black and white photography – Page 7 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

A Few Minutes Of Solitude

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Solitude 100820bw” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

I stand on the little bridge that crosses Peter’s Creek looking in the direction of the falls downstream. The warm autumn sun bathed landscape as the gentle breeze flowed over the mountains connecting all things. Each sound from the surrounding forest told it’s own story. A redtailed hawk cries out as it finds its strength in the wind. Small fish leap from the water and land with a tiny plop on the surface. The catbird just beyond the trees rings out its ever changing melody as the first of leaves to fall provide a rhythm for his tune. Gazing into the surface of the water I read the ripples eminate from the stones that peirce the surface. Their gentle influences mellow out into a uniform pattern that holds my attention. The breeze shifts again and delivers the scent of hay drying in a nearby field. It lasts only for a moment. The voices of nature are the whispers of God speaking peace to the troubled soul. A few moments of solitude are all it takes if you choose to receive his words.

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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The Forgotten Tomorrow

black and white photography, Color Photography, Landscapes

If I close my eyes and listen with my inner ear I can still hear the voices. The voices of people calling out orders, conversations at break time and the preshift prayer for safety. When your job is to dig deep or run the big machines on a highwall you tend to be a little more conscious of mortality. A few weeks ago I told you about my one and only day working on a strip mine and it happened just a little ways “down yonder” from where I took this photo. At the time I thought that there would never be an end to it. I helped as hired muscle but after that the real miners came behind me and pulled light from darkness. The coal that they harvested went to power plants and steel mills. It’s very possible that some of it would have made it from West Virginia to California. But that seems like a lifetime ago now. The voices are only echoes in the cosmetic moment we call time and the mountain has a way of reclaiming what’s her’s.

Image Titled “The Forgotten Tomorrow 122920a”. All photos found on my website are my original work and are available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The ground heaves and throws and the grass spreads across the landscape to bind steel. The trees come next to sure up those bindings with roots that bend, break and swallow iron and steel. Heavy beams are slowly pushed aside like children’s toys. In God’s creation that which is idle is cast aside to make room for renewal.

Image Titled “The Forgotten Tomorrow 122920b”.

It’s given to mankind to subdue the land but to land its own charge is to be wild. Without consistent effort all that is left is a mystery for some future archeological explorer to find the bands of steel and marvel for the world that was. And for Chandra, here are your trees growing in the railway that you asked to see. 🙂

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

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https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

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Forage Friday #88 Privet – Toxic

black and white photography, Color Photography, Forage Friday

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Privet Berries 113020” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Please remember that Forage Friday is presented as trivia and not to be mistaken for medical advice. In addition, Privet is a toxic plant that in a survival situation could produce symptoms that are counterproductive to survival.

Folk tales are full of forbidden fruit archetypes. The poison apple is a classic. And although these cautionary tales have a symbolic reference to morality the dangers of a fruit that looks yummy but could wind up costing a unwise traveler their life is very real. Privet is just such a plant. In several of plant forums I belong to there’s always a novice that posts a picture of beautiful berries that are available at a time of year when there’s not much to forage on. Of course those of us have learned about Privet are quick to point out that it is a toxic plant and sometimes that warning is given with exuberance that can come off as being harsh. I like to believe that’s only because they care and are frightened for the poster. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. We’re all a novice in some areas. According to Wikipedia, Privet is a mild toxin under normal circumstances. Symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting and one online source advises to seek medical attention if more than 5 berries are consumed. They go on to warn that for some people just contact with the leaves and berries can cause rash and that smelling the flowers causes respiratory distress. Hence the extra caution in tonight’s disclaimer. I presume that the medical professionals would treat the poison with pumping the stomach and activated charcoal. Because the modern world has such wonderful equipment and training it’s likely that the victim would survive. But a lot of people are exploring the world of foraging in relation to wilderness survival. Food is actually the lowest priority in a sudden survival situation. The first priority being shelter, then fire, then water and food is last. The higher priorities will usually require a bit of effort. A person suffering from the symptoms of Privet poisoning will not be as capable of doing the physical work needed to build shelter and gather firewood and diarrhea will cause dehydration making the need for water even more urgent.

Image Titled “Privet Berries 113020bw” and shows the color of the berries.

The confusion over the ediblilty of Privet Berries is understandable. In nature we see a lot of blue and purple berries that are edible. Our minds automatically associate those colors with things like grapes, blackberries, blueberries and elderberries. So naturally we see these colors and our reflexes are to expect the same pleasant experience.

Wikipedia and other sources also say that private is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The leaves and inner bark are used to treat diarrhea, ulcers chapped lips and sore throat. Skin problems are treated by using it to wash the area. But I also read that warning about how contact with the foliage causes a reaction.

In closing thoughts the two biggest things to remember are that it’s good to get a positive ID so never be afraid to ask before you try a new plant and remember that just because your instincts tell you that a plant looks good to eat doesn’t mean you’re instincts are right.

That’s it for the first Forage Friday post of 2021.

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?

A Journey To The Quiet Place

black and white photography, Landscapes

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “A Quiet Moment 112520bw” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Simple pleasures are greatly valued. The stillness of the human spirit is a rare opportunity in today’s world. The outside voices call constantly to look here or listen to that. Flesh and blood are merely a vehicle for experience. We become what we see and hear. And there are so many voices that try to mold our spirits to fit their vision. Voices that command us to buy, voices that command us to speak or watch and listen so that we may become. Wear what they say and bear their marks. Add your voice to ours and be heard. They tell us to conform or be an outcast. The messages will hold us down if we let them. So I entered the park as escapee and not an outcast. And I found that as I allowed their voices to fade into echoes I felt somewhat lighter. I knelt down by the river and washed away all the marks they attempted to place in my heart. Behind this shield of silence my own thoughts return like an old friend in joyful reunion. We found the beach and allowed the small patterns of current in the river to mesmerize our attention. Reflections sway slightly to the motion of the water and the secret world welcomes the return of a lost child who wandered in the shadows of schedules and meetings. But if we can find that quiet place we will find our true self waiting to re-emerge. We remember that we are that spirit that’s having a human experience. There is strength in that quiet place.

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?

Another Lesson From The Old Barn

black and white photography, Landscapes

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled Old Barn On Muddlety Creek 120120BW” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Weathered wood creeks and rusted tin rattles in the icy assault of Old Man Winter’s rage. The once majestically constructed barn strains to keep her shape but she’s weary from the decades of buffering the climate. I fear that she just doesn’t have many seasons left. It’s a bittersweet moment as I stand in the road and listen to wind whisper that it’s only a matter of time before she gives in. The timbers will turn to powder and the tin will be scattered in ravages of time. And what will become of the small histories of lives that were touched by the old landmark? I know that the true nature of time is not tangible to mankind in our current life. And yet at the same time I know that whatever was once held never truly fades into oblivion. It lives on in some frozen cosmic moment in various states of being. It’s also true that what once was can be remade by hands that are willing. It’s really just a matter of investing the will and the sweat along with that essence of life invested. Blisters and calluses are the currency of the will. As a race mankind is capable of making real almost anything imagined. The Good Lord said so at the tower of Babel. I read through the Bible and there is a lot of emphasis on the words “If the people are willing and have a mind to work.” You see, the old barn didn’t just spring into existence. Someone had to look at the fallow ground and see a farm that was successful enough to justify the barn. They either cut and hauled the timber or took what they had and purchased it. They cut it to the needed dimensions and formed from their will through the sweat, blisters and calluses until it was there. It fades away now not because it was used up but because it was not maintained. For whatever reason, the will disappeared. But what if someone else found the will? The old beams would need to be cleared and new ones put in their place but it can be done.

My final thought for tonight is that we face a lot of challenges in the near future. And in some cases we will have to clear away the debris and start fresh. We’ll have to invest our sweat,blisters and calluses but if the people are willing and have a mind to work then what once was can be again. We are human. We change worlds because that’s what we are born to do.

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/