Author: lloydslensphotographyllc

I am a West Virginia native who has always loved photography. I have studied it for many years. I recently turned my hobby into a business. I do event photography, senior and family portraits. I also have several home décor prints and items available for purchase. Some of my photos have been used for book covers. I hope to soon have an on line store at this site.

Dogwood, A True Mountain Beauty

Color Photography
Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Dogwood in Spring 2019” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

I think that nothing says Appalachian Spring quite like a dogwood tree in full bloom. It’s something that I look forward to so much that I start watching the buds (called “biscuits”) in mid February.

Close up of the Dogwood “biscuits” on February 16th.

I’d be lax in my duties as a representative of Appalachia if I neglected to mention the legend of the Dogwood and it’s relationship with Christian culture in Appalachia.

The legend isn’t biblical and most likely originated in the Eastern United States however it is used to tell the story of the crucifixion of Christ and because the tree is in bloom close to passion week it works well.

Although twisted and knotted dogwood is strong wood and it is dense. It’s wood can have reddish hue which makes for a beautiful walking stick.

A natural purple dye can be made from the bark and wood shavings.

A European cousin to the Dogwood is the cornelian cherry which has a somewhat tart but edible berry that’s much larger than the American dogwood.

Sadly, the beautiful bloom lasts for only a few weeks and even then it’s often beaten and bruised by hard rain in late April and Early May. Some years it’s lost to a killing frost. But while we have it the Dogwood bloom is one of the most wonderful things in the Appalachian Mountains.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Click the web to go tohttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form.
https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply message me on Facebook oruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer.

Thank you again for your support of my page! 😊

A Proverb In A Photo

Color Photography

Society grows great when old men His show is all about building a better life for yourself and others and I do recommend that you give it try if you’re interested in gardening and homesteadingplant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. -Greek Proverb

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Growing Together” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The above quote has been attributed to Aristotle and Socrates and probably a few others. I could only find it as “Greek Proverb”. Which is interestingly ironic when you consider the value of the lesson contained within the quote itself. The quote was actually brought to mind several days ago when I heard Jack Spirco of The Survival Podcast use it. ( His show is all about building a better life for yourself and others and I do recommend that you give it try if you’re interested in gardening and homesteading and small business. )

But, when I heard Jack give the quote I got a clear image of the specific tree in tonight’s feature image. The reason why is that it is the only tree in the middle of a sizable farm. Whith a public school in the background. If ever there was an object lesson in one photo, here it is.

I need to be clear that I have no idea what the relationship between the school and the tree actually is. Hopefully it’s a good one.

I imagine that the tree was left to provide a place where the farmhands could get out of the hot sun and while I’m fairly certain that the tree was already there when the field was first plowed I’m just as certain that it was purposely spared that first clearing.

I also hope that the school takes advantage of the opportunity for the students to observe and learn the agriculture going on next door.

The scene also makes me think of the unity of the past ( symbolized by the old tree) the present ( symbolized by the farming) and the future ( symbolized by the school).

More than likely the farmer has to keep an eye on the crops to protect them from being trampled by either the kids from the school or the public (I took the picture from a Walmart parking lot). But I think it’s reasonable to presume that at least a few trespassers make their way out to field just for the shade of this wonderful old tree. When they do, I hope that they not only are careful about stepping on the young plants but that they develop an interest in working the land and the value of either planting a tree for the future or at least leaving one behind for the next generation.

Oh, and the irony about the quote above? Well, the lesson is of course about building the future even though you won’t benefit from the effort yourself. Kinda like coming up with a wise proverb even though nobody will remember who actually said it first. But in the light of the lesson perhaps it’s intended for us not to know.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Click the web to go tohttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me on Facebook or Use the Contact form.
https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply message me on Facebook oruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer.

Thank you again for your support of my page! 😊

The Mountain’s Treasure

Color Photography, poetry
Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “The Mountain Treasure ” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

I stood on the shore of a mountain lake to still my busy mind.

I felt the breeze and looked around and a treasure I did find.

The sun came down and touched the lake and transformed water that was cold.

Into a mountain treasure, a lake of fiery gold!

This treasure here it can’t be spent, neither is it saved or stole.

But it can be shared with those you love. It just takes an evening stroll.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Click the web to go tohttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message mehttps://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply message me on Facebook oruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer.

Thank you again for your support of my page! 😊

Forage Friday #6 Wild Mustard.

Color Photography, Forage Friday
Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my blog! Tonight’s feature image is untitled however all of the photos are my original work and are available as prints by following the instructions at the bottom of the article. The feature image was taken specially for this post. You’ll find my best work by exploring my blog and Frameable Greeting Cards in the links below.

When most people in the United States think about mustard the image of a spicy yellow or brown condiment comes to mind. Especially in the urban areas. However, in the rural areas wild mustard is either a salad or a cooked green.

A little research shows that there’s almost as many mustards as there are opinions in the world. For the purpose of Forage Friday we’re going to lump them all together under the umbrella of “wild mustard”. Even Peterson’s Field Guide uses the generic “Brassica Spp”.

The seeds can be used to make a spice just like the domestic varieties but as with any wild edible plant the flavor might not be what we’re used to.

The young seed pods can be pickled or tossed fresh into a salad.

The leaves can be a little bitter but can be eaten raw and that is my current experience since I have mostly focused on salad greens. I recently learned that the flower heads can be eaten like broccoli. That shouldn’t have surprised me because they are the family of plants. ( Which also includes cabbage BTW.)

The bright yellow flowers are always a welcomed sight in the spring when I spot them standing proudly near the roads. You might think that the mustard that you buy for your hot dogs is yellow because the mustard seed itself is yellow but it’s not so. Yellow mustard is yellow because it contains turmeric powder. Natural mustard seeds are grayish. It’s complicated process and it’s unlikely that you find them in a high enough quantity to make it worth the effort but a rich edible oil can be processed from the mustard seed. The process is said to leave behind a high protein powder which is also edible.

With all of the good things that comes from this humble little plant it makes me wonder why it’s classified as a weed? The only negative thing I can find online is that when dairy cows eat it the flavor of the milk is somewhat off making the milk unprofitable.

As I try write my closing line tonight I can’t help think about all the efforts that go into feeding the hungry people of the world. We pour money into government programs and charitable organizations that are intended to be resource for families who are struggling. And yet every day chemicals are sprayed to prevent the growth of food producing plants that thrive worldwide, like the mustard plant. It’s even been found growing near the earth’s magnetic pole. Could it be that the reason why people go hungry is because we’ve taken the wrong approach with food production? Perhaps instead of suppressing vigorous plants like mustard we should find ways to support them and turn our world back into a garden.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Click the web to go tohttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message mehttps://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply message me on Facebook oruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer.

Thank you again for your support of my page! 😊

The Fisher-Men

Color Photography
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Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Driftwood 32619” and is available for purchase by following the contact instructions at the bottom of the article

Sunshine dances on the water and gives the appearance that stardust has settled on the river. Bare toes cautiously explore the pebbles beneath the surface as an older sibling teases that the crawdads like to hide on the bottom and bite toes. The boys dug around under the rocks and driftwood until one of them finds the lost jig embedded in a piece of driftwood. They know its a good one because there is hardly any rust. There is just enough line still attached for a leader.

The boys hit upon the I idea that if they can catch enough fish for dinner that mom and dad would have to admit that are men now. Excitedly, they search the river bank and find enough discarded line to make a go of it. The oldest boy ties a section of line to a large piece of oak bark he found floating on the waters edge. Because they knew better than to make a splash. The boys hung the jig from the bark and pushed it out into water like a toy sail boat. A long stick gave them a little extra pushing power for a longer float time. Taking turns with one of them pushing the makeshift fishing boat out and the other one slowly reeling it back in by winding the line around short forked stick that was also plucked from the river. After some time with no action the boys decided that they need to do something different to make the fish bite. What they need was to make it more like real food.

The older boy jammed the forked stick into the muddy river bank and lead his brother back to camp for bread and peanut butter from the camp supplies. If a good o’l Peanut butter sandwich couldn’t make the fish bite then nothing would work. They hadn’t noticed the old man sitting behind the bulrush just a few yards away. He had listened to every word that passed between the boys as they made their plans to enter into manhood by proving to be successful fishermen. As soon as they were out of sight he cast his own line across their’s and drew their makeshift rig into the rushes. He carefully removed the largest Bass from his own stringer. He waited until he saw the boys return with their peanut butter sandwich bait and hooked his catch onto their rigging. The large bass revived and pulled the bark float out away from the bank just in time for the boys to see the line go tight. They ran to the forked stick and began to wind in the line as fast they could. To their joy they found the biggest fish they’d ever seen in their short lives on the other with the jig planted firmly in it’s jaw.

In celebration they split the sandwich and carried the large bass on the end of the line high in the air. Their little hearts swollen with pride. The old man gathered the remaining fish he had caught; climbing over the bank, he realized that he hadn’t quite remained as unseen as he thought. Looking up noticing his wife of fifty years at the top. She had seen the whole thing from the finding of the jig by two young boys to the sacrifice of a trophy bass by her husband. “I believe that was the big one that you’ve been after for ten years. Wasn’t it?” she beamed as she spoke. “Yup” was his only reply. “Why?” she queried. “Well”, he replied, “I will always know what it felt like to catch the big one. It’s something that I will never forget and neither will they. She realized that passing on his passion to the young boys was a far better trophy than anything he could ever hang on the wall of his den.

It’s been said that if you give a man a fish you can feed him for the day but if you teach a man to fish then you feed him for a lifetime. Occasionally, both are possible.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Click the web to go tohttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message mehttps://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply message me on Facebook oruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer.

Thank you again for your support of my page! 😊