lloydslensphotographyllc

The Heart Of Winter

Snow covers my mountain as I search for that little piece of nature that speaks to me. Occasionally I see a clump of snow fall from a branch only to see the birds disappear into the wilderness. I close my eyes for a moment to listen for the sound of tiny claws scratching sides of the trees or kicking up the leaves but all is silenced by the rushing wind. But when I looked up a bright red heart was fluttering in the breeze. It had been covered by ice and snow but as the elements shook it it became unencumbered. Sometimes the wind that’s shaking you that sets you free.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

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.

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

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A Winter Daydream On Peter’s Creek

Color Photography, Fiction Story, winter

Winter's Flow 120220 — Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Winter’s Flow 120220” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The small creek gently rolls beneath the empty canopy through an alabaster landscape. Most of the songbirds that are here year round are cuddled together in well hidden nests to fend off the harsh icy bite of winter. Somewhere in the sky above the snow covered limbs a crow gives three quick caws. This was an alarm call to the rest of nature that a human being is within their domain. I thought that I spotted him on one of the gently arching branches but I wasn’t sure. I began to gaze upstream through the snowy scene and in my mind’s eye I saw a native lady in her canoe gently drifting my direction. She has a load of sassafras roots for teas. There’s something warming about a good sassafras tea. It’s like coziness in a cup. In this winter’s daydream I’m but a observer. An invisible spirit in the icy mists. She passes by without a glance my direction but I can smell the sweet spicy roots in her boat. The steady rhythm of her paddle sweeping the water is hypnotic and I’m drawn into the movements. I can see the grain of the wet wood and hear the soft trickle of water was it drips from the paddle’s blade. She continues on downstream until the craft vanishes into the backdrop as if it closed behind her. I imagine that her people met her on the bank of the creek and escorted her to a warm fire, a hot meal and the love of a family. We should all have such a homecoming on a cold winter day.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

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 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/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Christmas Thoughts 2020

Christmas, Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Holly 102020a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Soft purple light filters through the blinds as the alarm signals me that I can hit the snooze button just one more time. A quick glance out of the window reveals a blanket of fresh snow. My dog senses my movements and cuddles closer to encourage me to stay in bed just a little while longer. It’s my last day of vacation and so I obliged him. As I lay in bed listening to the birds greet the morning I began to think about the excitement of Christmas morning and how my thoughts have changed. As I child the excitement of Christmas was centered on the potential for new toys. Later in life when my wife and I were setting up housekeeping and getting established Christmas was the opportunity to obtain things that we needed to build a life together. But as I’ve matured I have very little the basics and very little desire for “toys”. But what I do desire is time with loved ones. Beyond the hugs and the face to face conversations that many people have put aside this year is the feeling of belonging. It’s the knowledge that you occupied a place in someone’s heart even if you couldn’t be in their home. Now I have to be honest. My families did gather as we normally do. Though some of us chose to abstain for reasons of safety they were no less in our hearts. Some joined in via phone calls while others were simply there in spirit but the important part was that love was shared. Regardless of how we gathered or who was there we kept in mind that the reason we came together was in celebration of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has given us his word that where two or more gather in his name he would be there also. He affirms that the most important part of life is to occupy a place in someone’s heart. And that’s the true gift of Christmas. For we too receive that same gift in return. We occupy a special place in God’s heart. Everything else is just a token.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

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 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/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Breakfast With Friends

Color Photography, wildlife

The new light shines down through bare branches bringing joy to tiny hearts. The crisp morning fills with the morning chorus. It doesn’t come suddenly but instead they wait to be touched by the waking sunshine as it spills over the mountains. If you listen closely you can hear the morning coming closer to the window before the light falls onto the sill. As my heart listens to the happy voices that come from the surrounding forest I make my way to the coffee pot and prepare breakfast. But today I change the routine just a little as I sit quietly at my desk and watch the window. One by they come to the meal prepared for them. The black capped chickadees take turns at feeder white the others continue their part in the song welcoming the return of the sun. And as I quietly enjoy my morning coffee I’m greeted by a newcomer to my window. I believe that she’s an immature female because of her coloring but the only thing I know for sure right now is that she has non- breeding colors. As the winter (climatic winter) fades into Spring she will molt and show us the bright yellow that we’re used to seeing on our lawns throughout the warm weather. So far the Cardinals have been reluctant to try the new feeder and prefer the ones that out on the line.

The Cardinals always seem to work as a team when she’s not brooding. They take turns watching over each other and guardian against predators. The male was just outside of the range of my lens but I did my best to bring him in a few days earlier.

I’m really surprised that he sat still long enough for the photo. He’s a particularly twitchy bird.

The encounter with him a few days ago was “almost” an amazing shot! Oh well, he’ll be back to let me try again. Sometimes we have no choice but accept that nature has a mind of its own and doesn’t want to cooperate. I’d there is no challenge then there’s no opportunity for growth. Which brings me to my failed attempt to photograph the Christmas Star. Last night we did have a second chance to capture a once in a millennium event. However, I’ve learned that astrophotography is a little more challenging than I thought. And while I did manage to document Jupiter and Saturn in the same sky it didn’t really turn out as planned.

Jupiter And Saturn In Near Conjunction 122220. — Jupiter And Saturn In Near Conjunction 122220

I’ll have plenty of time to study up and practice for the next celestial event.

I most likely will not have a post for Christmas eve or Christmas day ( which would have been a Forage Friday post) but I’ll be back on regular schedule next week. Until then good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

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 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/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

The Winter Solstice 2020

Color Photography, Landscapes

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Evening In Blue 50520” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Night falls early for me in my little home between two mountains. It falls even earlier tonight because of the solstice. The longest night of the year. But tonight was also supposed to be very special. A once in a millennium event took place approximately 45 minutes after sunset. The Christmas Star reigns in the heavens above. Traditionally the sign that lead the Wise Men to Seek Christ. How much is tradition and how it may have played out in history may be a little different. Often history is idealized in the official record. Having read the book of Enoch I know that a portion of it describes in detail the movement of the planets and predicts celestial events such as the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn but that’s just astronomy. It took a leap of faith to see that as a sign to embark on a journey that most likely took 3 years to complete. Planetary alignments happen occasionally but in order to be the “Christmas Star” it has to be in the right season and the right place in the sky. The next time these planets will be in conjunction is in March 15th of 2080 and then not again until August 24th of 2417. So a conjunction is special but the Christmas Star is extremely special. In fact the next actual Christmas Star is not set to occur until December 25th of 2874. With such a special event in my lifetime of course I had to attempt to add this to my portfolio. But alas, the notorious West Virginia cloud cover cast its veil over my mountain. A literal wet blanket spread out as far as the eye could see. My wife and I sat in the big blue truck listening to rain hit the windshield in the dark. And so tonight’s Feature Image to represent the longest night of the year is actually from last winter. I have a chance to catch the Christmas Star over the next few days if the weather breaks and the sky clears so I haven’t given up. And I did learn a lesson from the experience. A lesson of faith. You see, all those years ago the Wise Men saw a star and set out to seek the Messiah without knowing if they would actually find him. They didn’t need to see the miracle in order to know it took place.

Faith is acting without seeing and yet knowing what the outcome will hold.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

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 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/