Appalachian winter – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Holding The Light On A Winter Day

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Summer Echoes 120621′ and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The rattle of dry leaves brings a winter rhythm to the wind’s lonesome melody in the empty lake. I’m only able to tolerate a few moments of exposure to the cutting breeze. But the big blue truck has an excellent heater and I ease the lens through the small gap to capture the oak leaves as they hold the light. It only roughly two weeks until the New Light begins I tell myself. It’s my understanding that the Native Americans didn’t make a winter camp in the mountains of West Virginia because of the darkness. The gray skies and the mountain’s shadow can seem to be moving in on you at times. But the light of a good fireplace and the warmth of a close friend can make it easier to bare. While the truck is parked I open the lid of my thermos and the aroma of the coffee fills the cab. There’s nothing like your favorite warm drink on a cold day. The wind dies down a bit giving me a second chance to try capture the light in the leaves. It’s enough. I make my way back up out of lake bottom while holding onto the light of my own. The light in my heart that guides me and keeps me warm.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.

We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

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’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY.

Lloyds Lens Photography web link — 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! Simply use 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=238248269630914251Lastly, 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 photographerThank you again for your support of my page!♥️

Winter’s Promise

Color Photography, winter

The cold damp air bites at my skin as I step from the big blue truck to get a better angle on the flowers. If they told you that beauty fades they lied. True beauty never fades but instead it transforms. The brilliant colors often lose their hue but still, beauty isn’t lost. The sweet aroma no longer fills the world and the fragrance waits to be released in the next season. The light still plays with the dry petals illuminating them in translucent glory to reveal texture that was mostly unnoticed in warmer days. Delicate seeds await the songbirds and hope to be carried to new places where they can fulfill Winter’s Promise of renewal. In spite of the long nights and bitter temperatures of winter it’s true that hope is born in darkness. The seeds of Spring are being planted as we huddle around fires and cups of coffee or coco. Have joy friends, for it’s only twenty one days until the New Light begins to slowly push back the mountain’s shadow and fill our hearts.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/embed/#?secret=GJGnIQEVHc

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’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY

WELCOME TO LLOYD’S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY.

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Regrowth

black and white photography, winter

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Hibiscus Pods 22321bw” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

In the waning days of February 2021 my little slice of Appalachia is blessed with a warm front that calls me to a state of wanderlust. Not too far. Just a quick stroll around the yard to check out some of the changes that occurred during colder days. The little Hibiscus grove that will hosts so many butterflies in late spring stands in suspended animation with their pods fully open. In truth they appear as though they were growing in some far off exotic places or alien world. Almost ten years ago a terrible storm brought down some older trees and crushed the fully mature single tree that graced this spot. I thought for sure that it would be the end of this source of beauty but in response that tree began to replicate like wildfire and even sent new growth from the old moss covered stumps. Now when it’s in bloom there’s hardly a day that I don’t see either the butterflies or bees working the flowers. It’s because it’s own little forest. Looking at how much it’s spread always reminds me that the secret of success is simply not giving up. Even when you’re crushed by circumstances. Your roots are stronger than you think and sometimes it’s the very thing you thought would be the end that pushes you beyond the old boundaries.

Never give up friends. Good night and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/

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’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?

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 use 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 And Songbirds

Color Photography, winter

A Winter's Harvest 20921 — Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “A Winter’s Harvest 20921” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

I slowly approach the edge of the marsh looking for any signs of tiny green shoots that dare to challenge the ice. Of course it’s still way to early but hope is built on breaking the law of averages. Today the averages win again though and I shift my focus to the blood red hips of the swamp roses. I count the days by the volume of the tiny red beads displayed on thorny perches. They are actually among the last things that birds will forage on and so the more that vanish, the closer we are to a change in seasons. The tight camera angle might leave us with the impression that the marsh is still full of them but a large chunk of them are missing.

Image Titled “Rose Hips 20921b” showing evidence of bird foraging on the hips.

Tucked away in the wetland grasses these rose hips offer songbirds a little privacy for enjoying a meal. Just to the left of center we can see the hips have been pecked at. The brighter colors of two berries and exposed seeds tell me that the birds couldn’t dislodge them from the stems. Perhaps they were a little over ripe and broke apart before they could be eaten. In any case it means that the birds are foraging on rose hips. They will eat a little of them all through the winter but they don’t really hit them heavy until late season when everything else is the most scarce. During the colder weather they seem to prefer a higher fat content in their diet. I think that’s because it’s a higher energy density for them to keep warm.

I haven’t gotten him on camera yet and I’ve only caught a glimpse but I think I heard a Bluebird call near my feeder today. It’s a bit early for them as well but with the recent cold front dipping farther south than normal it’s conceivable that it may have moved out of the way of the front.

That’s it for tonight friends. Good night and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/

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’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 Duel Begins

Color Photography, winter

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Ice Flow 20921” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Old Man Winter isn’t really one to give up his seat easily. His icy grip clings desperately to the very bones of the mountains. He commands the clouds to gather above and shield him from the growing strength of the sun. But his days are numbered. Over the next several weeks the age old duel between the light and the darkness will take place in my mountain home. Ice will flow from the rocks as if the earth herself is casting out the deep cold. On the 20th day of February I have already noticed the new leaves peeking up between the blades of grass as new life emerges from a shell of frosted snow. And shortly after 9:00 AM this morning I sat down at my desk and for the first time since October the morning sun struck my eyes directly. Throughout the winter months it seldom peeks above the ridges until much later in the day. But today I was greeted by a warm smile and a ray of hope that the green thing will awaken soon. It always comes in stages. First the herbs and then the trees. Not too many days from now we will look to mountains and see patches of bright red as the maples awaken and soon after that the redbud will burst forth in pink glory followed by the Dogwood and then the rest of nature. As look at both the ice and the new leaves in the grass I’m reminded not to judge the end by the beginning. Life is a work that’s in continual progress. Hold on and have faith. The season of shadows will pass soon.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/

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’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/