Humility

In response to the great cathedrals of the world, I thought I'd create my own place of worship. It is a place that I wouldn't expect people to travel great distances to visit. It is not decorated with great art. The walls don't do a very good job of protecting the people who enter — they are still exposed to the storms of life. I wouldn't wear fine clothes if it wanted to sit or kneel in this place. The only choir is the wind, the crickets, and bird songs.
I'm not knocking the great places of worship in the world. It is important to glorify God with the work of our hands and to inspire others to glorify God, but sometimes we, as Christians, need to be reminded of where OUR glory lies. … And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. It's really pretty simple — like a building used to store corn.

Blessings

Bob

Halo

The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it — Psalm 24:1

Sometimes the Lord has remarkable ways of reminding us of the verse above. Mention the word "halo" and today's kids might think of a video game, but for oldsters like me we tend to think of those glorious paintings of saints from centuries ago that always included the circle above their head to signify their holiness/innocence. At the beach the other day there was this interesting cloud formation and my thoughts went directly to holiness or being blessed. I just had a week where all my children were back home to celebrate my second daughter's (third child) wedding. I felt so incredibly blessed as I watched them sing, work, play and celebrate. My heart really could not contain the joy and gratitude I felt. I think the Lord sent me this image to help me express some of what I felt. I hope you enjoy it too.

blessings

Bob

From the Heart

Every once in awhile I revisit old images — in this case, one I took over 30 years ago. I have a few more tools in my toolbox thanks to digital imaging, and I can play around with these oldies but goodies and make something new.
As you may have noticed I haven't been posting much lately. I have a daughter getting married in a week and I am happily busy helping get ready for the event. I have been inspired by my daughter's life and love and I'm dedicating this new-old image as a blessing for her and her wonderful husband to be.

I call this piece love and faithfulness.

Looking Up

This time of year it's real easy to spend your time looking at what's around your feet. The woodland wildflowers have just a couple weeks to soak in the sun and tempt the insects with their beauty and fragrance before the canopy of maples and beeches block out the sky. Spring beauties, dutchman's breeches, trout lilies, trilliums, and marsh marigolds are occupying every inch of forest floor and their colors and shapes are intoxicating for photographers as well as insects.
I walked up the ravine to the hills where the big beeches live just to find a place to sit and enjoy the breeze. I've often found that if I just relax and observe for a few minutes I'll begin to see new things or old things in new ways. I looked up at a nearby beech tree that had a muscular trunk and then re-focused my eyes on the twigs of sapling beeches that filled space like baby's breath in a bouquet. I've looked at these beeches for years and I'm sure I've seen these leaves emerging before, but today, I really saw them — I took time to enjoy them.
I always look forward to the arrival of the wildflowers in the Spring and I'm sure I always will. But now there's something new to look forward to.

Overcast

Here is an image that "just happened" a few days ago. Sometimes you can spend a whole day at a favorite photo hot spot and have just the right mix of sun and clouds and everything you come home with seems uninspired. Then there are the moments that "just happen."
The sky was overcast. I was not feeling particularly creative. So I told myself I'd take a short walk down the beach — the goal; just get some fresh air and exercise. Maybe it was because I was relaxed. Maybe it was because I like the color purple. Maybe the combination of light, clouds, and water never came together in just that way before, at least while I was at the beach. Who knows? For some reason I became keenly aware that the receding waves were a beautiful purplish blue. I pulled out the camera and took just a few shots. I used a slow shutter speed and followed the motion of the waves thinking the softness of motion might enhance the mellow mood of the light.
The result is this image. Certainly not the "immediate" drama of some images -- but for me it really has a strong emotive effect. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Blessings,

Bob

Cold

Every year we get a few cold days in early Spring — days that are deceptively cold. Part of the problem is that we've already had a few Spring-like days where the temps hit 50+ and we run outside with just our hoodies on. Then come the days where it is bright and sunny but the air is more in tune with your down parka. I knew it would be cold out on the beach but I decided I needed to get out there and shoot.
The sky was crystal clear as I headed to Fisherman's Island — around 5 PM. The access road along Lake Michigan is a seasonal road (not plowed) so, as expected, there were remnants of drifts still crossing the blacktop. It made me a little nervous cause the last thing I wanted to do is get stuck way back at Inwood Creek. I know from previous visits that there is no cell phone coverage out there. Anyway, my desire to capture some images outweighed my fears and I wove my way around and over the stubborn ice to road's end.
The one good thing about the cold was that even though the skies were clear, the fact that you could see your breath would keep away most other visitors. Not that I don't like people, it's just that I'm easily distracted when I'm working on images. Growing as an artist means learning about yourself. I attempt to put myself with the right places at the right time to eliminate distractions, AND, even more importantly, I work at getting myself in the right frame of mind. When shooting in familiar locations I have a tendency to visualize the images that are waiting for me. Anticipation has some good points in that it helps me decide what gear to have along and strategizing saves some time when gathering images, but there is a downside. Having a plan keeps me from being open to something new that's just waiting to jump into my camera. I have learned to just slow down and walk round the area for a few minutes before pressing the shutter.
In looking over my images today I'm very pleased with what I was able to capture at Fisherman's Island. I had to endure some frozen toes (I got my feet wet) but it was worth it.

Wandering

Why do those bugs that are eating away at the trees make serpentine trails? Are they programmed to weave? Maybe the decaying tree cells are fermented and the bugs couldn't eat a straight line if they wanted to. Do the bugs has a specific place on the tree where they are headed? So why not take the shortest route?
Then again, I have lots of goals but my road to those goals seem more like the bug trails. Even for a pretty goal minded individual I seem to be easily distracted and often confused — is my goal even worth pursuing? I've been thinking about putting together a book of images and words for years, but it doesn't seem to happen. I think what it comes down to is that my life isn't about me, and there are good/important reasons for distractions — serving family, friends, strangers — anyone who needs help. I guess my distractions are goals.
Is this blog entry wandering?
What was I talking about?