We were hiking a few weeks ago, as you do in the fall, and we came across this scene. I really debated posting this shot, because I can’t pinpoint what I like about it. It’s not a clean composition following any one set of “rules”. But I still like it.
I guess that’s life sometimes. Messy, but there is still joy to be found if you’re open to finding it.
“We need to learn to be strong in the face of despair, because that is the only way we will appreciate the strength that can be found in our scars. That is the only way we will understand that overcoming our obstacles gives us the willpower to deal with so much more in life. That is the only way we will accept that strength is earned, not given, that strength is in being soft, not stone-hearted.” -Ruby Dahl
These are challenging times. We are a country divided, with both empathy and discord thrown by the wayside. But we cannot move forward with hardened hearts. That way danger lies.
Despite our differences, we have more in common with each other than not. Our ideas on how to provide for ourselves and our families may be different, but we look toward the same goals.
There can be no room for hate and divisive rhetoric if we want to move forward as one nation, where all men and women are created equal, and given the same respect and opportunities. We must listen to our neighbors. Empathize with their struggles. Realize we are all in this together. Stop being fooled into thinking our fellow man is our enemy, and look at what our goals are and how we can collectively get there.
In this season of increasingly aggressive political attacks, take a step back from the emotional tribalism and think rationally about where our country is headed (looking at the scope of human history for context), and how you imagine your children’s future on all levels–their ability to find work and support themselves, their access to health care, their ability to exercise their rights under the constitution, their emotional health, the state of the environment and if it will continue to support future generations…. Talk to people outside of your echo chamber and get their perspective. Think about the progress our country has made in recognizing people’s civil rights while also understanding growth is fluid and can backslide. There are still flaws, but we should always look forward with the goal of a brighter future. Do the work to educate yourself, rather than relying on vitriol and memes. *Then* cast your vote.
This year, I chose my “best of” based on the memories I was lucky enough to have made. It was a year of great trips (courtesy of some flight credits I had to use up before they expired) and I am beyond thankful I was able to see England, Northern Ireland and Ireland, Chincoteague ponies, Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, the many nights I spent under the stars with friends, the eclipse, the Adirondacks and Iceland (northern light, heeellllooo). I am grateful for these opportunities and for having good friends to make these memories with. ❤
2017 had its difficult parts, and I am definitely hoping 2018 shows improvement in some areas…but I am thankful. Cheers to a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
This is one of those beautiful small scenes the Catskills in NY is known for. We got here during mediocre light (by photographer standards…aka a nice day to everyone else haha) so I struggled a bit with this edit. What do you guys prefer? Black & White? Or color?
Also, the holiday gift giving season is upon us. If anyone wants a print or two, let me know!
Crescendo :: NY
Between the destruction of Hurricane Harvey and Irma, and the wildfires raging out west, most recently in the Columbia River Gorge, I’ve been doing a little reflecting. Our natural spaces are so important, yet so fragile. One little event, change, or bad decision can upset an ecosystem for decades.
Would Harvey have been quite as damaging if the natural flood planes and wetlands around Houston had remained intact? Would the Gorge be flush with greenery still if one kid decided fireworks in a dry season was a bad idea?
Hindsight is 20/20, and so it’s easy to say what should have been done differently in those cases…. but what about the decisions that are being made now, that will devastate something in our future? Those little moments of putting money, or Instagram fame, or some other selfish priority over the need (yes, *need*) to maintain these green spaces? Every day we have the opportunity to make good, healthy, environmentally sustainable choices and it’s so easy to be selfish, to take the easy path, to say “someone else will do it.” But in the end, it’s not someone else’s responsibility to guarantee you and your children and your grandchildren a safe future. It’s yours. It’s all of ours. If each of us does our part, in the end, we all win.
This is a shot from North-South Lake in the Catskills of NY. Sunset was dang purty!
Split :: NY
A few weeks ago, my friends and I (David, Mel and Matt) had the pleasure of met up in the Adirondacks for a few days of fun and photos (if you follow me on the Instagrams or the Snapchats, you probably saw some of the shenanigans and bts posts).
We got one day of fancy light, and (of course) one day of overcast/rainy weather. You know the old saying though, right? When life hands you rainy lemons, make some waterfall-y lemonade! I’m 1000% certain that’s how the phrase goes.
This, btw, is Split Rock falls. On rainy days, there is only…like…two safe spots to shoot from. As you can guess, most of us chose adventure over safety. I’m not saying I was clinging to a slippery cliff…..earmuffs Mom! (*whispers* but I was definitely doing that. Many many many thanks to Matt for making sure I didn’t get dead!)
Epiphany :: NY
I know, I know….it’s a weird crop. But this is art dangit, and I do what I want. Also, I didn’t think cropping this one down did it justice.
Anyway, this is sunset over “Connery Pond” in the Adirondacks ….when you read it, your inside voice needs to have a Scottish accent, and add “Sean Connery” somewhere into the mix. Then you need to google the old Celebrity Jeopardy episodes of SNL and laugh uproariously. Look, I don’t make the rules, eh? (Oh, yeah, I do. 😂)
Nerdy stuff: This is three exposures blended together as a focus stacked vertical panorama.
Serenity :: NY
Sometimes you drive two hours for a sunset, and end up wading through spring runoff to photograph a waterfall instead. Life, right?
But there is a lesson there (besides a reminder to buy waterproof boots)… Opportunity is all around us, we just have to be open to it.
This shot is a single exposure, taken after the sun went down in a rapidly darkening forest. ( 14mm, 55 second, f/8, ISO 100 ) It was very blue…because blue hour…and color correcting made it look natural, but not better, so I opted for B&W instead!
Convergence :: NY
Sometimes that light is just so dang magical!
The snow finally arrived which has me thinking back to warmer days. Is it Spring yet?? 🙂
2016 was a year of photographic growth for me. I set several technical goals for myself as a way of pushing myself to be consistently better at my craft, and I’m proud of the progress I’ve made. I’ll admit, it was often a mix of trial and error (a lot of error), persistence, and supportive people around me but I feel like I made a noticeable difference in the quality of my images.
This year, I made a consistent effort to focus stack where appropriate, to really keep an eye on my histogram so that I wasn’t shooting 12 frames when I really needed 1 or 2, and I tried improving both my night sky/milky way techniques and lightning images. Those in-the-field efforts are represented in this “Best of…” gallery.
I’ve also grown in the editing arena, an area we can always work on, no matter how accomplished we are. I feel like my ability to *see* the weak areas of a raw image, and my ability to enhance the light in a positive way with my edits has grown immeasurably. Again, this was a matter of practice, feedback and support from my peers. I’m particularly proud of my Opal Creek wilderness forest shot, as it involved some creative shaping of the light.
The winter image in the gallery was a conscious attempt to force myself out of hibernation. Apparently, I need to do that more often – turns out winter light is lovely! Lol
And finally, the biggest reason I chose all of these images was the LIFE they represent.
I suspect it’s human nature to take things for granted – we developed our ability to tune things out as part of our survival mechanisms (because how could our ancestors focus on important things like hunting and gathering if they were constantly distracted by…oh, the wind! Oh, shiny rock! Oh, noise! Oh, a bird! What was I doing again??). Therefore, it takes a conscious effort to remember to appreciate the blessings in our life.
Write that life lesson down, folks. It’s particularly important in the relationships you hold dear.
So where am I going with this? Well, I’m an American woman. Currently, that means the law considers me to be a person with inherent rights, one of which is the ability to obtain resources and pursue my life aspirations. On the whims of fate, I was born here. I am not viewed as property, or less than human. I have the stability provided by a nation dedicated to protecting our freedoms. I am educated. Compared to so many places in the world, I grew up like a queen – I had food, clean water, health care, and never had the threat of war, unrest and violence looming on my doorstep every day. Although America isn’t perfect, I am GRATEFUL every day for the progressive ideas that surrounds me. As a country we can always improve. We are but a nation of flawed humans afterall, and will always have room to be better versions of ourselves…. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t already holding the human rights bar pretty high and I desperately hope we continue to do so abundantly, and equally across the country.
Because I was blessed be born in a place that respects my rights and raised to believe in pursuing my dream (so much thanks to my family for always inspiring and encouraging me), I have seen and experienced SO MUCH JOY all in pursuit of a photograph. I have traveled to places that have stolen my breath. I have met some incredibly interesting, funny and supportive people who are a constant source of light in my life. I have taken chances that have fed my soul.
In 2016, I was able to see the forest and seascapes (and….uh…wildlife) of Oregon and Northern California, the towering waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge, try out the delightful food trucks in Portland and have my heart swell at the beauty of the Steens Mountains and the Alvord desert. I soaked in a hot spring, while smiling with strangers. I sat under the stars with friends, and pretended to play a violin under the Milky Way. I explored NY and much of New England. I was assaulted by a frog near the Adirondacks, got to see bald eagles in Acadia, the wild ponies on Assateague and black bears in Shenandoah.
I have taught photography students and built friendships around the world through Light & Landscape (thanks for that opportunity Matt!), I wrote another photography book with my business-partner-in-not-crime David, I was blessed to photograph weddings for some amazing couples with my other business-partner-in-not-crime Melissa, worked with one of this year’s 40 under 40 winners (you rock, Fitz!), refined my inner photo-journalist with freelance assignments through the newspaper (shout out to Jared and the staff at the paper for the feedback and encouragement), and saw AMAZING shows / met some wonderful musicians during my nights as a concert photographer (so much thanks to the venue, Kathy, Pat and Angelo).
In short, I have the freedom to LIVE THE LIFE I WANT and these photos represent the landscape side of that. They are a reminder to be THANKFUL EVERY DAY.
Remember to count your blessings often, and appreciate the people and things that enrich your lives. Dwell on the positive, and embrace GRATITUDE instead of criticism. Open your heart to the people that care and the endless possibilities in front of you. Take chances, even knowing you may fail….failure can generally be overcome, but you’ll never get back the time you waste on “What ifs”. Travel as often as you are able to responsibly do so, so that you can learn about the magical places in the world….how else will you learn to cherish and protect them? As you travel near or far, make sure to appreciate that you have the ability to do so.
Wishing you all a wonderful 2017!
Looking for other bloggers, book reviewers (if you can read, you're in!) and photographers who want to join forces to save the world! (Or something like that.)
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