Autumn Reflections

Art is a peculiar thing. For those that don't know, I've been into creating for the sake of creating since I could remember. Art and music have been an active part of my life since just about the beginning, 30+ years now engaged, and it still manages to surprise and catch me off guard. Surprised at where the inspiration does or doesn't come from sometimes, surprised at the feelings I still get from it after all this time, and probably the most surprising on the regular is how art can manifest itself. So many times in photography am I fooled by either thinking I have a nailed a shot, or messed it up, and only through a new lens per say have I seen the composition that I was blind to at first. It is the same with music for me and always has been.

   I look through my camera's viewfinder or at the back of the LCD screen and think "WOW!, that's an amazing shot! ", only to get it back to home base and on the computer and think " Wow, that's garbage..... ". Now you might be wondering "does it happen the other way around as well? ". For myself the answer is a resounding "why yes! why yes it does!". It can be quite the annoyance, maybe I'm just an oddball but at times, being able to slow down and internalize without the distractions, though wonderful as they may be sometimes, of the environmental stimuli surrounding me while in the field allows me to really give more thought to the shots and what I believe worked and what may have not. I discover what I once thought was a horrible shot actually becomes one of favorite pieces yet, or I discover that what gold I thought I had my cameras lens pointed at turned out to be rocks for a fool. However, with that being said, there are rare occasions in which immediately upon laying eyes on it in the field I KNOW I have gold or in this case, crimson and amber. One of those shots where if not a single person on planet earth liked it, I would still feel overjoyed with. I feel like this is one of the best shots of my short career to date. That sense of self growth is liberating to say the least.

   Never be afraid to look at a composition or at the scenes of life from another perspective, a different view, sometimes with fresh eyes and a soft heart. You might surprise yourself. And yes, that is both advice to my fellow photographers and to well, to anyone playing this game of life really.

   A beautifully sculpted Japanese Maple twists and climbs towards the suns glow as it peeks through the clouds on a rainy late October morning in Ashland, Oregon.

" Nature's Duality, "

                            Whose Transcendent Works

                                    Ephemera Possess

Nikon D750

ISO 100

1 Sec

50mm @ f/16