black and white photography – Page 16 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Defining The Question

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

Tonight’s post examines the concept of a false dichotomy.

I was once asked “which is more important, the journey or the destination?” It’s one of those questions that’s supposed to bring perspective to life. It’s supposed help us see if we’re goal oriented or if we’re process oriented. The question doesn’t really have a right or a wrong answer. It just helps see certain aspects of ourselves. Or so I was told. But, the question is a little misleading. The way we’re expected to answer is intended to define us. There’s one problem with this kind of thinking. It built on a false premise that a person has to be one or the other. Goal oriented or process oriented. As if you can’t be goal oriented but still enjoy or even savor the process. Imagine that I have given you an ice cream cone in your favorite flavor. Most people will split the difference between consuming the ice cream before it melts and holding onto the cone for way too long. The question of eating the ice cream or keeping it sets up a false dichotomy. It implies that you must choose one extreme or the other. Now I know that there’s some creative person out the who thinks they’ve solved both sides of the issue with the idea of placing the cone in a freezer burried under a glacier at the north pole. That way you haven’t eaten it and it doesn’t melt. Even if you decided to put the cone in a deep freeze and keep it forever you have abandoned the goal because you’re not enjoying it forever and it’s not being eaten. If we’re honest about ourselves we’ll admit that most people would enjoy the cone for as long as possible.

Okay, I’ve shown you a picture of train tracks and I’m talking about ice cream so let me bring it back around to tonight’s feature image. In most of my posts I use tracks and roads to symbolize the idea that life is a journey. The original question was which is more important, the destination or the journey? Even though there’s not supposed to be wrong or right answers I have to consider if there are wrong and right questions. The right questions change perspective tremendously so let’s rephrase the question a bit. Is the journey independent of the destination? The answer for most of us is no. The destination is the ultimate goal but it’s the journey that gets us there. As I stared down the train tracks that pass through town I began to understand that even though the tracks end somewhere that pass through many places along the way. And that it’s possible to visit those places without giving up the goal of reaching then end of the tracks. It’s enjoying the process without giving up the goal.

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West Virginia, Almost Heaven

black and white photography

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

It’s when I come up on a scene like the one in the feature image that I really understand why my home is called “Almost Heaven”. There’s times when I think that if I could reach the top of the mountain quick enough that I could touch the clouds. I know that there are higher mountains in the world. But, when I look around my West Virginia home I know that heaven comes down to meet us halfway.

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Winning The Day Regardless of the Score

black and white photography, Uncategorized

Hello friends! tonight’s feature image is titled “Anticipation” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the page.

They Tell me that it’s not really spring until there’s the crack of a bat. According to the MLB the opening day is May 28th 2019 which is actually early for Baseball but late for Spring. I have to be honest. I’m not a big fan of watching sports. What I am a big fan of is the bonding of attending the game. It’s not really something that I do often but When I do go I go for the whole experience. I don’t care about the score or the stats of the players. I like the smell of the popcorn or hotdogs and to listen to banter between the fans. I love to see the excitement in a child’s eyes when his team gets a home run.

I titled tonight’s featured image “Anticipation” because even though I’m not a big fan of watching sports I love to play. other than the occasional picnic i didn’t play much baseball but i did participate in other sports. I know what an athlete thinks about before the game. We work hard and train preparing for the big day. We want the crowd to go wild when we score. We have anticipation. We walk out onto the field on game day long before the crowd gets there & visualize these thing because we know that when the clock starts we will be in the zone. We hope & pray that our best is good enough 7 that when we fail the fans will show grace. Athletes thrive on the admiration of the crowd and losing that admiration is their worst nightmare. That shouldn’t be a big surprise because as humans we all thrive on the admiration of out peer group and we all fail. We hope and pray that those peers will show grace when we fail.

Its going to happen at some point in our lives. We’re all going to “strike out” or “drop the ball” or in the case of a racecar driver “crash and burn”. Failure is inevitable for all of us. we hope to find grace in the eyes of our friends not if but when it happens.

Imagine the ball player out on the field and all eyes are on him or her as the ball is dropped. when the game is a broadcast that error is exposed to everyone as the crowd hurls sneers and jeers. But what if the camera was on the crowd as someone dribbled hotdog sauce onto their shirt only to have the crowd respond with the same distaste?

I think the most awesome moment is sports history went down without the world even noticing. The game was in overtime and the batters were running out of gas. the pitch is given and the batter strikes out losing the game by one run. Amid the crowd’s disapproval I saw a small boy approach the rail. He couldn’t be older than six years. As the batter walked back to the dugout with his head low the boy reaches for him. I couldn’t hear the exchange but I didn’t have to hear it. Look on player face said it all as the child consoles the man. That grace in the eyes of a child told me that the payer won the game regardless of the score.

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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 or use the contact form on my website and tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

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The Invitation Of Spring 2019

black and white photography

Hello Friends!Tonight’s feature image is titled “Invitation To Breathe” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the page.

As I write tonight’s post the Star Magnolia in Smithers, West Virginia is in full bloom. But about one week ago it was the large white buds that caught my eye as was passing through town. I circled back to the little street that links all the shops together and brought my big blue truck to an abrupt halt. Officially, the Sun crossed the equator at 5:58 PM Eastern Time but for me Spring starts with the first sign of life from the trees. I have been holding my breath since November when the Yellow Popular tree dropped it’s leaf right in front of me.

Clicking on the photo takes you to https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/2018/11/30/panning-for-appalachian-gold-and-why-i-named-it-so/

With the return of the daylight and the new growth in the trees my spirit feels alive. I could not resist the invitation to take advantage of the cement bench and enjoy the sunshine beneath the large egg shaped buds. It felt good to just breathe in the light for while. This was a personal celebration of Spring.

When I processed the image I decided to go with the red filter. I wanted that dark onyx effect on the deep blue sky to symbolize the retreat of winter. The sun obligated my intention by shining brightly on the tree and the bench and allowed me to imply that the time of daylight was now in control of the agenda.

So as the daylight grows stronger let me invite you to find a sunny spot beneath a beautiful tree and enjoy some quiet time.

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Casting Off

black and white photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Anchor Point 1” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the page.

The river never stops. Even when it’s cold enough to freeze the ice slides forward on a thin layer of liquid water beneath. There are times when it rages and sweeps away everything in its path and times when it laps gently at the shore delivering life to the landscape. But it never stops.

Time flows like a river. Our perception can give us the impression of time flying as when visiting with an old friend or we can slow time to a crawl as when that cup of coffee is knocked off of the table and seems to hover in mid air for a moment. But it never really stops. Time erodes the world. It carries away the opportunities of the moment and changes our personal landscape. One way that this happens is by living in the past. It’s good to have a sense of nostalgia especially if it gives us a sense of peace but if it blinds us to the present it can be a problem. I’m guilty of this. I think it’s human nature to hold onto things that bring us happiness. But if we miss today’s opportunity we’re going to miss tomorrow’s happiness as we watch yesterday’s joy fade away into the past. I chose tonight’s feature image to represent holding onto yesterday because it is an anchor point. It’s purpose is to hold the boat in one place while the river flows by. It’s that stability that gives us the ability to board the boat and navigate through the river but at some point have to cast off. Casting off requires letting go of the anchor point that is weathered and worn. Here then is the paradox, letting go of the anchor exposes us to the hazards of the current but without letting go we may as well not be in the boat in the first place. What will we do in the river of time? Will we go boldly into current and build the future or will we hold onto the anchor point until the river swells and sweeps it away? Certainly there’s a place for nostalgia in our lives. But it should be more of an aid to navigation than a anchor the prevents travel beyond the starting point. It’s place in our lives should be where we can visit and resupply for the next journey but never the place where we are stuck.

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