lloydslensphotographyllc

The Distant Mountain

As I stand next to tracks looking out across the Kanawha River I’m drawn to the mountains in the distance. The winter has just started and I’m already developing that strong desire for far away places and new experiences. I look deeply into my photos and try to project myself into a quiet spot in the distance. I wonder where the great spots are on that mountain. Surly there’s a place where you can sit quietly on some moss covered stump and watch the squirrels play and romp through the leaves. I’m betting that if you sit there long enough a chipmunk will poke his head up out of the duff and scold you. Perhaps somewhere at the end of the curved Bridge an owl rests in an old snag, napping in spite of the noise below. I think about what must be behind that mountain. Perhaps there’s a waterfall on the other side that empties into a deep pool. And behind the falls maybe there’s a cavern with secrets not seen for one thousand years. Whatever is out there beyond the village on the other side of river it will have to wait for another day. Today all I have is curiosity and a wonderful view of the tracks.

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Antique Service Desk Bell — Ring this bell for Facebook

Recently, I’ve been made aware that many of my posts on Facebook are being buried in the feed. So, if you don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website at the bottom of theWelcome Page

Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “The Curved Bridge At Alloy In Black and White” and is available for purchase by using the Contact Form on my website.

(Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

Antique Service Desk Bell in Black and White — Ring this bell to order prints or schedule portraits

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use the Contact Form or message me on Facebook for details.

The Art Of Invisibility

Color Photography

Have you ever thought about what super power you would like to have? We’ve all seen the quizzes on social media that ask this question. Usually there’s a list of super powers. I think that mine would be invisibility. Even as a kid running free in the woods of Appalachia I liked to find the quiet unnoticed spots. I wasn’t really hiding per se, but I liked the sense of being invisible. It’s actually a very real possibility and it’s not as hard as one might think. All you need to do is find a place to blend into the landscape and look like you belong there. The hemlock tree in tonight’s feature image is one that I’ve used for this purpose many times in my life. It’s branches are thick and hang very low. The ground at the roots is shaded enough to prevent the underbrush from popping up. And it overlooks the forest floor from a nice vantage point. I would disappear beneath the boughs and pretend that I was actually part of the tree. I would watch as the deer and rabbits came by and never even look my direction. Birds of every feather would come and scratch the ground or land on branches just above me. I just hold very still and they never really paid any attention to the strange lump on the trunk of the tree. Once a whole flock of turkeys stumbled into me so close that I could have touched one even though I was dressed in street clothes. Finally it hit me that they couldn’t see what they wasn’t looking for. They were so preoccupied with foraging for food that they missed me until they almost bumped into me. For all intents and purposes I was invisible. When they finally did notice me the resulting commotion was pretty funny. The thought of being pecked and spurred by a whole flock of large birds is unsettling. But they were happy with just escaping and so was I. That’s the really cool thing about becoming invisible. It’s the power to escape from the outside world and be unencumbered with responsibility for just a little while. All you need is a nice thick hemlock tree and the time to be still enough to blend in.

Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “In The Thicket” and is available for purchase by using the Contact Form on my website.

(Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use the Contact Form or message me on Facebook for details.

The Discovery

Uncategorized

A couple of years ago when I visiting my dad, my mom came into the room and with a hushed voice announced that the twins were here. She then lead me to the window and pointed out at the two baby deer asleep in the back yard. I had just taken my T-5 out the box a few days prior and I decided that this would be my best opportunity to try it out. Being familiar with the behavior of the local deer population I opted to “trust stalk” them. I snuck out the other side of the house with my T-5 in hand and slowly walked along the side of the house. Even though they were only a few weeks old their keen instincts and finely tuned senses told them that they were no longer alone. Fortunately for me their natural reaction was to freeze in place and try to be as invisible as possible. I made a point to not look at them and sat down in the grass nearby. I would occasionally speak in a soft tone and purposefully let the know I where I was. The idea is not to act like a predator. A predator would try to sneak in on them so by not sneaking I was avoiding the flight or flight response. Eventually I just laid back in grass and pretended to be napping myself. I could see them out of the corner of my eye. They would perk up their ears and zone right in on me. The flick of a tail would let me know that they had relaxed again and would work my way a little closer. Eventually I got in range for framing I wanted and slowly rolled over on my stomach. I raised the viewfinder to my eye and engaged some of the marksmanship skills that I had developed as a hunter. I turned my camera on and the click from the power switch was all it took to bring them to full alert. They got up but didn’t run. Instead they they separated from each other a little and waited to see if I would chase them. When I didn’t they hesitated. The one in the feature image decided that if he stomped his foot that I just might be intimidated enough to leave. When I didn’t they decided to move into the shadows under a thick hemlock tree. They never did get close enough for me to say that I fully gained their trust but they did eventually come back into grass after I left them alone.

Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “The Discovery” and is available for purchase by using the Contact Form on my website.

(Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use the Contact Form or message me on Facebook for details.

The Power Of Flight

black and white photography

The power of flight has been part of mankind’s fascination throughout all of human history. I remember when I was very young that I would spend hours seated in the floor leafing through books about airplanes and flight in general. I was always especially drawn to the more exotic aircraft. DaVinci’s ornithopter was a particular favorite. I would study his drawings and try to memorize every line and curve of the craft. I tried to imagine how the pivot points would fit together and how the steering would function. I studied the works of those who came later and added hot air balloons and Zeppelin technology to the basic designs. Later I would Chuck Yeager’s biography about breaking the sound barrier for the first time. And there’s also the interview with a man who built an ultralight flyer that fit in a suitcase and escaped from East Berlin in it.

Today there’s the real possibility of the car in my driveway being replaced by a drone powerful enough to take me almost anywhere. (Nevermind that the Hiller Flying Platform and the Williams Wasp differed a similar technology decades ago) I’ve often commented to my wife that is such a shame that the best angles for certain photos were a hundred feet in air over the river. But the possibility of climbing aboard a quad-copter and shooting from the window is only a few steps away!

No matter what the future of flight holds in technology it will always bring romantic notions going where you want to when you want to. There will also be a crazy idea that with just a little tweaking will inspire the next generation of would be pilots who dream of having their very own wings.

Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “The Magic Feather” and is available for purchase by using the Contact Form on my website.

(Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use the Contact Form or message me on Facebook for details.

King Of The Crows

Color Photography

The crow sits on his usual perch above the crowd in defiance of cold wind. This is his kingdom even if the humans below don’t know it. As a wise king he hasn’t chosen the highest branch for his throne. That honor goes to his bodyguards. They are situated in the very top of the canopy where they can provide protection against the hawk clan. The crow king calls out with two short caws and listens to his sentry reply with two short caws and a long one. There’s actually a syntax to the conversation. Two short caws is asking if there’s danger. A long caw means safety. And three short caws in a row means immediate danger. So the reply of the two short caws signifies who the sentry is replying to and the one long caw is the reply of safety. As I continue to observe the king crow he takes wing and glides down to the ground. He hops around a little and discovers an open bag of chips left behind by one of the humans. Cautiously he inspects the bag and with a single thrust of his powerful beak he opens it up completely revealing the bounty within. He purrs a few times and one by one the rest of his clan joins him for the feast. All except for the bodyguards who maintain their watch in treetops above. As his clan finishes the meal the king crow pulls a portion aside and with a few purrs he announces the end of the feast and returns to his perch along with the others. A few of the clan members land on branches near the bodyguards and allow them to have the portion set aside for them by the king.

Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “The Crow King” and is available for purchase by using the Contact Form on my website. (Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use the Contact Form or message me on Facebook for details.