encouragement – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

A Peek At Spring

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Forsythia 1112020” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The months of January and February are the most challenging for me when I’m trying to find fresh images. The landscape is dull and the wildlife is scarce. A few different types of Woodpeckers cruise the forests along with the Blue Jays but they simply refuse to be photographed. The big Pileated Woodpeckers even gave a laughing call as they deftly maneuver through the thin canopy. The squirrels are asleep in their hollow trees and it seems very lonely among the boles.

As I crossed my yard hoping to find a small songbird visiting my feeders something out of place caught my eye. A tiny speck of bright yellow on a drab day. My Forsythia bush has offered one single bloom. It’s actually about four months early. I have been observing the buds on the trees surrounding my home. Some of them are swelling but not really more than normal for my latitude. It’s actually common for some plants to waken slightly in winter and then go back to sleep. But the Forsythia has actually opened up a flower. Just a single bloom but it’s there as if the bush was giving me a word of encouragement to hold on just a little while longer.

It wasn’t really in the news but January 6th was perihelion day. The day that the Earth is closest to the Sun and we often get a snap of warmer weather around that time. But in the weeks that follow is when it’s the coldest. A lot of the plants in North America will open a few buds only to have them frozen afterward. However, if you look closely you’ll see that not all of the buds open. They actually keep a few in reserve to open again in Spring.

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Perseverance

Color Photography

Hello friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Dogwood In The Fall 10119” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

The dry September wind claimed a toll on the Fall colors. However the Dogwood tree in my parent’s yard still shows it’s glory in crimson. No special treatment was given to the tree. It’s change seems to come from sheer strength of will. The photo was taken on October 1st which was a few days before the rains finally returned. As I stood beneath the branches and thanked God for the beautiful colors I started to think about how hard the late Summer drought had been. The image shows that many of leaves have turned brown and are dry. And yet the tree gives as much beauty as it can. The few red leaves are more appreciated than in the past few years because they’re less abundant.

You see, it’s easy enough to have success in the good times when everything is going right. But it’s the harsh conditions of the bad times when you don’t give up and bring as much as you can muster to bear that makes the difference. The harder the struggle, the sweeter the reward.

We need to not judge ourselves according to what was done in a perfect environment when success was almost a guarantee. It’s what we can do when times are tough that truly shows our resolve even if the results are not as prolific.

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The Secret Of Now

Color Photography

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

The September sun smiles warmly into shady side of my Appalachian home. All too soon the fading light of September will give way to the October winds. The weekly task of mowing the lawn as already been replaced by mulching fallen leaves. The thought of enjoying the day before it is yesterday has been heavy on my mind. The last few weeks of summer seemed to pass by like the falling leaves in an October gale. I still have a few butterflies playing in the yard but soon they’ll be gone. It gives me a better appreciation for the value of now. Now is the point when preparation meets opportunity. Sometimes, all the preparation in the world can be done but we miss the opportunity. For example, the next image is the same butterfly, in more or less the same spot on the same day and shot by the same photographer with the same camera. But the opportunity wasn’t really there.

Lost Moments — The butterfly was just too fast to be captured by my lens.

When the moment is lost there are two things that you can do.

1. You can beat yourself up. ( Or more accurately, beat yourself down. ) This is really not productive. It makes you second guess everything and usually leads to the loss of the next moment and possibly even more moments depending on how much it impacts your confidence and motivation.

2. You can honestly evaluate what went wrong and make take corrective action. In the case of tonight’s feature image that meant making a few adjustments to the settings and paying more attention to the timing of snapping the shutter. The adjusted plan results in being better able to take advantage of the next opportunity.

Of course I was disappointed with the first shot. I’ll tell you secret. Most photographers will never show the ones that just didn’t turn out as planned. That doesn’t mean it never happened. But it’s important for me to encourage you to take the positive action of stepping back for moment and fixing what went wrong before trying again. This applies to so much more in life. When something doesn’t work out use the time before the next opportunity to make it better.

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Life In The Moment

Color Photography

Most of what I capture in the lens is a fraction of a second. Working with such tight tolerances has given me an appreciation for how fluid a moment is. It takes less than one second for the bumblebee to disappear inside of the flower and change the entire scene. It also takes less than one second for the bumblebee to drop out of the flower and become airborne. Again changing the scene. Light changes, wind moves the subjects and with wildlife there’s a pretty good chance that the subject will be spooked and run away. All of this forces us to see the moment and react before it’s lost forever. That’s going to happen and it’s going to happen often. Action is always faster than reaction. But on the other side of this paradox is the fact that a missed moment is an event that is also constantly changing. If we become mentally trapped by the lost opportunity we’ll miss the one that follows. The truth is that it takes a lot of missed shots to learn the patterns and anticipate the next opportunity. I have come to understand that this is a pattern repeats itself in almost every aspect of life. It takes a lot of failure to learn the patterns and recognize the next opportunity in time to be ready for it. And, if you mess up don’t get discouraged because that moment will soon pass too.

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A Light In The Darkness

Color Photography

The Monarch Butterfly glides silently to where the sweet scent of the Ironweed eliminates from the shadows. Delicately, she explores the purple flowers for a sip of nectar. Together they are a bright spot in a darkened world. She playfully skips from plant to plant spreading her beautiful wings for only a moment. A moment was all that was needed to be a light in the darkness.

In the world today we have so much darkness that surrounds us. It is easy to allow it to swallow you up. But the light is there if you look for it. Sometimes we ask why the world has so much darkness in it. I think that the answer is so that the light can be better defined.

Believe it or not, you are that light in someone else’s word. It only takes a moment to share a smile and light their lives. Never forget that what you do matters in this world.

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Determination

black and white photography

The paved a road over me but I sprouted anyway.

The put up a fence to keep me out but climbed onto the fence and used it to reach skyward.

Then men came with saws and in anger they cut me down and hauled off my crown. I was devastated for a season. But my roots are strong and deep and in defiance I rose again.

I will not give up.

I will not yield.

I will live and I will flourish in this place where God planted me in spite of all challenges.

I am determined.

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Determined To Live “and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article. ( you can click on the tile to reach the contact form)

I have passed by this tree stump every day for more than fifteen years but I never really noticed it. Modern life is lived at sixty five miles per hour and it’s easy to overlook the details when you’re just trying to make your destination on time. However, I was forced to stop in front of stump by a construction zone and noticed the guardrail running through the tree. I couldn’t believe that I had not ever noticed it before standing just a few feet away from the current guardrail. But when I saw it I couldn’t unsee it. It was one of those things that called for to me to tell it’s story.

I thought about the conditions it must have had to sprout in. It would have been mowed down several times before reaching a size too large for the mower to cut. It was in the process of absorbing the guardrail when it was cut down. Now I see new leaves sprouting up from the stump. The tree embodies the the definition of determination. The drive to thrive regardless of adversity.

Being determined doesn’t mean that there won’t be a struggle or that you won’t be knocked down. Instead it means not giving up before you overcome.

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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! ❤

Holding My Peace

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Peace Like A River ” and is available for purchase by following the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Ever since I was a kid people have advised me to “hold my peace”. It wasn’t until recently that I understood that this phrase didn’t necessarily mean shut up. Oh, I understand that’s what most people intend when they invoke the words but it means something different to me now. I hope that it’s going to mean something different for you too after this post. I realize that I have some readers that are not Christian. I can’t write this one from any other perspective. So, if you’re offended by Christianity then this post isn’t for you. You can skip this one. Unless of course, you’re tolerant enough to read it and try to gain something. I write a lot about peaceful moments and quiet time. The images that I share with you are normally places where I go to spend a few moments with Jesus Christ or in some cases something that makes me feel his presence in my life. It’s the things that “recharge my batteries”.

Christ is an endless supply of peace. We can be filled at any time. But the real challenge is staying full of peace in a world where your peace is under constant assault. I don’t have to provide examples, we all know where that stress comes from. Which brings me to my point. Being filled with peace and holding onto your peace might be two different things. Holding my peace now means something different to me. It means the ability to carry that peace throughout the day. I’m just as human as the next guy. There’s times when my peace battery is completely depleted. I’ve even gotten stressed out about being stressed out. The Apostle Paul said that he had to repent every day. But you know what? I’ve never really read where Jesus Christ refused to accept repentance. Don’t get me wrong, there will be a day when the age of grace closes and the day of vengeance will be at hand but not until after the rapture. Today we can simply come apart from the outside world and recharge as often as we need. And holding onto your peace gets easier with practice. Even if that means holding as long as you can and then running outside or into the next room to regain your grip on it. That grip will get stronger with exercise.

I hope you find this post and image to be an encouragement. Be blessed and have a great day.

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