Appalachian Fall – Page 9 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

The Hay Ride

black and white photography, Uncategorized

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “The Hay Wagon” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The cool night air bites at my cheeks as I stare up into the crystal clear sky. The sun disappeared behind the mountains early in the evening but there’s still a soft purple hue on the horizon. There was a few streetlights dotted throughout the rural community but not so many as to ruin the view of star. The night sky is unbroken by the blinking lights of passenger jets in those days. By the time I was a sophomore in high school I’d had enough allergy treatments to allow me to participatein a hay ride. I had tucked a few antihistamine pills in my pocket just in case I started to have a reaction but they were unnecessary. I leaned back against the wooden sides of the wagon and thought about how much the stars resembled sugar sprinkled across the opaque dome of a late fall night. The only sounds at the moment were the steady clip clop of the horse’s hooves on the hardtop lane. The hay helped keep the youth group warm in the bitter night air and we were covered by beautifully designed Appalachian quilts. And there was rich hot chocolate made with whole milk. Then I felt someone take my hand and I looked down to see the new girl in the group looking up at me. We never spoke. I was too shy in my teen years and seemed to babble and stutter around the girls. Fortunately for me she didn’t speak either. We just cuddled up under the quilt and looked at stars. Nobody seemed to notice us as the horse pulled the wagonload of teenagers through the hills. That is, until the wagon pulled up at her house and she gave me my first kiss before she went inside.

When I see a hay wagon I’m always taken back to a simpler time. A time when the simple things in life were the most important things and we took the time to enjoy them. And, our lives were fully enriched when time was our own.

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The Light Catchers

Color Photography

The precious sunshine beams down to caress and energize the leaves. The leaves reach out to catch the life giving rays and glow with joy. The late Autumn sun enriches the golden tones of the sugar maple. The deep reds of the Dogwood echo the maples and the whole world takes on the appearance of a stained glass window.

As I stroll through this natural sanctuary I can’t help think about the light’s interaction with the leaves. They not only catch the light but they also hold it and as it soaks in the leaves become light sources themselves.

When we are able to catch and hold the light we can become a source of light for others. Our faces shine with a bright smile and joy beams out of our eyes. Our lives are fully enriched when we reach for the light.

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Liquid Flames Of An Appalachian Fall

Color Photography, Prints Available From Lloyd's Lens Photography

The crisp Fall air is disturbed only by the occasional gust that sends a cascade of brightly colored leaves pouring out of the forest. I have been working long hours and it’s well past time for a breath of fresh air so I grab a camera and meander around my property. Earlier this morning my dog “Scout” had flushed out a great blue heron out of the creek that runs through the front of my yard. I knew that after such a chastising from the porch that the odds of the large crane-like bird returning were long but I decided to give my best and venture out to the edge of the forest and see if it was there. The heron was long gone and probably stalking the Gauley River by now. I took a deep breath and drew in the scent of the fall. Fall has a sweet earthy aroma that similar to sphagnum moss but sweeter and mixed with the smoke of my closest neighbor’s fire. He’s already burning the oak that’s been curing for at least a year. I listened to sharp call of a female Cardnial keeping up with her mate in hopes that they would wander within range of my lens. The squirrels are still playing in trees but the leaves are still giving them plenty of cover to hide in. I turned my attention to the water as it flowed over the large flat sandstone bottom of the creek and fomed a shallow pool. Different shades of yellow, orange and red floated through the pool and swirled in the eddies. I decided to try for a shot o f a leaf in the water. Then the light spoke to me. It spoke in the form of swirling and flickering tones of fall leaves backlit by the autumn sun. The light told me a story of flames dancing on the water and eventually merging with the stream to become the liquid flames in the image. I love it when a photo gives me that otherworldly feel. I didn’t even really need to do much editing to this one. I simply adjusted for clarity and took out a tiny bit of noise and it instantly became one of my favorite “abstract” photos. I was so inspired by the look of the orange and yellow that I cropped it down and turned the flames upright.

Today was the last day of sunshine in North America. Tonight somewhere in the inky blackness an hour of sunshine is taken away and gives birth to the cold gray world of winter. But, I now have a fire to keep me warm until April.

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Water Colors

Color Photography

A cool misty rain sweeps through the hills of West Virginia on a late October morning. My schedule is rarely this open so I allow the big blue truck to take me wherever it wants to explore. No. I haven’t upgraded the truck to a robot. I don’t need to in order for it to speak to me. For those who attuned to the road just know what their vehicles are saying. Sometimes they want to race. Sometimes they want to slowly cruise and enjoy the sunshine. But if it’s a four wheel drive it’s likely to be in the mood to explore and maybe throw a little bit of mud into the air. On this particular day my truck suddenly decided to see what was on a side street and took me off the main highway. I struggled to hold him back as we traveled down the narrow lane. Then my big blue truck urged me pull into a parking lot where we found a Sassafras tree in full Fall glory. You may not believe it but four wheel drive trucks have a sixth sense and instinctively know where to find beauty in nature. I pulled up as close to the tree as I could and took out my camera. “Roll down my window down!” The truck urged. I had already planned to shoot from the cab so I could keep the lens clean but I allowed my truck to believe it was his great idea. Then he whispered, “God paints our world with watercolors.” As I observed the mists collecting on the red, orange and yellow leaves I knew what he meant.

I shot several different angles and settings and became so inspired by the beautiful leaves that I created a special one to post to Lloyd’s Lens Photography on Facebook.

Image Titled “God Paints With Watercolors”

I had to remove the post because Facebook deemed it to be spam and as most people who admin a business page knows there’s no appeal. If the algorithm gets you then that’s it. All we can do is wait to see if Facebook decides to take down the whole page. Now, the only reason why I even bring this up is because I have had so much positive interaction with different Facebook groups that I’ve shared with for the past few years. For those who are relying on seeing my posts come up in group feeds there’s a pretty good chance that Facebook will no longer allow me to deliver the blog to you that way. But if you enjoy my blog and my stories then you can sign up for my daily email at the bottom of my Welcome Page. As time goes on I’ll be adding other social media platforms like MeWe.com and putting more effort into things like Pinterest and YouTube and Twitter but for now be blessed and if you enjoy the photos or the stories please leave a comment in the comment section of my blog and let me know where you saw the post.

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https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

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Incident On Panther Mountain

Color Photography, Landscapes, short stories

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Foggy Morning On Panther Mountain 101919” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The engine of my big blue truck growls as I carefully ease my way up Panther Mountain on a foggy October morning. I have the windows down and have turned the music off so that I can listen to the forest. I have become accustomed to paying attention to the bird calls as a kind of “radar”. The forests speak to you if you know what your listening for. Even with the windows down and the radio off I have to stop the engine and step out to be able to get a good ear shot of what’s going on. The fog seems to close in on me like a cloak and the morning light dims a little as I find a spot wide enough to exit the vehicle.

The big blue truck 101919 — Finding a place to sit quietly and listen to the forest speak.

I took a little peek over the edge but the valley below is completely hidden by the fog. After a few minutes the birds began to chirp. I was hoping to get a nice photo of the fog on the Gauley River below but the fog was so thick that you couldn’t see beyond a few yards. I thought that maybe if I sat still enough some wildlife might stumble into range of my lens. This is actually a public road and even though it’s seldom used I can’t leave the road blocked so I stay within sight of the truck. I noticed that the leaves near the edge of the road were moving and suddenly a chipmunk popped up right at my feet. Before I could focus he let out a squeak and disappeared back into a sea of fallen leaves. I chuckled softly and was watching to see if he came back when the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Something was moving through the area. Something big enough to silence the birds. Normally I’d notice the holes in the bird chatter but I was too focused on the chipmunk. That eerie feeling of being watched flooded my gut so strongly that I became nauseous. Whatever it was that made the birds fall silent was close and I allowed myself to drift out from the truck a bit too far. To be continued on Part 2

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https://youtu.be/FDcrY6w8oY8

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 oruse 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.

Thank you again for your support of my page! ❤