inspiration – Page 13 – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

The mountains of Appalachia provide a lot surprises. Common sense told me that there are tunnels here and there but I had never spotted one until the day I took this picture. As I look at the image the obvious thought is about the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a phrase that we use when encouraging a friend who’s having a tough time. But, we never really think about what the tunnel represents. The tunnel at Kimberly West Virginia was put in this spot to ease the efforts of traveling through the steep landscape. The tunnel made the path straight and eliminated a grueling climb.

The times in life when it seems like we’re in the proverbial tunnel just trying to make it to the light at the end it helps to remember that it’s a shortcut. Just stay on the tracks and keep moving forward.

The Seeker

Color Photography, Thoughts and Musing

I stood in a spot between the land and the sea.

I stood there between youth and maturity.

Alone in the crowd.

I called out and the waves answered; answered with your name.

I spent an eternity in a single moment.

I feared.

I despaired.

I reached out with my hands and caught only the wind.

Between the dark and the dawn I stood there.

I waited.

I hoped.

I reached out with my heart found that you were already here.

Waiting to be found once again.

The Orange Story

Back and White Photography, Christmas

One of Christmas traditions that my family practices is peppermint candy and oranges. Every year my grandfather would buy a crate of oranges and bag them up with peppermint candy to hand out to friends and family. This was the thing he looked the most forward to every year. The story behind this gifting tradition goes back to the Great Depression. He came from a large family and during those times almost nothing was bought from the store. They played with hand carved wooden toys. They wore handmade clothes. The food was raised and harvested at home. An exotic fruit like the orange was a luxury. But his father would splurge at Christmas and there was enough money for each child to have one orange and a large piece of peppermint candy. One year one of his sisters had just finished peeling her orange and dropped it into the dirt. My grandfather couldn’t allow her to go without Christmas and gave her his orange. The simple act of sacrifice became an expression of love every year. The true meaning of Christmas is sacrificial love. The original gift that was given was the child in manger who grew up to hang on a cross and restore to us that which was lost.

Forest Dweller

Color Photography, Thoughts and Musing

Mankind is a wild animal. We hide it with technology, office buildings and fashionable clothes but in our hearts we instinctively know we must be free to roam. We crave the fresh air and sunshine. We need to find that special spot where we can center our thoughts and breathe. There’s something refreshing about the the smell of the stones and the trees along some fern covered forest floor. If you can sit still enough for long enough nature begins to welcome you home. More than once I’ve had small birds get curious enough to land just out of reach. Sometimes I have fallen asleep only to wake up at the sound of footsteps creeping ever closer. I open one eye and slowly turn my head to see a deer nervously trying to figure out who is on the path.

We live in a age and wonder. The technology in my phone was only science fiction when I got my first job. It has allowed me to share my perspective with the world. Even the pictures taken by the camera can be instantly sent across the planet. Yet with all this access there’s still a drive to be free from it all and just quietly exist.

Entwined

Back and White Photography, Thoughts and Musing

We grow as one.

We live as one.

We strive together ever upwards.

I will carry you to the sky, you will keep me rooted in the earth.

We are more than friends.

We are more than lovers.

We are one life, one path, one determination.

We are entwined.