Thursday evening at Delta Lake yielded a trove of images. I was running up and down the beach area setting up the camera for every view I liked. It wasn’t as crowded as I thought it would have been for such a beautiful ending to the day. I’m OK with that. There are days you want company and others you revel in the solitude. I’m good with that too.
I am me. I know who I am. I didn’t always. Why does it take so long to find out? Does it for everybody? Surfing the waves of my memory I can point to events that forged the earlier version of me. Would changing those events make me different now. Probably. Would I want to… no. I am me.
Lost in Reflection At the water's edge True self revealed deep within Lost in reflection
It was a long day at work. One of those days where you are constantly running around but not really accomplishing anything. Where you are being pulled from one small problem to the next. Where your list of projects mockingly calls at you, knowing you will not get to it… yeah, one of those days.
Getting home later than usual doesn’t bother me, the fresh wave of heat and humidity does. After dinner I was not thinking of going back out there, into the sauna, for a few “pictures”. I sat down on the couch and picked up Rick Sammon’s book, the one I mentioned a while ago that I had started. I didn’t get very far into the next chapter when I read a passage about landscape photographers. It hit home.
Always around sunrises and sunsets I keep looking out the windows (actually the time leading up to those events), trying to gauge if I should or shouldn’t go chasing the light. I don’t know why I have these internal struggles. I forget you have to be out there and experience the light in order to capture it. Go! Just go out there and let your eye wander. Point the camera at anything that interests you. Rick’s passage in his book reminded me…
One glance to the west and I knew the sunset was going to be one to watch. I didn’t need to photograph it, I needed to experience it, and if I happen to capture an image… bonus! I headed down to Bellamy Harbor…
Bellamy Harbor has not been a sunrise destination for me in quite a while. After the city placed the fences around the canal control gates I didn’t want to up my frustration for the missing harbor view. I get it. I understand why. Still annoys me.
I did go Saturday morning though. I was half hoping the fences would be down (they are not). Maybe there would be a way for me to get my favorite view of the harbor (there is not). I’m sure there is another view that will be “the view” (nope).
I still enjoyed my time at the park but it was related to being there. The sound of the water rushing over the spillway. The call of the ducks as they paddled through the water. The rustle of leaves in the trees. Aaahhh! Good morning…
Sunrise Blues Mornings unhindered A state of serenity Hear the sunrise blues
I am in double trouble.
Since I have been on this journey of photography I see the world around me differently. Images appear everywhere I look. Driving the car can be interesting as I am constantly seeing new opportunities for my camera. The way the light is falling on a tree or the color of the sky as the sun rushes toward the horizon.
Now words are coming out too. I have used the titles of my images to convey a little more about each image. It might have been a thought or feeling as I took the image, or they might come after as I’m processing. Lately, more words have been coming out and yesterday I needed to stop along the way to work to record a few that kept playing in my head…
Hidden beneath the surface Never quite awake A thought, a feeling Waiting to escape Held in reserve For fear of rejection This part of me So long forgotten Your words reached within And untied the knots The spirit set free To soar now unbound What heights will be reached The limit is endless My story unfolds The future yet written.
As long as I have been going to Delta Lake to photograph the views I have been drawn to this tree. I have captured its image throughout the seasons. I never understood why this tree held my focus until I realized, the tree is me…
Sentinel Stoic in the wind Sentinel to the water Lake dreams unfurled
Late in the afternoon I headed out to explore with the camera. I didn’t have a particular destination in mind, it only needed to be different. Someplace I haven’t been in a while. I was letting my subconscious decide the turns along the way when I remembered Wagner Farms was open. They have sunflower fields!
The sky was looking fantastic. My excitement was palpable. Drive!
I parked the car and could not get the camera out of the bag quick enough. I took a step back. I slowed my breathing. The sunflowers were not going anywhere. I needed a moment to plan.
The macro lens was on the camera which is what I wanted to capture details. What to do for the long shots, the grand vistas, the sweeping landscapes… bring another camera! With one camera hanging off my hip from the capture clip and the other from the strap around my neck I walked into the fields.
It was a sea of yellow! Glorious!
Dang, I’m not alone. What are these other people doing in my fields? Breath…
I explored the main field switching between the two cameras every few feet. I had forgotten how people use the sunflower fields for photo shoots. Navigating around portrait photographers and their subjects was interesting but I was determined to not let it ruin my afternoon. I happily collected my images.
Off to the second field. Different varieties of sunflowers with the non-standard coloring were in the second field. There were also less people. My smile was growing.
I was almost done with the second field when noticed the sky. Whoa! The clouds had rolled in but the sun was streaking through them. I needed that image. I knew exactly where to get the one I wanted. Back to the first field…
To say I wanted to run would not be admitting too much, right? No, running not allowed. I settled on asking Mother Nature not to change the view. Please stay a few more minutes… please. Whew! I made it.
There are small platforms along the fields to give some elevation. Not high, maybe four feet but enough to allow you to look out across the entire field with the sun flowers poking through a blanket of green. This is the image I wanted. The words started trickling into my head as soon as I stepped off the platform…
Replenished Hope. Streaking earthward Alighting on yellow seas Spirit replenished
Hopefully, you never stop growing, or exploring who you are. You are not who you started out to be, the journey changes you. The challenge is being open to that change. The fun is finding a kindred spirit to share in the journey…
Windows Capturing pictures Moments frozen out of time Windows to the heart
MLCreations Photography 