Another one from the archives. It was a beautiful, foggy sunrise and after I’d taken my grand landscape shots, we wandered a bit to see if anything caught our eyes. The dog was happy just to sniff around while I took photos of this and that.
Suddenly, the dog’s ears perked up and my other half called over to me. “Did you hear that?”
Do photographers EVER hear things when they’re lost in their creative flow? The obvious answer was no.
But, he swore up and down that he caught a glimpse of something BIG in the woods near the pond. And being in moose and bear territory, we decided it was time to shove off.
“Do it for the ‘gram!” – People who ruin it for the rest of us.
This fall, Melissa and I took a trip to lower VT/NH for some foliage shots. We stopped at a quiet spot for sunrise, then schlepped over to Madame Sherri’s. It’s been on the list of places to see for a long time and we were finally checking it off.
We get there and the place was over run with people. Knowing this is a popular and unique location though, I was willing to be patient and wait my turn. Everyone has the same right to experience this spot, right?
But then a college-aged looking girl started climbing the stairs and perched over the top arch. The arch that clearly has a crack in it. The arch that looks likely to fall first.
Maybe it’s the nurse in her. Maybe it’s the mom in her. Either way, Melissa called out, suggesting that it wasn’t safe and that she would come down the steps a bit.
The girl’s mother, who was taking shots of the girl on her cell phone, turned to us and said it was fine. And heck, she’s the girl’s guardian so who are we to disagree?
But truth be told, it rankled. In part, because no one wants to see a kid get hurt if that thing crashes down. But also, if someone is up there when it does eventually crumble, and they get injured, Everyone will lose access to the ruins.
So many people these days have an entitled, short-sighted attitude. While I fully support an adventurous mindset, I also believe in safety and conservation; those things don’t have to be mutually exclusive, but the I-do-what-I-want mentality really throws a wrench into things.
Ultimately, the girl came down off of the stairs safely, but how many people will see her post on social media and think to mimic her? We all have a responsibility to set good examples. If we aren’t willing to speak up when we see something dangerous and to preserve our special places (environment, planet, etc) now, then what are we leaving for our children? Once the places or access is gone, it’s gone.
If you’re interested in prints this gift-giving season, let me know. You can find a gallery’s worth of options here.
Lonesome Lake has been on my radar for years, ever since I saw a post about it on The Outbound. I fiiiiinnnnaaallly made it up there this fall, and as we reached the edge of the lake we saw…. nothing. The entire lake was socked in with fog. Lol But, we came to hike, so that’s what we did. We took a trip around the lake, enjoying the way the fog looked through the trees and tall grasses, thinking it was still pretty even if it wasn’t what we anticipated. As we got closer to the hut, this view opened up. It was a short window, maybe 15-25 minutes? But it was spectacular!
Life isn’t always what you expect it to be, but that doesn’t mean that it’s bad. It’s just different, and sometimes, different can be so dang beautiful. ❤
When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence. -Ansel Adams
New Hampshire is a such a beautiful state. This fall, we will be taking some students up into the White Mountain area for a one day workshop. If that’s something you’d be interested in, sign up for our newsletter so we can keep you informed. Announcement should be coming in the next month or so. 🙂
If you think a private lesson is more your speed, contact us and we can put together a lesson plan tailored to your needs.
And finally…for those of you on Instagram, we have a new project we have started meant to help people meet other great pphotographers, chat, and grow a sense of community among our awesome supporters and friends. If you’re on IG, please give @i_took_a_photo a follow. If you want your own images shared, tag them #w_my_camera. 🙂
See what we did there? @i_took_a_photo #w_my_camera ….. Heh. Heh.
This is an image of Crawford Notch, in New Hampshire taken last fall on a scouting trip with my photo partner in crime (partner in photo?) David Pasillas. There is something very powerful and empowering about just exploring, finding beautiful spaces and the capturing memories. As I said in a recent interview with Laura Macky, I wonder how long some of these spaces will be around and I feel so grateful that I am able to see and experience them before they change, for better or (more likely) worse.
The sky was full of movement that day, opening and closing windows between the clouds. I took a few versions of this over the course of perhaps 15 minutes, and the highlights of the landscape were significantly different for each.
It wasn’t the golden hour, or the deep shadows of blue hour…but watching the light dance across the scene was its own brand of magic.
In May, I put together a post about the art of blur. I firmly believe that photography, just like any other artistic medium, is an outlet for our creativity and expression. To that end, today, I give you Artsy Nature. Or Fine Art Birches. Or, Dang Get That Girl A Tripod Trees. 🙂
David Pasillas and I spent the weekend in NH working on a super secret project, practicing our photo skills, scouting the region for beautiful picture worthy stuff, and generally getting our creative on. Because creativity is important to our lives, right? There will be many more photos coming in the next few weeks of the foliage, the views, and eventually a big reveal on our super secret project! (Intrigued? You should be.)
In the meantime, enjoy the birches. Thanks so much for checking out my site, if you enjoy the art, please share it! 🙂
SeeingSpotsPhoto.com 