Month: January 2015

More Inspiration

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srise
Sunrise at Orlando Wetlands Park. November 2014.

I have begun reading The Zen of Seeing by Frederick Franck. What an unbelievable book, much like Freeman Patterson I will now seek out all his publications. This book is handwritten rather than type set and includes numerous sketches by the author. Here’s a link to his website http://www.frederickfranck.org/ for more info.

Although the book is geared towards drawing, it easily transfers to photography. His main premise is something he calls see/draw (substitute see/photograph). He speaks of observing a scene as it exists, without labels, judgments, thoughts of a prize winning picture, etc. Everything stands on its own the merits simply because it exists. I’ve probably muddled the message somewhat but that’s what I got out of it.

He also speaks of drawing the “ten thousand things” which is, a Buddhist idea pertaining to the makeup of the universe. I a going to pursue this idea a bit over time.

Recent Weekend

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bird

Last weekend I stayed close to home and checked out the arboretum. Good news, the robins are around in force – a sign of spring? Several flowers are starting to bloom too. Although the bird in the picture is not a robin, in fact I was unable to id it.

I am starting to learn how to slow down. Typically picture taking has been like ‘wow that’s cool — snap, snap, snap’. Reading Freeman Patterson, among others I am trying to stop, look, assess, plan, compose, and shoot. This has proved difficult but I continue to try.  I get so distracted by spontaneous displays of beauty – look a bird, a flower, great lighting over there – need I go on?

Acres of Diamonds

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lbheron babywpecker

Once again the Russell Conwell speech proved true. http://www.temple.edu/about/history/acres-diamonds . You don’t need to roam the world in search of fortune because acres of diamonds are in your own backyard. In December I had the good fortune to get out before dawn on at least a dozen occasions, I probably traveled 1500+ miles in total and took that many pictures too. Captured some great shots and enjoyed some fabulous sunrises, birds singing, and landscapes, but the 2 pictures I consider my best were both from within 2 miles of my house.

The pictures are of a lesser blue heron and a baby woodpecker. I stalked the heron for about 50 yards along the lake before getting this shot. The woodpecker baffled me for a while as he mined a palm frond for bugs. Large palm fronds are hollow and make great amplifiers, so I couldn’t determine what was making the loud noise. I never expected him to be as tiny as he was.

While this “lesson” won’t dampen my wandering spirit, it does cause one to think a bit.

Positively Brilliant Illustrations

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I just came across a book – thanks to Brain Pickings on Facebook, The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau written by Michelle Markel and illustrated by Amanda Hall. A children’s book.

The drawings in this book are wonderful. They are mostly comprised of Rousseau paintings, with Henri R. inserted as the main theme. There are also several different Rousseau style pictures as well. The story is a a simplified biography of Henri Rousseau but inspirational none the less. If you don’t know his story to capsulize he started painting at 40 and persevered for 20+ years before being discovered by Picasso.

Here’s a link to the post on Brain Pickings. http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/12/09/the-fantastic-jungles-of-henri-rousseau/

Blogging 101 – intro post

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First, thanks for providing this resource, I am looking forward to it. My brief personal introduction is in the about section, so I’ve attempted to answer some of the questions posed.

I am beginning to blog because I have a great interest in nature and photography and would like to share my thoughts, explorations, and the journey in general. I am also looking to share my adventures with a wider audience (beyond my family) in hopes that perhaps a few may find it interesting, give me inspiration, and perhaps inspire them to share in similar experiences.

My goal is to post twice per week at a minimum with a fresh picture from that weeks wanderings and a little insight into how I got there and what I did. By the end of this year I would like to have polished my writing, taken more photos, visited  more places – both local and in other parts of the country, and hopefully engage more people in exploring their surroundings and enjoying the natural world.

Cocoa Pier

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gbheron pierpelican

It was foggy and cloudy this morning, but the birds were cooperative. These guys were hanging out on the pier waiting for gifts from the fisherman – fortunately no one was feeding them.

I’m shooting auto ISO and manual mode so I can control the shutter speed better, I capped the ISO at 400, I can go to 800 without much degradation, but I don’t like it. Personal preference I guess. Post processing was a bit difficult, I need to determine how to get 8X10’s using the full raw file.