is like a little connection with nature in my small mind.

In this image, I love the way the edges carry a ever so slim layer of frost, outlining the rich brown tones with crisp white and really seemed to stand out among it's neighbors. I will continue at some point, to make photographs of these fallen workers of sunshine and if I like it, will share it with you. In the mean time, I will continue to love looking at trees in the winter and the beautiful silhouettes they show us when unadorned.

Brrrrrr! It's cold out there...

Here in the North Easter U.S. we are in a mid winter cold front and my local Pa temperature was down in the minus digits this morning. This image, taken about this time last year (just to be honest, I haven't been making any real, new images for a while now, sad to say) of some ice covering a small hole in the ground is one of those where I forced myself out on a similarly cold day as today to refresh and push my vision a bit. I made several nice images, none of them that captured me to the core, but many that made me smile inside my small, creative self, this one included. The ice, a very thin veneer here in fact on a neighbor's driveway and was able to flow as it froze with those always interesting patterns that nature provides.

I like photos like these, that are, but aren't what they appear to be. Someone might look at it and see one thing, somebody, something else. In making an image, i certainly don't define the viewing experience and I like subjects like this that are are left to viewer interpretation.

While it is always more tempting to stay indoors, warm in my slippers by a fire, sometimes it is good and necessary to get out, get a little cold and see something new, even if it means missing the comforts of home for a bit. It is always worth it. 

I hope you enjoy this today as I did that day.

As always, click on it for full view. 

Surprise Me!

This amazingly beautiful bloom, of which this is photograph has captured only a small portion of, belongs to the humble Night Blooming Cereus. I photographed this image a year or so ago in the middle of the night after a progression of exposures, where I was trying to capture the momentum of the blooming process.

This particular plant, received as a gift cutting from an old friend, is one of my favorites, even though it resides mostly forgotten in our laundry room. There is sits alone and slowly grows, unnoticed until in its own time, it becomes the star of the household for a night.

Humble in appearance, the Cereus is a curious plant and to see one, there would certainly appear to be nothing special about it to grab your attention. Gangly, long fleshy leaves grow in no particular pattern or attractive form, sprouting off of each other along side of long probing hairy pikes. In looking at it, it is hard to discern whether it is meant to be a vine or bush and having never having seen one in the wild, I honestly am unsure. Most people, I have found, would not have it in their home.

The one thing they don't understand though, is what is hidden in the patience of having one of these within your care. After what seems like an eternity, certainly years, and for no particular reason that I know of, they will bloom. This is no any ordinary bloom and within a botanical scale, I would venture to say it is one of the most incredible blooms I have ever experienced. The flowering process starts out as one of these odd spikes, only to grow and swell into a almost alien looking pod. This over a period of a few days to where it reaches a length of about 6 to 7 inches long. Then in one night and only for one night, starting around 9 pm or so, it will slowly start to open. Only over the next several hours, as the bud separates like the unfolding of ones hands, do you really grasp the beauty that is appearing before you. Eventually reaching the size of a dinner plate and releasing a scent throughout our home that is really indescribable, when it is fully open, it displays these most intricate, delicate of inward parts shown here. By morning time, all is gone.. the flower lying dead until another time when it sees fit to bloom again.

Over the years, I have rooted several cuttings for friends and family, some still cherished as members of the household, others that have perished, but the one I have had for about 30 years now, still is going strong, sitting silently unnoticed and waiting for its moment of glory once again to shine into the darkness of night. I can't wait to sense it once again when it does.

I hope that you might be able to find and have one of these curious plants for yourself. Although something that in the everyday is nothing to take note of, when the time is right, the beauty it quietly holds somewhere inside is worth every second of waiting for the bloom.  

Again, please select the image to view it full size. 

Safe Inside the Walls

This interesting detail shot is one of several I took of a Parador while on a journey across Spain several years ago. I had just finished a corporate assignment that took me to the Cost Del Sol on the southern coast of Spain and afterwards decided to take some well earned extra time to drive north across the quiet countryside to Madrid for a flight back home. It seemed a two week trip would fit the bill, so I loosely planned out a route and hit the road.

Trying to find interesting spots along the way, I sought out overnight stays within the Parador State run hotel system. Set up in the 1920s by King Alphonso as a 'days journey' stopping points for travel to promote tourism, Paradors are a collection of historic structures that range from old monasteries to ones like this 8th century castle located in the area of Alarcon. here is a link for more information: www.paradores-spain.com/spain/palarcom.html

I stayed in several along the way, but this one stood out as my favorite. The remote setting, the thick walls that surrounded the uber quiet, sleepy town and the structure itself was fascinating. I was blessed to get the room at the top of the tower, located up a very tight winding stairway of stone (which maybe was not so much a blessing with luggage and lots of camera equipment)  and thought it so cool. The room was tiny, with an arched ceiling and room just enough for a bed and spartan bath, but the window, which narrowed as it pierced the 7' thick wall captivated me. As i sat inside of it reading a book by the warm afternoon light, I imagined all the figures in history that have looked out it, perhaps for pleasure like I was or perhaps for a important vantage point to mount a defense during one of the many sieges this one endured.

Even though I only stayed two nights here while exploring the local area, the connection I felt to this centuries old fortification was profound. I didn't want to leave. Maybe it was the interesting history held there, maybe the massive feeling of safety, maybe the delicious meal of wild boar and almond sauce or maybe I just needed the time of rest, but it was difficult to drive off and move on. Whatever it was, I liked it there.

The very idea of a castle, a stronghold to shelter, protect and safeguard in times of old was essential to the well being and very lives of the local population that would in times of danger sequester inside its walls. Often, I think we too, figuratively and perhaps even physically, pull ourselves inside to protect, preserve and keep from danger our own hearts. Although at times perhaps even necessary as when we are hurt by those around us, many times, it is just out of fear or questioning of the unknown, or exploring the unfamiliar and different and as important as this might be at times, sometimes, as much as we might not want to, we just need to pull up and start a new path to see where life will take us again.

Again, please select the photo to view the image correctly sized. 

Multi Layered Vision

As I sat down to post today, I can't believe that I am doing so two days in a row. Although way back my intent on this blog was to contribute regularly, pushing myself to get images together and to shoot more. It has not always worked as I had planned, as many things in life don't and image placement has been quite sporadic, but it is what it is.

This image is unique among all those I have posted thus far in that although it is a in camera image that I indeed photographed, for it to be possible, I had to utilize digital manipulation.

Most of the images so far have been straight digital shots, or ones that started out onto film and were later scanned in to this medium. This one is a composite of multiple exposures that were digitally combined into one in a process known as HDRI, or properly, Hi Dynamic Range Imagery. It is a technique where many exposures are made at differing light levels, combining those all into one image allowing detail to be appreciated on a large luminosity scale. Although many shots I have seen using this approach are 'too dynamic' and look fake, some purposefully so, I was pleased with this one, as it encompassed detail both in the snowy path as well as the much darker tree trunks and shadows in the woods.

Our human eyes, are marvels of creation, amazingly adjusting almost instantaneously from light to dark subjects without any conscious thought, but in years past, film was much less so forgiving and one often had to choose which range to capture, setting the mood intentionally within this limitation. With HDRI, I could here more closely reflect what I might have actually seen that winter day a couple of years ago in a local woods.

Once again , this process and post today, has helped me reflect (which is part of the blogs purpose) on the nature of our vision and experience in life. Often, our experiences and even or willingness to engage in ones, are limited by our vision and how much of the 'picture' we see. Long ago, using film, my creativity was more limited, as was my youthful viewpoint on much of life, but in this present age, just as the digital world has opened up many more possibilities of thought and expression in my photography, my mind has matured and offers a much deeper thought process when I seek to engage in issues and possibilities in all areas of my life.

I hope you have enjoyed this today as much as I did when imagining in my mind the image that might exist within this new technique, while i was out on a cool, quiet winter stroll.

Please click on the image to view it full size. 

Round and Around

This image, again one of my first, taken many years ago (seems to be a theme lately) is also one of my favorites. I photographed these Lillies at Longwood Gardens, which is a Dupont family legacy, now a fantastic garden and conservatory estate located just outside of Kennett Square, Pa, nearby to where I live. A link to them: http://longwoodgardens.org/

It is very easy to make wonderful photographs here for the impressive displays they continually have on hand of the most exotic and beautiful floral landscapes one can imagine. The real challenge is to be selective enough to narrow your vision to the things that truly capture your attention. I have been there many times and I suspect will never tire of walking through the greenhouses or vast estate grounds and as many times that I have made photographs here, there will always be more than I can find I am sure.

This particular shot was one of a large indoor, springtime 'field' of flowers in their spring display. I remember trying hard to capture the nuances of the petals and other internal parts of individual flowers, then moving on to the relationship of the whole flower to it's environment, all the while trying to avoid the cultivated nature of this display. Eventually though, I widened my view to the larger landscape and made this image. I always liked it, but never understood why. Years later, when showing some of my work to my new friend, Ernst Haas, he really enjoyed it and asked me to make him a print. He pointed out that within the scope of the view for him, it led his eye around and around the image, always showing him something new, keeping it fresh. Until then, I never considered it that way and it inspired me to look for more 'randomness' in my vision from there on.

I guess sometimes we focus too often on the details, whether it be in a photograph or within problems of life we are facing, rather than looking at the solution and beauty that might be there in the whole. Even though I still tend to look for the small things that seem to capture me again and again, sometimes I just might need to step back to see a broader view.

Oddly, in this new format for the blog, you must click on the image to receive the larger view!

Close to Home

Looking out the window today at an early winter rainy, colorless kind of day drove me to find and image with some visual warmth. Although I had thought I had posted this one lone ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had not. Like a warm, honest hug from a small, cheery child, this one reached out to me and brought me the same cheer, contrasting the world before me.

I took this image when I first started to take photographs back in the 1980s and was not even a 'photographer', but always like it for the simplicity and graphic nature of it. It is simply one of the exterior frost and interior condensation often found on the window panes in the wintertime in our area. This one was my Mother's kitchen window with the sun setting one afternoon on a very cold day.

I always thought it reminded me of a desert scene somehow, kind of like the sun perpetually rising on the crest of a sand dune.

Over my many years, I have traveled a decent part of the globe, much of it in the effort and pursuit of finding images destined for some purpose or another, but all too often, the very best images, although maybe not 'exotic' in nature, are made right around the area in which I live daily, a place I can intimately experience with depth and familiarity. Like with anything worthwhile in our lives... family and good friends, treasures are usually found close to the heart where we live in the everyday.

I hope this image brings warmth to your eyes and heart as well today.

A view in the darkness

 

As fall turns into winter, soon to come are the longer periods of darkness, something I do not enjoy. Although getting out on sunny days with snowy trees is one of my absolute favorite activities, the extended nighttime hours wears on my heart.

This image however, was taken on a winter moonlit night probably about midnight of a Red Maple tree we planted in our yard years ago. I like doing nighttime exposures, for many reasons, one being the quiet and the challenge to do so, but also for the interesting quality of light that is expressed through the reflected light from the moon. After a long exposure, it is always surprising how much can be seen and captured and I think of the animals created for the night and how they easily see, and the color shift in the camera and luminescent quality is cool to me.

Sometimes, I wish I could see in the dark (how much more pleasant that season would be) both literally and in a spiritual sense for darkness is very wearisome to both the body and the soul and leaves me grappling for purpose sometimes, just like I would stumble on a dark winters night. This past year has brought me to many places of great interest once again in creative expression, some avenues that are very new to me, opening my mind to see the world differently and some reborn from the past,  but it has also brought some times of deep darkness, where it became a concentrated effort just to keep  moving ahead.

As winter approaches once again, I am hoping for some snowy treed days ahead to help push me through the season and give me opportunities to allow me to see through the night. Perhaps if so, my heart would also be lifted in the process and I would once again find my way until spring.

Focussing with the Heart

After another long absence and not allot to say through my imagery, I was finally inspired to  post something. So in thinking about it I do have something to say, but not through my work, but that of my daughter.

On occasion, she has been out shooting with me and it has always been a fun, interesting invigorating, learning experience for both of us as photography should be. More recently she has been making some images within her own own travel experiences and is always excited to share them with me. Seeing that she has an 'eye' for making photographs when we have been out together, I am always thrilled in seeing her search out that image that is before her  and pulling it out from within the big world.

This first image, taken of a Lilly, while on a private excursion together to Long Wood Gardens here in Pa. a while back, was a revelation for her. To see the small beauty hidden inside the details of just one flower amid the mass before her. We have a copy of it on our wall at home.

These three others. are from a trip she took to Puerto Rico this spring. When she was showing me her images, there were shots of broad street or garden scenes, nice photos on their own, but within them I could see more that would interest me. Little details or designs or pieces of graphics that drew me in. I refrained from saying "see this part here" in viewing them, but then was pleased a few images later, that they were there, captured from her heart, recognizing the part of the whole that really was the 'image' to her. I am proud to share these with you and to let her know that she really has learned to focus with her heart, not just her eyes.

Power of Fear and Love

This image, taken while on an assignment for US News and World Report on the growing impact of the Klu Klux Klan in America is one that has always haunted me. It has always been to me a powerful and intriguing image in the pose and attire that this man displays, but sickens me as to the world it represents. What he holds in his crossed arms and hood, is the power of fear, both for those whom he and his group would oppose and persecute, but also fear within himself of the very idea and people he condemns. He himself, is afraid to see his fellow man made in the image of God and to even attempt to accept him as such. His fear has turned into hate, the very opposite of love.

The power of fear cripples us all at times, in thought, action and even collectively as whole nations, as we seek defenses to protect against our enemies, who do likewise as they are also gripped in fear of us. It stifles and kills innovation, truth, risk, adventure, crushes the spirit and even can hinder love itself holding back our very souls from the one who created them. In all of this, we fail to see that the power held within His love can conquer any fear that is within us. Scripture tells us in 1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear... The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

In looking back, I remember while watching and documenting that 'rally' event and seeing first hand, hate so graphically personified in right front of my eyes and lens (In fact I narrowly missed getting beaten, while in the illusion of my 'safe zone' behind my camera, in the middle of scuffle a foot or so away from me), the sense of fear that was there that day was so very real to me. There have been many times since when it has welled up in a variety of forms, pushing it's way into the consciousness of my mind, even to this very day, and continues to be a struggle for me, but given the choice whether to let it rise, crippling my soul for a season or to run to my God,  who I know loves me, the one who is love itself, I will always choose love and always chose Him. 

Power en masse

No one can deny the amazingly unfathomable power contained within the water that literally covers over three quarters of our planet, for in it is the power to enrich and uphold every living being, as we depend on it, very simply for our daily physical sustenance. Like the planet on which we reside, our very bodies have an equal ratio of this precious fluid supporting us. But also in it's grasp is the tremendous power to destroy and erode, both individually and in great numbers, man and the earth's many environments. Drop by drop, it has shaped endless shorelines, carved deep canyons and by use of it as a resource, man has forged political, social and economic boundaries. It has been used as a weapon, a tool and in a most direct way to create electric power for our needs.

Personally, living within a short distance of a coastline for most of my life, I have always been fascinated by and drawn to the surf and it's never ending push and pull at the ribbon like edges of of our continents, where water upon meeting the dry earth exchanges things of the sea with those from the land. It is at this junction of two dissimilar worlds, where both dreams and adventures, stories and fears are inspired, for hidden beneath the vast surface stretched out before or eyes, is a world which we have only begun to understand and which holds innumerable mysteries and deep fascinations contained within our imaginations.

This particular photo, I took while on a break from a corporate photographic assignment on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, not far from my first and only adventure on a surfboard, at the famous Waimea Beach, thanks to a photographer friend, Aaron Chang. In this shot, I always have liked the layers of depth and color, from the foreground reflection, to blue shadow in the curl and translucence above, to the mist peeling off the top into the various hues of deep ocean and sky on beyond the breakers.

Power Trip

Here is a photo of the inside of a jet engine intake, taken at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The simplicity of it's concept and design is amazing and it's power has literally transformed our world, shortening distances and made daily worldwide travel possible as we know it.

Although this form of power has taken me around the world many, many times and to adventures that richly fill my memories, it had appealed to me here purely for it's aesthetic beauty.   

Seat of Power

This image of a Rotunda ceiling of inside the U.S. Capital is the first of a series that I have been thinking about for a while on power. Nothing stirs the heart and patriotism like seeing the magnificent architectural within the buildings of our nation's capital. It is certainly the seat of great power influencing the lives of millions worldwide, for good or for bad, but power non the less.

Remembering the unkown

"Who is buried here?" my youngest asked as we were sitting in the gallery to the Gravesite of the Unkown soldier."shhhh!" I say trying to maintain the silence (they WILL reprimand you if you are disruptive),"no one knows". "Why not" he asks, whispering....... I will explain later.

I am sure there have been a few conversations, like this one that afternoon a few years ago, when kids try to grasp the solemn, reverence of this place in our nations capital. The 'soldier' honored there is in spirit, everyman that has ever lost their lives in the service of this great country, yet  the three who are actually entombed there, they are those who's names we do not know. Not only did they lose their mortal lives, but their identities as well, and in doing so, became an important symbol for a place of national mourning and remembrance to this day.

Every second of every day since July 1st 1937, this tomb has been under watch of a handful of guards that have volunteered and been selected for this solemn duty. Their time here is for only a short season built around this important task, but it is an honor that they will cherish their entire lives.

The tombs themselves are simple, granite slabs recessed into the platform overlooking the mall across the Potomac River and the over 400,000 surrounding graves of the fallen whom we know, with a solid granite monument behind inscribed with Here Rests In Honored glory An American Soldier Known But To God.

These three deceased men receive many, many thousands of yearly visitors, perhaps more than any other gravesite in the world, yet they remain in anonymity for it is only to God they are known. The very that God promises that He intimately knows each and everyone of us, even to the point of knowing the number of hairs on our heads, as recorded in Luke 12:7! Whether in life or in death, we are not a mystery to Him.... but Him to us, until we decide to live for Him, accepting His sacrifice as sufficient for us.

As we honor and remember the sacrifice given by these three men and the countless others to their country and our freedom on this Memorial Day, let us also remember the ultimate sacrifice of the One who created us and gave Himself up for us.

Surprise Sanctuary

This wonderful little winter scene is one that is probably no more than 5 miles to my home, yet I never went past it until this past year. While heading to work, a closed bridge (a common occurrence in our neck of the woods) forced me to detour onto a dirt road to find a new way. Along this hidden road, I discovered one of the most beautiful and well maintained farms I have ever encountered and made a note to visit again when the time was right. Well, one snowy afternoon was just that time and I ventured out to see what might happen. I shot from the road side as I did not want to disturb the snow, but was spotted by a caretaker who let me shoot, but with a promise not to reveal the location or use the images commercially. So this is for your viewing pleasure only> I hope you enjoy it.

Tiny spots of cheer

While on a family outing down the hill behind or home to see some Hurricane Irene flooding along our creek, I spotted these tiny, tiny mushrooms on the way back up the hill.

If not for the bright, eye catching color I would have easily missed these underfoot for their small size. Immediately getting down on my elbows and knees, I made a few exposures trying to maintain some sort of light and focus on this cloudy, wet day with such a small subject, all the while hand holding the camera and macro lens at 1/8 second, to get at least a small amount of depth of field. The excursion out was my wife's idea (I would have preferred to stay inside and dry), but in the end well worth the effort. In the second photo, you can see the scale with my finger tip in the frame.

They really did give me a sense of cheer and for the small, but beautiful things of our world.