Looking at Life from a Different Perspective

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View from Our Patio
Heatherwood & Selah Ridge

During the last two years I have been focusing my photography in our Heatherwood garden using my standard visible light camera and presenting how I see the garden in color. I was becoming stuck looking at things in the same way. Yesterday I brought out my infrared camera from retirement and took a stroll through the garden. I looked at the garden around me with a different perspective seeing the landscape with a new view. The color was gone; the sky was dark; vegetation was white; greens and reds were the same tone; clouds were dreamy. Beauty presented itself in a different way.

At times I tend to get trapped in looking at life from a set perspective. It feels good and gives me balance when I step back and open up my mind to other viewpoints, focusing on a positive perspective. Opportunities open up. Life is more enjoyable!

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Cloudy Day in the Badlands

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Across from the Visitor’s Center
Banlands National Park

During my workshop in the Badlands, our group passed by the Visitor’s Center almost daily. This scene is just across the road from the center. Every day it had a different perspective. On my last day in the park, it was cloudy. The clouds and the filtered light accentuated the contrast between the hills and the sky as well as the trees. Infrared made the contrast even greater. I was thankful that I stayed an additional day in the park.

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Ever Changing – What is Next?

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Record of Changing Time
Badlands National Park

The exposed hills of the Badlands paint a picture of changing time. Each line on the hills represent a period of time where things were changing on our planet. It is hard to fathom that this area was once a giant sea bed that covered the central part of our continent. Layers upon layers of sediment illustrate the layers of time as our current central landmass was slowly building up. As the sea receded, the atmospheric winds and rains eroded the hills creating crevices and valleys that now host emerging plant life. What is next in the continuing evolution of our planet?

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Change of Pace

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Colors & Contrasts
Badlands NP, South Dakota

It has been a long time, almost two years, since I have gone on a creative photography excursion. My focus has been on recording the changes in our Heatherwood garden as it gradually matures. It is time for me to get out to some unknown location, explore, and exercise my photographic vision.

Looking back at unprocessed images of my trip to the Badlands National Park a couple of years ago, I found a few gems that have stimulated me to get out and explore. We have so many places in our country that are awe-striking like this one in the Badlands. Some are far away. Others are on our doorstep. Our opportunity and challenge is to open our eyes and minds, then explore.

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Feeling Versus Reality

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Pond Abstract
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

I always have been drawn to the work impressionistic painters. When viewing their work I tend to walk away with a deeper feeling than I do with other forms of painting. As I photograph, many times I will focus on a scene and think this spot would be a great spot to set up an easel if I were a painter. I squint and try to envision how an impressionistic painter would attempt to create their art piece. Today, I decided to play with one of my images and try to create an impressionistic feeling.

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Blue Sky Summer Day

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Color Against the Conifers
Heatherwood Summer

The sky is pure blue without a cloud. The eastern Washington summer is in full force. It has been very warm with the temperatures in the 90’s. The summer perennials are out in their full glory.

On a day like this, the garden opens up its full beauty. It provides a beautiful foreground to the surrounding hills as well as focused vignettes like the one above. Strolling around the garden brings me peace. I become absorbed in the environment surrounding me. I first take in the panoramic view of the garden and hills rising above. I get a feeling of perspective. After a bit of walking, little things pop up before me as small vignettes appear. I stop, observe, move around, and sometimes take a photo or two. Many times I move in and just touch the leaves, needles, or bark. Each plant has its own feeling. Some are soft and fuzzy, some have sharp points and are prickly, others are smooth, others are rough, and some even smell really good. The confusion of the world around me disappears. The clarity of nature’s beauty takes over. I am at peace.

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Early Summer Color

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Early Summer Morning
Heatherwood Meadow

Heatherwood bursts out full of color on an early cloudy morning. An early cloudy morning is a rare occurrence in an eastern Washington summer. Colors are much brighter on a cloudy day than in full sunlight. Our meadow area is filling in as the original perennials spread. Over time the individual plants are spreading their seeds intertwining with their neighbors. This spring we had to remove many globe thistle and sea holly seedlings as they were taking over several parts of the meadow. It is a price we pay to leave the seed pods intact over the winter.

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Morning Sunshine Brightens My Day!

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Lilies & Hardy Geraniums
Heatherwood Summer

Seeing this little vignette in the early morning sunlight brightens my day! What new opportunities for adventure does the new day bring? What can I do on this bright new day? How can I make the most of the day ahead? Thoughts rattle through my head. So many opportunities. Today will be a great day!

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A Different Way of Looking at Things

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Tricolor Beech and Linden
Heatherwood Garden

Too often we get trapped looking at something from only one way. Yesterday I was creating early summer images around the garden. I was intrigued with the multicolored leaves of our Tricolor Beech tree. I took several images of the leaves. The linden tree provided a soft background. As I took my last image of the leaves, I looked through them and saw a unique perspective of the linden tree. The pink of the beech framed the green-toned details of the linden. I created additional images from this second perspective. Sitting at my computer I could not make up my mind what image I liked the best. Why not combine them together into one image. I feel that the combined multi-exposure is better than either of the separate images.

This lesson can be applied to solving most issues. One does not necessarily need to choose between two good solutions. Many times a combined solution is the best.

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Time to Turn the Corner

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Garden Path
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

Today is the summer solstice. The garden is turning the corner from spring to summer. The new growth on the trees and shrubs are maturing into their summer shades. The perennials are starting to progress through their blooming schedule throughout the garden. As one fades, another picks up. The garden meadow areas are becoming a flush of colors and textures.

On the personal side, it has been one week since the Yakima Arboretum tour of gardens. The weeks of time in preparation have led a very successful tour of our Heatherwood garden and other gardens in the area. It’s time to turn the corner from a very busy time of garden preparation to a more relaxed time of enjoyment and contemplation in our Heaterwood Eden. Summer is here!

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