I enjoy morning walks around our garden. The filtered sunlight through our flowering crab apple tree to hostas against our house wall caught my eye.
The sights in our garden change daily. I really need to take a little walk daily with my eyes, mind, and heart open and camera in hand.
On my last day at Capitol Reef I decided to just drive around and scout some of the areas for a future trip. It was mid-day when I saw some interesting shadows on these rock protrusions. The scene looked pretty flat in color. My mind turned black and white. I like clouds and shadows. Here were both.
“Diagonals and Contrast”
Look forward, turn and look around, look down, look up … it is amazing what gifts are out there waiting to be received. Light, shadows, shapes, diagonals abound everywhere. It is ours for the seeing. This simple skylight in Glenn Anthon Hall (Yakima Valley College) caught my interest. I just walked around to get the diagonal perspectives and balance I was looking for.
Sunlit Entryway – Yakima, WA
I have been working to develop my process for contemplative photography. My assignment today was to take a walk with a fresh open mind not looking for any specific thing to photograph. The practice objective was to just wander and let the world around me catch my eye. If something caught my eye, I needed to keep my mind open, take my time, and explore specifically what was it that captured my eye, what was important, and what was not. Only then I could raise my camera and frame the image.
Walking along Front Street, I saw a bright orange flash that stopped me dead in my tracks. It was in stark contrast with the surrounding area of old stucco and bricks. Shadows from a metal gate added to the contrast. Soft mottled shadows from a street tree graced its surface. The vertical bars of the gate framed the brilliant orange. What a wonderful gift I was given.
Sunlight on Selah-Yakima Ridge
Driving home late in the afternoon, I looked back in my rear view mirror and saw golden sunlight patches on the ridge dividing Selah and Yakima. They looked like patches of gold. The sight stopped me in my tracks. I stopped my truck, got out, pulled out my I-phone and received this beautiful gift. A few minutes later it was gone. I have never seen (recognized) such a pattern on these hills before.
Lesson Learned: When I see a gift, stop and receive it. It may never present itself again.
Canon 5D MKIII, EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 62mm, f/11, 1/15 sec, ISO 400
When I saw this fireplace, my mind went immediately to black and white. The shadows, bright highlights, and shapes captured my attention. As I view simple subjects, I am slowly becoming able to pick out the shapes and tones that make the subject interesting, at least to me.