Category: wildlife

Finding Providence On A Gray Day

Color Photography, wildlife
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Watercolors 113020a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The distant thunder of the CSX line on the opposite side of the river echoes throughout the Kanawha Valley. The pristine white snow has given way to the typical cold rain of late Fall. Officially, Winter is not for another two weeks and yet the damp chill of the oncoming season already grips my bones. “It’s only a small thing that’s common to all of mankind” I tell myself as I search for the wonderment of creation that certainly exists in this place. Then I spotted the bright leaves of a sweet gum seedling. The bold colors stand out against a gray climate in total defiance of the melancholy weather. The cheer of the eyes brings enough joy to the heart that the warmth of a touched soul drives out the previous chill. It seems that the Good Lord himself has saw it fit to paint a warm flame into nature’s canvas. The valiant sprout burns with vibrant life in spite of the long nights and cold days. The gentle flame from God’s palette was enough to return hope to day and remind me that brighter days are returning soon. For the new light is born on the first day of winter and sorrow is always delivered with hope. It really just depends on what you choose to focus on.

Stay positive when things look dark and trust in providence.

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/

Click here to visithttps://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! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

Rose Hips & Winter

Color Photography, wildlife, winter
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Rose Hips & Winter 120120a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

I awoke to a new world today. The first day of December arrived on time and covered my mountain with a blanket of fresh snow. “You need to get out with your camera.” My wife said gently as she began to give our dog his morning belly rub. Soon afterwards I found myself going up the mountain in my big blue truck. The fresh aroma of coffee wafting up from my thermos is all the more satisfying when the snow is blowing. I stopped by several different places to take pictures and eventually made my way to Muddlety Creek to visit the marsh. The songbirds were huddled in the thickets well protected from the icy dagger like wind sweeping across the open wetlands. The marsh is thick with the swamp rose which seems to not suffer from issues that domestic roses need constant defending from. The bright red hips are the perfect accent amid the tan snow covered reeds. I set the breaks on the big blue truck and roll the window down. The silence of the marsh brings an otherworldly feel to the scene as I snap the shutter. This day will become a snow globe in my lens and all that exists is the berries and myself.

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/

Click here to visithttps://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! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

The Lesson Of The Willow

Color Photography, Landscapes, wildlife
Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Rebirth 112420a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.


Men came. They came with axes and saws and chains and they began to bite and gnaw at my base until they pulled me down. They dismembered me and hauled me away in pieces. But I was not defeated. Beneath the cold ground my roots found the strength to live. I will never yield. I will never give up.  I will live.

On the banks of the Kanawha River at the little Kanawha Falls park is another of my favorite trees. The sandbar willows are vigorous. The roots are strong and grow deep enough to anchor  them against flooding. Willows are also the source of growth and rooting hormones found in the gardening supplies. Which is why this particular willow has a second lease on life  A closer view of the willow prop roots.


This willow was cut down a few years ago and when I first noticed the trees growing up from the stump I thought that they were separate trees and that the stump was just caught up by the new growth.  But on closer inspection I found that this is all the same tree. The tree was just that determined to live. 

Forests are good analogs for society. In the Bible when Jesus heals the blind man it takes two attempts. Jesus spits on the ground and makes clay which is put on the man’s eyes and when Jesus asks what he sees the man replied that he saw men as trees that walk.  I believe that it wasn’t a failure of Jesus and that he had to try again.  Instead, I believe that Jesus first opened the blind man’s spiritual vision before opening his natural vision.  In short,  I believe that Jesus was showing the blind man something special.  There are other places in the Bible where mankind is likened to trees. Actually, there’s a lot of  places in the Bible that trees symbolize mankind, tribes or kings. 

There is always going to be times of great loss. Times when it looks like we’ve lost all of our growth.  The “powers that be” are always eager to pull us down and part out our gains. But if our roots are strong and we are determined we can come back stronger than ever. 

Another tree secret is that trees are a community. Science has proven that they even talk to each other through a fungal network that even helps them exchange sugars. The forest will even keep very old stumps alive and try to help them regrow. It’s possible that some old stumps even serve as a databank for the surrounding forest just as mankind needs those from previous generations to lead and guide us.

When the leaves are on we can see that the old willow stump is definitely still alive.

My final thought for tonight is to never give up and never accept the face value of any situation as the final outcome. Each and every one of us is stronger than we think and we all have the opportunity to rise again and start over.Image Titled “Rebirth 112420b”.
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/

Click here to visithttps://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! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

A Question About Herons

Color Photography, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image “Great Blue Heron 11052020a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The gentle sound of trickling water permeates the empty lake bed. The hunter in the pool stills himself. He’s so motionless that he may as well be made from the very stones that surrounds him. Not a ripple betrays his presence in water. I have to wonder if his seemingly catatonic state is as much intense concentration as it is concealment from his prey. Having watched them hunt a few times I’ve noticed that occasionally they seem to be aware of prey that’s not in their line of sight. The few occasions that I’ve witnessed this the bird was standing in the water. We know that a Heron will stand in the water and vibrate one foot to flush out prey but does this work in reverse? Are those legs sensitive enough to the vibration from a minnow’s tail that the Heron can tell where it came from? Or at least what direction? I really don’t know. But sure seems like there’s more going on than a keen eye sometimes.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

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/

Click here to visithttps://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! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

Aquatic Tranquility In November

Color Photography, Landscapes, wildlife

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Aquatic Tranquility 110420a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Ripples spread gently across the water’s surface and Softly lap at the muddy embankment of the pond. The fiery colors of the leaves no longer share their hue with the aquatic landscape but in their place the tall trees stretch out to anchor the shore between two skys. This is the realm of the waterfowl who are equally at home in air and sea. Gracefully they glide through on their daily routine. The make no sound but stay in perfect unison as they patrol their domain. As the ripples reach my position nestled behind the fence each splash of the water lapping over clay and stone ebbs away the excess emotion from my being. Life was always intended to be so simple as this tranquil moment.

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/

Click here to visithttps://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! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤