Color Photography – Page 174 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

The Day I Fell Into The Sky

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

Sunday morning I arrived early at the parking lot of my day job. The previous day’s blanket of snow was washed away by a warm rain. Like all parking lots ours has low spots where the water pools after a bit of inclement weather. It was the perfect opportunity for some black mirror photography. Breaking storm, bare trees and low angle of the sun reveals an alternate universe within the pool. Having managed to hold onto my childhood imagination brings me to daydream about accidentally stepping in the wrong direction and falling through into the other sky. My daydream completely absorbs me and I can feel the rush of cold air blowing through my hair as the clouds rush by. At first I thought that I was flying instead of falling. As the ground grows ever farther away my lack of control says that I’m definitely falling. I’m just falling up instead of down. Then it hits me. I’ve slipped into a mirror world and things here are backwards. Here, birds swim, fish fly and cats bark. If something didn’t happen soon I would fall completely off of the earth and drown in space. What I needed was an anchor of some sort. It was at that moment that I felt something wrapped around my ankle. There was a sudden jerk and I stopped moving. It was a kite string. I looked down to see the most beautiful kite that I have ever seen laying on the ground. I was saved. It took every bit of strength that I could muster to pull myself out of the sky. As I neared the earth I discovered that the kite was actually tangled up in the roots of a tree. Even in the mirror world some things are universal. Trees eat kites and that’s it. But for me it meant a place to safely rest by sitting upside down on a branch. I had come down far away from the mirror pool I had fallen into. I was worried that I might not be able to get home. I started to look around in a panic and that’s when I saw the arrows carved into the tree. They pointed to a large crack in the bark. I gather some slack from the kite string and looped it into a belt that could hold me to the tree and used it to shimmy down the trunk to the crack. I tugged on the edge of the broken bark and found that the tree was hollow. With nothing to lose I crawled in began to work my way towards the end where I saw a little speck of light. As the light grew closer I realized that I was no longer upside down. I came out at the base of another tree in my world. I would show you the pictures from the other side of the mirror pool but when I checked the folder I discovered that every time I snapped the shutter it deleted a file. 😉

With my childish daydream gone it was time for me to return to the real world for real. I did manage to catch a few good shots of the mirror pool for tonight’s feature image. One of which has already been released on Facebook in a few groups that I frequent. I hope that you have enjoyed tonight’s surreal tall tale about falling into the sky.

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The Return Of Daylight

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Wading Willows 2019” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the page.

The return of the evening sun brings a sigh of relief to my spirit. Even though the difference is artificial, the simple act of setting a clock can make a major difference in the quality of life. It’s not just an extra hour of light but an extra hour of living. Most people who have a day job fill their morning with the obligations of maintaining their jobs. Lunches are packed, attire is selected, pets are settled for the day and children are shuffled off to schools or day care. There’s very little time left to enjoy the light before being sequestered in front of a computer screen. But today I won the race against the shadows and made it home before the darkness was able to touch my driveway. I even had time to stop and check on my wading willows at Kanawha Falls. Bearing the marks of the recent high water gave them the appearance of children who had been playing in the mud. As a bonus I was also able to enjoy another long awaited ritual that signals the end of winter for me. The first drive home with the windows down. Two Spring activities in one day! Moreover the time change will increase the opportunity for a sunrise shot or two over the next few weeks. I was able to get several shots of different things while at Kanawha Falls and I’ll be posting them separately. But for now the combination of daylight, warm weather and the peaceful sounds of the Kanawha River lapping at the shore was both soothing and reinvigorating at the same time.

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A Quick Update On My Natural Calendar

Color Photography

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

I’m the kind of person who is done with ice and snow about 2 days after Christmas. I have been longing for green leaves and a walk down a moss covered path for quite some time now. We still have a little ways to go yet but yesterday’s revelation of the Bradford pear with it’s swollen flower buds was just the boost I needed. So much so that I decided to savor the moment and post the closeup as a second post. I live at a higher elevation and the valley always greens up a few days to a few weeks before it does at my house. In addition to the Bradford pear I’m starting to notice that familiar crimson tinge on the red maple twigs that tells me they are waking up too. The sight of these things reminds me of being challenged to swim from the Battle Run “Beach” to the campground under water. Unless you’re Michael Phelps it’s only possible by occasionally coming up for air a few times. These buds are the fresh breath I need to get through until mid April. In addition I’m thrilled that we reset the clocks to Daylight saving time tonight and that means it’s no longer dark when I get home. ( Can we just move it by 1/2 hour and leave it there?). You might be discouraged to see the snow covering the delicate buds but have no fear. This actually helps them survive the cold! I have been reviewing the metadata on in my archive to judge the dates of my natural calendar. Last year this tree was in full bloom on March 16th. By April 2nd the the Japanese Maple at the shopping center had tiny new leaves. The Redbud was in full bloom on April 14th and on April 23rd the dogwood trees were just starting to open. On April 25th last year I took a picture of a wild mustard plant in full bloom. And by April 27th the blackberries had both bloom and deep green leaves.

In closing, I know that tonight’s post is a little longer than normal and that I didn’t really cover the normal topic of taking time to declutter the mind but I do find encouragement in stepping back and gauging how long it is before the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains reveals itself in it’s milder form.

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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.

Thank you again for your support of my page! 😊

The Stirring

Color Photography

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

March comes in like a lion and I awaken to a snowy world. Late winter and early Spring brings heavy wet snows in my area. By this afternoon the snow will be melt in a sloppy coating of slush but the early morning is cold enough to keep it frozen. The winter has been relatively mild this year and with the opportunity for snow days dwindling many commuters have decided to bag the day and stay home. I wouldn’t say that the road was deserted but it was rather quiet. I pulled into the parking lot of my day job and it was like a ghost town. The combination of snow and fog reduced the visible world to a tiny dome just a few hundred yards wide. I can hear announcements being made over the PA system of Yeager Airport on the next ridge line over but they may as well be the disembodied voices of phantoms lost in the icy mountain mists. I turned my attention to the Bradford pear in the lot. For some reason I been particularly drawn to this little tree over the past 14 years. Today it stands proudly in its little spot in defiance of the weather. The wet snow clings to each twig as if trying in vain to wrestle the tree to the ground. Something looks different about the tree this morning. It seems to smirk. I decided to move in a little closer and there before my eyes was revealed the sight that I have been waiting to see since Christmas. The buds on my little friend are noticeably swollen. The first signs of life returning to the world since late November! In spite of the wintery scene that surrounds me I began to feel a little warmer as I headed in to clock in and that snowy dome doesn’t seem so closed in anymore. It’s going to be a great day!

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In A Breath’s Space

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Downtime At Three Rivers” and is available as prints by following the instructions at the bottom of the page.

The big blue truck rolls to the foot of Gauley Mountain and coasts to stop at the wide spot near the three rivers. It’s cool day but not as cold as it has been. The Spring of 2018 was well under way and the redbud was in bloom. I sat for a while with the windows down just absorbing the fresh air after a long winter of being stuck in the house. It was one of those rare “no agendas” days when I can get out for a little while and enjoy the sunshine. Best of all, I get to take a breath. Most people over the age of 6 minutes probably consider themselves expert breathers. Most healthy people don’t even have to consciously think about filling their lungs with atmosphere and then letting it out again. But that’s just breathing. Taking a breath is something more. It’s less mechanical and more spiritual. It’s the difference between maintaining life and truly living. Our lives have purpose beyond our responsibilities of maintaining a daily existence. Ecclesiastes 12:13 tells us that the duty man is to keep God’s commandments but duty and purpose are two different things. Duty is the pathway to purpose. I believe that God has an individual purpose for each one of us but in general I believe that the purpose of mankind as a whole is to simply spend time with God. Before the fall of Adam God would come to him every day just to visit. The bible doesn’t really mention an agenda. There is no talk of thunder and lightning or thick clouds of smoke. Just a walk through the garden and the conversation between friends. No thou shalt or thou shalt nots. (Which are actually intended to get us back to the point where we can enjoy that friendship again. ) It was just friends hanging out.

To slow down and take a breath is to push back all the distractions of modern life and give space for that simple conversation between friends. The one without a wish list or complaining about all the bad times. You see, our friend desires that simple conversation as much as we do. But he’s not rude. He won’t barge in and demand your attention while you’re too busy. He won’t change the subject when you need to talk about the issues that he’s already been working to resolve. He simply waits for us to settle down and be ready in that “breath’s space”.

After a few minutes of peace and quiet at the three rivers area and a good conversation while snapping photos I’m ready to head towards the house. My friend assures me that He’s going to be close by even though the conversation is over for now and that we can pick up the conversation again anytime I’m ready. I fasten the seatbelt and the big blue truck starts to roll again towards home.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

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https://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 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.

Thank you again for your support of my page! 😊