lloydslensphotographyllc

Within The Ripples

Cool green pools beckon the weary of heat and humidity. A chance to simply take the step and be immersed within the rippling stream in cool shade in that spot where the springs join the creek. The ripples echo laughter of years gone by when children raced sticks and leaves within the the current’s flow. Small fish look in awe at the new object which is intruding on their domain. To them the giant is all toe. “What’s a toe?” One fish asked. To which the other replies, “It’s like a fin only thick and stubby.” Having satisfied their curiosity they swim off to the shelter beneath the limbs and leaves that gently touch the surface. As the cool water refreshes the body eyes glance along the pebbles in memory of past treasures found. A small fossil here or a worn arrowhead there. Bits of glass polished as they tumble down the stream bed. All would have been carried home and tucked away in a special place many years ago. The bottom of a stream is like the lost and found department of the forest. A place where children of all ages can become an archeologist as they escape the sun’s gaze for just a few moments. The ripples touch everything including those who lose themselves and are carried away from the outside world.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.

We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

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.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/embed/#?secret=ZBipPVJdZw

Lloyds Lens Photography web link — Click here to visithttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

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 use 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 photographerThank you again for your support of my page!♥️

A Day With The Hummingbirds

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Male Ruby Throated Hummingbird 71321” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

High pitched chirping breaks the humid air around my mountain home. I recognize the hum of the tiny wings as he comes in like a miniscule jet fighter. I’ve been sitting here all day and missed shot after shot simply because my hands were too slow to raise the camera and focus before they disappear into the thick bushes. But after a while I began to anticipate the intervals between feeder visits and when the male ruby throated hummingbird finally decided to rest a moment I was able to meet him on the branch. The opportunity didn’t last long though as a second male began to buzz the feeder. The dogfight was on! The hummingbird in tonight’s Feature Image seems to be the local dominant male and the challenger is crafty. After all day of watching it seems that the males only share the feeder with their mates and will even clear the way for them if another hummingbird appears. That also applies to female intruders. And the second male obviously knew how the dominant male would react. He buzzed around in circles a few times to get the first bird’s attention and entice him into a chase. Both hummingbirds had their red throats showing but what I had never noticed before was the blue iridescence on the underside of the feathers covering their bodies which seemed to flash in different patterns as they buzzed around my stairs. It could easily have been the way the light was hitting them as they did combat maneuvers but I had to wonder if it was a territorial signal. The second male didn’t seem to try to win the fight or escape. He even circled back a few times to allow the dominant male to stay engaged and that’s when I knew something was up. As I glanced back to the feeder I noticed the hen was leisurely sipping at the feeder while her beau provides a diversion to draw off the feeder’s guardian.

Image Titled “Look At All That Food! 71321” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

She was able to feed uninterrupted for a few minutes but eventually the dominant male caught on and broke pursuit of the decoy.

Unfortunately the depth of field was too shallow for a nice crisp view of the drama but needless to say her sneaking ways caught up with her.

Now that I’ve got an idea of what their routine is and that they’ve become a little more comfortable in my presence I hope to capture more of them.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

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.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/embed/#?secret=ZBipPVJdZw

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Learning To Carve Hornbeam

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Tomorrow’s Forest 71321a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The heat of the July sun drives me to shade at the foot of my mountain. There in the dappled light of the forest edge I’m greeted by the hornbeam that I’ve come to truly appreciate. Since writing Forage Friday #84 on Hornbeam I’ve located a few pieces that were cast into a brush pile near a public road and hauled them home. Since the pile kept the pieces up of the ground they seasoned out well. Carving Hornbeam turned out to be both challenging and rewarding. I used a few knives that I’d made from pruning snips. Now these blades are very hard but the manufacturer makes them with cheap plastic handles and soft rivets that fail after a couple of years of service. So the broken parts are discarded and I fix the blade into a handle that’s usually made from branches that are collected from the trees and bushes that the snips once trimmed. Aluminum rivets are replaced with appropriate size nails that cut down to length and peened to make a tight fit. The result is a small utility knife that really retains an edge well. A second benefit is that bypass loppers are single bevel and great for making shallow cuts in the hard, twisted wood of Hornbeam.

Two of my “homemade” utility knives. These have handles made from yellow birch and held together with wooden pins and epoxy glue.

In the photo of the knives the top one was the first one that I ever made and is the single bevel. It’s been with me about 20 years and is great for striping bark and removing knots from natural stock.

Even though the homemade knives have a hard edge the hornbeam proved to be at the limit of what they can handle. After about a day of removing bark and knots from the hornbeam they both needed to be sharpened. I learned that you don’t really carve hornbeam in long pretty curls like you see most in woodcarving videos. Instead I wound up removing small chips until I had the rough shape and then finishing the work with files and a sander. I also learned that while hornbeam resists cracking one still must take measures to not let it dry out too quickly when you bring it inside your home. But the cracks were very minor and a filling of carpenter’s glue made them all but disappear. The grain of the wood criss-crosses so the hiking staff I was making didn’t suffer any loss of strength. The smaller twigs became blowgun darts. I’ve recently found that in addition to being a fun pastime the blowgun is an excellent lung exercise. The hornbeam darts are of various styles and sizes so I can find out what works best. I can’t say that I’m setting any records with it but it is a lot of fun.

As my skills grow in carving I’ll probably make a few things like spoons, cups and bowls and judging from the amount of seeds that my hornbeam is producing I should have plenty of stock to work with. And even though this wood is challenging to make things with it is a tight grain that yields an interesting piece once polished. And wood carving is a traditional Appalachian skill that should be kept alive.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

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.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/embed/#?secret=ZBipPVJdZw

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

What My Dog Taught Me About Storms And Faith

Color Photography, Summersville Lake

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Stormfront 61621” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Thunder shakes my mountain as I sit down in my oversized recliner to write tonight’s post. My little buddy, “Scout” swiftly jumps into my lap to remind me that dogs were never fans of stormy weather. He presses himself tightly against my chest and it’s only after I’ve wrapped him in my arms he gains the confidence to growl defiantly in reply to the low rumbles that echo through the hills and hollers. I sometimes think that God gave us dogs so that we could see things from his perspective in small ways. From the dogs perspective people are immortal and seem to have powers that are beyond their comprehension. We can touch a wall and make light come or go. We provide food without hunting. And we see to their everyday lives so that they want for nothing. So why wouldn’t anyone seek shelter from the storms in the arms of such power?

Image Titled “Waiting For A Rainbow 70921” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The rain is coming down in sheets now and the sound of rain hitting the roof is enough to drown the noise from the TV. Scout looks at me as if to ask how much longer I will let it rain. I can only stroke his fur and speak soft words of comfort but it’s enough for him curl up and try to sleep though his fear. It’s not really an act of denial of his concerns but an expression of trust. As worrisome as the storm is he has faith that I’ll keep him safe and dry.

As I said, I sometimes wonder if God gave us dogs so that we can understand him better. The word worship is rooted in the description of a dog licking his master’s hand. The vet tells me that when a dog licks you that it’s a way of him comforting himself. The act of licking soothes a dog in the same way that petting the dog can sooth a person.

So to tie it all together for a Sunday night, we will always face storms in our lives. But if we can trust God with the same faith that our dogs trust us he will move heaven and earth to see to our needs. And if we think about how worshipping the master (licking) comforts a dog then how much more should we find comfort in worshipping God?

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

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.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/embed/#?secret=ZBipPVJdZw

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Evening Song

Color Photography, Summersville Lake

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Evening Song 70621” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The cool breeze gently flutters the forest canopy and delivers the sweet scent of wildflowers to the shore of the big lake. Somewhere in the distance I hear the sweet sounds of the whip-poor-will whose joined by a chorus of crickets. A lone bullfrog provides the base section at the evening concert on the lake. The song of nature is a lullaby for the sun as it casts its paint across the mountaintops. Ripples play in the fading light to mimic the campfires. The old monster catfish lurking on the bottom rolls to surface with splash in celebration of being the one that got away again. The shallows are as warm as bathwater for the big turtle. He’s content to stay in the water right where he’s been all day. As the stars emerge from the deep blue cloak of twilight I know that the time has come to return to the big blue truck and rejoin the hearts that wait for me there.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

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.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/embed/#?secret=ZBipPVJdZw