Conservative Artist – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Life-Time

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Misty Forest 121619” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Water gently falls from the the bare twigs striking the sparse leaves. Deep within the mists the sound of hooves cautiously moving through the bush echoes up from the hollow below. The air is full of random chirps from the various little birds. I can also hear the dull thud of the local Pileated Woodpecker as he probes the old snag that’s just out of sight. The mists have stirred up the smell of the moss and it occasionally wafts my direction in the light breeze.

In my youth I would sit for hours on a rock ledge and immerse myself in the surrounding forest. In an age when the only wireless communication was a two way radio and reality wasn’t virtual time belonged to the experiencer.

It makes me question the definition of a lifetime. Is it a measure of quantity or quality? Is ten centuries of existence in a box a lifetime or is life-time the time spent experiencing creation?

The laughter of the woodpecker rings out as I contemplated my place in creation and I realized that his jovial outlook on life is tied to the fact that woodpeckers never invented a clock to divide their lives between existence and living.

Hello Friends and thank you for your support of my page. If you have enjoyed the photos or the writings please let me know by commenting and sharing my work on your social media. I also want to invite you to Follow Lloyds Lens Photography on Facebook

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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 photographer.

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Basic Elements

Back and White Photography

There are only three basic shapes in the known universe. The point, the Ray ( or line ) and the curve. Everything our eyes perceive is simply our brain’s interpretation of the way theses shapes are organized. Even a Jackson Pollock painting can be broken down into the three prime shapes. The only real difference is the complexity and arrangement of the elements.

Sometimes life gets really complex. On those days helps to break things down to their basic elements. Instead of the point like we have in art it’s the goal. In place of the Ray it’s the method and in place of the curve it’s the adjustment. The basic elements of life. All other elements are just patterns based on the three basics. Thus, the complexity can be dismantled and better understood. As the pattern builds and repeats it becomes easier to anticipate the next element.

The next thing is variance. We as humans are drawn to repeating patterns but we also have a need for variety. One of the reasons why I named tonight’s feature image “Basic Elements” is because of the repeated patterns. When I was first starting to learn photography as a form of fine art it was suggested that the more triangles that I could include the better the image would be received. “People like triangles” the lecturer said. Tonight’s image is full of triangular shapes but not rows of triangles. They are scattered across the picture as are the points and curves. This gives the eye something to find in different parts of picture in a way that keeps it from being boring.

We need variance in our lives. Routine is great for dependability but quickly degrades into monotony. Planning variance in our daily routine helps us avoid boredom and have a more fulfilling life pattern. It might be as simple as taking a different route to work or listening to a different style of music as we go about the daily tasks but breaking up the pattern is what’s important.

As looked through the broken bow of wreck I noticed that all of the elements were contained in the image presented to me as well as a few not covered in this post. It was time to snap the shutter and move on to the next opportunity. The big blue truck waits for me in the shade of the nearby forest and I can hear the call of the road beckoning me to come and find the next destination. That too is a pattern that I must follow.

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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!❤

On The Edge Of The Storm

Color Photography

The sun hangs low in the sky and a cold damp chill sweeps through the Appalachian Mountains. In the distance I hear the frogs singing as they prepare to invade the newly formed puddles that sprawl across the old logging trails. It’s rained off and on most of day but the nightfall brings a downpour. We’re on the edge of a storm. I have been running about ten minutes ahead of front and that has kept me out of the high winds. Behind me the sky hangs in ragged tatters as the gathering clouds are ripped apart by the oncoming surge.

A quick snapshot of the oncoming storm as seen through my windshield

Yet in spite of the ominous signs of a major weather event the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains brings you sense of peace. Perhaps it’s the expectations that the mountains provide a degree of shelter. Or maybe it’s knowing that God has a way of working things out regardless of the storms.

I always feel more at ease once I pass by the old trestle bridge in Gauley Bridge. Not only does it mark the point where I’m almost home but it’s also the point where I enter the most sheltered terrain. We’ve had some bad storms in my area. In 2012 a straight line wind came through and did a lot of damage. Then there was the flooding in 2012. But through it all God took care of us. He never really promised that there wouldn’t be storms. He did promise that it would be okay.

As the big blue truck carried me deeper into the hills and mountains the storms were nipping at my heels. As I stepped into the house the rain finally caught up with me and the wind howled in the trees on the ridge line above. There will be the dead and broken branches in the yard to clean up and the odd piece of trim to replace but I thank God for the shelter of my mountains and that we’re all safe and warm.

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Thinking In The Fourth Dimension

Color Photography

Hello Friends!Tonight’s feature image is titled “Morning Reflection On Three Rivers ” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The early morning sun casts a golden hue across the three rivers. The calm water echoes the sky’s dance and God paints another masterpiece. I have only a few minutes of peaceful contemplation on the river’s edge as I prepare for the daily rituals common to my day job. It’s a small window of opportunity to be the real me on my own terms. As I form the picture in my head and plan out what I hope will be the final edit I carefully consider the elements contained within the margins. Light, shadow, color and texture come together in the form of points rays and curves. The goal isn’t as much to capture the shapes formed or the color perceived by the eye as much as it is to preserve the moment imprinted on my soul. I have set a goal for myself to use my lens as tool for expressing life in four dimensions. To do that I have to learn to think in the fourth dimension of time. By the time we graduated from elementary school the three dimensional concept is pretty well drilled into us. That of course being height, width and depth. But outside of the advanced sciences very little effort is commonly spent on time as a coordinate. I can’t really blame the education system. Even the advanced sciences tend to debate about the nature of time. To some of the experts it’s a scale and to others it’s a vector. But neither side of that debate has been able to actually hold time, dissect it and find it’s limits. It’s a feat that is beyond the reach of the laboratory. Oh they can observe it’s effects on the known universe and make mathematical models and predictions but that’s not the same as actually holding onto the substance of time. No, for that task you need an artist. Capturing time is a function of the spirit. It’s only possible to contain small amounts. The tools vary depending on the art form. Canvas and paint, molten metals, earthworks and cement as well as the poet’s pen and the musician’s notes are all tools for dipping into the river of time and bottling up the moment. I have chosen the lens to cage small pieces of this universal force of nature. I have poured into it bits and pieces of myself in an effort to preserve those moments indefinitely and share them with you. Perhaps one day science succeed in bottling up time. If so they will sell it to industry and industry will certainly put it a shelf and for the right price you’ll be able to add hours to your day. But if it were possible to add time to your life would it be satisfying? Or is it better to simply sit by the water and life to your time. I have chosen the latter option. A lifetime is more than the number of days on planet earth. It’s the fulfillment of the soul in those moments.

In closing, let me encourage you to set aside a few minutes of peace to experience a connection with God in His creation. I promise that it will add life to your time.

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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 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! 😊

Defining The Question

black and white photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Passing Through “and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Tonight’s post examines the concept of a false dichotomy.

I was once asked “which is more important, the journey or the destination?” It’s one of those questions that’s supposed to bring perspective to life. It’s supposed help us see if we’re goal oriented or if we’re process oriented. The question doesn’t really have a right or a wrong answer. It just helps see certain aspects of ourselves. Or so I was told. But, the question is a little misleading. The way we’re expected to answer is intended to define us. There’s one problem with this kind of thinking. It built on a false premise that a person has to be one or the other. Goal oriented or process oriented. As if you can’t be goal oriented but still enjoy or even savor the process. Imagine that I have given you an ice cream cone in your favorite flavor. Most people will split the difference between consuming the ice cream before it melts and holding onto the cone for way too long. The question of eating the ice cream or keeping it sets up a false dichotomy. It implies that you must choose one extreme or the other. Now I know that there’s some creative person out the who thinks they’ve solved both sides of the issue with the idea of placing the cone in a freezer burried under a glacier at the north pole. That way you haven’t eaten it and it doesn’t melt. Even if you decided to put the cone in a deep freeze and keep it forever you have abandoned the goal because you’re not enjoying it forever and it’s not being eaten. If we’re honest about ourselves we’ll admit that most people would enjoy the cone for as long as possible.

Okay, I’ve shown you a picture of train tracks and I’m talking about ice cream so let me bring it back around to tonight’s feature image. In most of my posts I use tracks and roads to symbolize the idea that life is a journey. The original question was which is more important, the destination or the journey? Even though there’s not supposed to be wrong or right answers I have to consider if there are wrong and right questions. The right questions change perspective tremendously so let’s rephrase the question a bit. Is the journey independent of the destination? The answer for most of us is no. The destination is the ultimate goal but it’s the journey that gets us there. As I stared down the train tracks that pass through town I began to understand that even though the tracks end somewhere that pass through many places along the way. And that it’s possible to visit those places without giving up the goal of reaching then end of the tracks. It’s enjoying the process without giving up the goal.

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