Color Photography – Page 61 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Christmas Thoughts 2020

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.

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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/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

The Landscape Dreams

Color Photography, Landscapes

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Muddlety Creek In December 120220” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Ice and snow continue to fall in my Appalachian Mountains. The deer are bedded down in some sheltered thicket well away from the windy plane of the mountain delta. The fish that are normally feeding near the water’s surface have dove deeply into the murky pools to escape the ice. No birds sing and no ducks swim. The marsh sleeps deeply in winter. If the landscape dreams then dreams of days when the sun falls warmly on fresh green leaves and dragon flies play in the sky above. On those days the reeds are full of bird’s songs bees swarm over sweetly scented blooms. This landscape dreams of the new light. And it’s true that the shadows will struggle to keep their place in the corners and valleys for a while and that Old Man Winter will resist being dethroned but the New Light always prevails. It’s subtle at first and you have to look for it to see it but in less than 24 hours the New Light will arrive to drive out tge shadows.

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?

Snow Days

Color Photography, Landscapes

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

My big blue truck slowly idles down the country lane on Peter’s Creek as I watch the edges for the wildlife. The wintery scene that stretches out before me takes me back at least 40 years to the country lane where I grew up. Every time a single flake of snow landed on the ground we prayed for a snow day. In those days it wasn’t uncommon for the school bus to get stuck in the ditch long before it reached my house. It wasn’t really that winter was any harsher. But the roads were smaller and less maintained increasing the chances that they would call school off. On those glorious winter days snowball fights and sledding were almost obligatory. Having access to large open fields meant hosting the sled races. Everyone had their secret to winning the race. For some it was the position that they sat in. By shifting all your weight to the front it was believed to provide more momentum. Other secrets included turtle wax, candle wax and even bar soap on the runners. Different types of sleds came into play too. The steel runner sleds vs the homemade wooden runner sleds. Believe it or not the homemade sleds normally proved to be faster. Disk sleds were fast too but they were harder to control and there were often kids flying downhill screaming at the top of their lungs as they spun the whole way down. But the ultimate sleds were the old car hoods. They had the weight, the stability and the sickness even if they harder to stop at the end of the course. The snow day if properly conducted ends with hot coco and cartoons in front of a fireplace or wood stove. And perhaps a little debating on who actually won the race. But no matter what it was a way for kids to be kids and unencumbered by the demands of the outside world.

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/