365 Project - Days 354, 355

"Every particular in nature, a leaf, a droplet, a crystal, a moment of time is related to the whole, and partakes of the perfection of the whole." Ralph Waldo Emerson

We end daylight savings time this weekend. Yet another sign of the approaching winter. Wedged between the warmth and freshness of spring and summer and the cold and bitterness of winter, it does have a few of its own exceptional qualities. The crisp, bright mornings; cool breezes; uniquely beautiful colors; hearty comforting meals make this an embraceable season. The trouble is that I can often long for that summer heat and grow anxious about the bleak, cold winter. When that happens, I totally miss the grace and beauty within each autumn moment.

Isn't that very true about life? We spend time reminiscing about our past; pre-occupied with hopes of returning to the good ole days and we worry about the days ahead, creating a life of tortured anxiety long before an event occurs. Split between these two worlds, we miss the reality unfolding around us. Then I wondered the other day, "what if this moment, is the most important moment?" What if each moment, as Emerson describes, has impact on our lives as a whole? If none are forgotten and every one is a piece of the perfection of our lives, (which means how we execute today impacts tomorrow) then why waste time fretting over or desiring a spent past or anxious and excited about a distant future?

It is hard not to look back or look forward, but perhaps this is why the sun is so bright, the wind so fierce and the colors so deep in autumn. It's a reminder that the in betweens matters. We must, therefore, focus on perfecting our present. That work could be all-consuming. So I say, live in the present moment. Let it take your breath away and then breathe life back into this moment, creating roots for your future.

Blessings.

Today's Photos: Autumn Beauty and Last Farmer's Market

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” Henry David Thoreau

365 Project - Days 349, 350

"For every ailment under the sun
There is a remedy, or there is none;
If there be one, try to find it;
If there be none, never mind it." W. W. Bartley

I put my crystal back to use for the photos below and was very happy I did. It is difficult to control the results, but not entirely impossible. I can move the crystal around and watch the image change in the lens, but I'm never 100% assured of the result. I have done my best to find the optimal version of the use of crystal with each photo. The efforts can be frustrating, but the results worth the trouble. These photos remind me of grace. The combination of the complication of our lives and the simplicity of God's grace overcoming those complications.

As in Bartley's version of the Serenity Prayer, above, we should do our best to find solutions to problems and challenges as they arise and if we cannot, let go. This is personally difficult for me. I often agonize before giving in. With plenty of courage, I want for more grace and more wisdom as in Niebuhr's version below.

I recently watched a discussion between Oprah Winfrey and Stephen Colbert on The Late Show in which they discussed their favorite Bible verses. I was captivated by Colbert's rationale for his choice of Matthew 6 ... "Do not worry," he said, "it's like a commandment." To which Oprah responded that it's like a sin to worry. Therefore, as the old adage goes, we truly should "do our best and let God do the rest." This is where grace steps in and often grants us wisdom.

Blessings.

Today's Photos: Grace

"God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other." Reinhold Niebuhr

365 Project - Day 244

"In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. Gifts, powers, material, intellectual, spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are the thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized." James Allen

After spending the afternoon strolling about the outer edge of the NYU Campus, stopping for lunch in a burger joint that unfortunately will accept my son's dining dollars and visiting the campus bookstore, we went up to Central Park to spend the evening at the Delacorte Theatre. We were blessed with tickets to Shakespeare in the Park, gifted to us by a friend. While the event is free, getting tickets is difficult. We were also treated to a backstage tour. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to visit our friend and be in the park on a perfect evening.

It has been too long since we have taken time to explore Central Park. The park is such a beautiful gem, full of nature in the midst of a hard, concrete city. I was excited by the combination of the late afternoon light peeking through the trees, birds fluttering about and butterflies dancing on our shoulders. And this particular piece of the park is dense - tighter paths with lots of trees and flowers. This is a place where it seems creativity, imagination and enthusiasm can be ignited.

Here's one of the things I read recently about enthusiasm, from W. Clement Stone: "I think you would be interested in knowing what the etymology - the derivation of this word, which is so widely used, really is. It comes from two Greek words and they let you look into the root of this word -- into its basic, fundamental, original meaning. The first is 'Theos,' which means God. The other two words are 'En-Tae.' So that in the early usage of this term among ancient Greeks, it literally meant 'God within you' ... the Divine being who is the author and the source of all goodness and beauty and truth, honesty and love. God is in the heart of the individual who is possessed by a vision ... who burns with ardor ... who is determined to make a dream come true. God is there. God is kindling the fire. It is being kindled by God himself."

I just love that. Imagine that our dreams, regardless of how farfetched they may be, are fueled by God. Now that would stoke you, wouldn't it!

Blessings.

Today's Photo: Imagine

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3







EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 200
50mm
f2.8
1/90s

365 Project - Day 176

"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy." Guillaume Appollinaire

It's not entirely apparent to me why, but I've had to drag myself away from yellow and blue and as a combination. Wait - could it be my subconscious wresting with its desperate need for sunshine and blue skies? No joke - I only thought of that this very moment, as I was pondering my obsession with yellow and blue.

I am enjoying this still life with these color combinations, channelling sunshine and keeping this photo simple. It is the simplicity in both color and content which improves this photograph's success. Please don't be mistaken, simple is not the same as void or empty. I believe what works in this photo is color repetition in several objects.

"Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity and not in the multiplicity of things." Isaac Newton

Best blessings!

Today's Photo: Happiness Captured in Yellow and Blue

"Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.”
Lao Tzu







EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 320
50mm
f13
3s

365 Project - Day 41

I am back to working on flower photography. I wanted to work on a series of traditional flower photos with the grocery store bouquet before they wilted. After yesterday's disappointment, I really needed something to conquer and to cheer me up. I also have to say, I continue to be so inspired by the photographs others are producing that I'm anxious to do the same.

Naturally, I tried a little creative license with the flowers, including a "de-constructed vase of flowers." Yep, I am just that nutty. Candidly, I would not have thought to photograph the backside of a Gerbera daisy until recently seeing many Fine Art photos. I also originally kept tossing the white flowers in the second photograph aside, thinking they were throw-away fillers. I'm as happy with this session as I was disappointed with yesterday's. Now, how's that for a turnaround?

I still shied away from the flash, but I was armed with a few lessons learned. I waited for bright natural afternoon sunlight. I used my tripod and the timer and kept ISO at 100. I played with a variety of aperture and shutter speed settings. I am limited because I do not have a macro lens and I'm not a fan of the auto macro setting on my camera. Nevertheless, I am excited about my first couple of attempts and will continue to explore this as a winter hobby.


Today's Photo: #1 "Beautiful Dreamer"

Today's Photo: #2: "Come to Me"

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see." Confucius



EXIF: Nikon D7100
#1
ISO 100
50mm
f2.8
1/750

#2
ISO 100
50mm
f/3.3
1/1500

365 Project - Day 39

Recently, I have seen quite a lot of flower photography float across my Twitter feed. Seems odd with winter approaching, but I'm enjoying it. I am particularly inspired by Fine Art Photographer Juergen Roth's beautiful images and article "The Art of Flower Photography". Of course, since I'm on this path to improve how I "see", I felt compelled to expand the flower image into a broader composition. This will cause angst amongst the purest in flower photography, because it's not only about the flower, but also about the environment. I wanted to capture the flower within the context of a scene. Let me explain.

I chose the navy blue wall in our dining room as the backdrop. When I started to arrange the flowers, I noticed the faint light in the room cast a shadow of the flower and light coming in from the next room through French doors created an interesting effect along the wall behind the daisy. I wanted to capture both effects in the composition and chose to do so without a flash. I have more noise in the photograph than I would like, but I do like the end result.

Now, I would not have normally chosen a pink flower, but this was the best of the bunch my husband picked up for me while he was grocery shopping ;-) It is a nice flower and so, I thought I would share this story. The pink daisy reminded me of a brief meeting I had recently and is my tribute to a little girl who made me smile.

When I was in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, I went to the restroom in a casino and while I was washing my hands, a little girl approached me after she had watched me leaning on my crutches for a few minutes. She said, "I broke my arm when I was six years old." I asked her how and she told me about swinging on a swing set and falling off. She still had scars on her arm from the break. I shared my story, thanked her for sharing hers and showed her my bright blue cast. She then told me that her cast had been purple. "Purple and pink," she said, "are my favorite colors." When I told her that at her age, they were my favorite colors as well and that my bedroom even had walls painted pink with purple carpet, her eyes grew wide and her smile fantastic. It was a lovely conversation. I knew she wanted to make me feel better and I so appreciated her brightening my day.


Today's Photo: "Her Smile"

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning




EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 800
50mm
f1.8
1/30 (off camera speed light)

365 Project - Day 34

Claude Monet said, "I must have flowers always and always." I'm with him. I love flowers and, by the way, I'm not a fan of red roses or carnations, both represent the two ends of the spectrum of too common (cheap and expensive, but everywhere), for me. I would be delighted,I suppose, to receive a room full of either or both ;-) I do enjoy flowers. I delight in every aspect of their beauty: color, variety and fragrance. What's my favorite, you might ask? The Calla Lily. It is a gorgeous flower whose meaning is associated with holiness, faith, youth and rebirth. Interestingly, however, it belongs to neither the lily nor the calla families, making it a bit of a misfit. The inherent disconnect of the confusion surrounding the name and the purity of its meaning makes the Calla Lily even that much more endearing.

I do like all flowers, though. It is possible IMHO, that Maslow missed flowers as a basic need in his hierarchy. I think Hans Christian Andersen agrees, "Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."

Since today is Cyber Monday and everyone is shopping for the holidays, I offer this "Christmas Floral Treat"

Best wishes!

"The earth laughs in flowers." Ralph Waldo Emerson