Tag: rustic photography

Out Of The Darkness

Back and White Photography, encouragement

Hello Friends! For well over a year now I have posted at least once per day and to the best of my knowledge I have never recycled a picture. Technically that’s still true because tonight’s feature image is a new version of a previously published image. So I’ve titled the new version “Light At The End Of The Tunnel 2019”. If you would like to purchase a copy please use the contact instructions at the bottom of the bottom of the page.

Some days it feels like you’re on top of the world and nothing can go wrong. But then other days feel more like the world’s on top of you and nothing is working out according to the original vision. It’s going to be okay. The darkness won’t last forever.

Most of us don’t really know how many people are sending prayers on our behalf when troubles come. Especially if we’re busy just trying to survive the darkness. But trust me here, you have far more friends and family that believe in you than you’re aware of. Some of the dark places last a little longer than others but none of them are permanent dwelling places as long as you continue to push forward. Even as I write this I can here the pessimist’ s comments about the light being “a freight train heading your way “. Well, I can tell you that odds of encountering that oncoming train are greater for those who set up camp inside the tunnel than it is for those who continue to push towards the end. In fact, giving up before you reach the light is just about going to guarantee that train encounter so don’t give up! Keep making progress no matter what. Soon you will reach the light and the end of that dark place. And when you step outside of the tunnel remember that it takes some time for your eyes to readjust to the outside world again. There might even be a little pain but that won’t last either. As you rub your eyes and look around you’ll see how much beauty there is surrounding you again. With the darkness behind you and the fresh air filling your lungs I want you to know that we never had any doubts that you would make through.

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

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

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/

Click the web to go tohttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Did you know that I also do portraits by appointment? If you’re interested in a portrait session either message me onFacebook or use the Contact Form on my website

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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 or use the contact form on my website and 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 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! 😊

Some Days Are For The Birds

Color Photography

Recently the warm weather allowed me to get out for a few minutes and visit the bird feeder at my dad’s house. Dad goes all out for his little feathered friends. The TV is on but he has his binoculars pressed to his face looking out the window at all the activity in the chestnut trees on the edge of the yard. The term “yard” is kinda used loosely at dad’s place. In general it’s any place where you mow plus just under the trees where the woods begin. As we observe the feeding dad recounts the events at the feeder over the past few days. He hasn’t actually named these birds out loud but he knows all of the species and individuals who frequently visit his yard. He tells me that the Common Flicker in tonight’s feature image is the boss of the yard and how he even challenges and keeps at bay the murder of crows that are larger and outnumber him. He talks about the covey of mourning doves and how one always lands on the feeder and tosses food down to the ground for the rest of them. A Pileated Woodpecker swoops in as dad talks and lands on a dead limb of a hickory tree. He hits the dead wood like a jackhammer and sends wood chips flying everywhere in his search for insects living in the wood. ( I tried to get a nice shot of the Pileated Woodpecker but he’s far too camera shy and took flight as soon as I stepped outside.) Dad has one mortal enemy at his bird feeder and surprisingly it’s not the squirrels. It’s a mob of Common Grackles that have run the bluebirds out of his yard and have even overwhelmed the Flicker on occasion. The former Marine came out in dad’s eyes when he postulated on how to defend his songbirds from the Grackles. A few minutes later he softened a little and said that God had a place for the Grackles too. Most of shots from the window didn’t really turn out well and so I put my wilderness stalking skills to work and began to ease myself closer to the feeder. Most of the birds scattered at first but soon the chickadees returned. Small and agile the chickadees figure they can be gone with a mouthful of food before the human can react. I remained as motionless as a stone until they began to ignore me. As soon as the others saw that I wasn’t chasing after the chickadees they also returned. Then finally the Flicker decided that it was time to let me know that this was his feeder. The others gave way to him as he came in for a landing. He dug into the seed mix and found the one he wanted. Then he flew directly at the camera so fast that I couldn’t adjust the focus. He pulled up at the last moment and landed on the branch above me. Few a few minutes he seemed to play peekaboo by popping out from the tree with the nut in his beak. Finally he tucked it into his hiding spot on an upper branch.

Common Flicker hiding a nut in a tree branch

I watched him repeat this stunt a few times before I went back inside to visit with dad some more and share the photos with him. I’ve been told that some days are for the birds but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I want to encourage you to spend some time birding. The songbirds not only bring much needed beauty to the dull winter climate but also share their beautiful songs and impart a little peace to your morning.

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

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

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/

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I am available for portrait sessions by appointment by appointment. To schedule a session please go tohttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/contact/

I am working on a new distribution channel for prints and products that will allow me to provide a better buyer experience but for now please continue to use the information below.

All Images used by this blog are the original work of Lloyd’s Lens Photography and may not be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer. To purchase a copy or request a license please contact me using either of links below.

The contact form on my website is found athttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/contact/

Or use the Message button on Facebook

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Blood,Sweat And Steel

black and white photography, Uncategorized

Hello Friends! Tonight’s image is titled “Curves In Repetition” and if you want to purchase a copy please see the instructions at the bottom of the page.

When I think about workers laying down the tracks the image in my mind is of burly men with sledgehammers driving the steel. I can hear the hammer ring and feel the sweat of hard labor in the afternoon sun. The air is humid and thick with the smell of the creosote on the heavy wooden crossties. A civil engineer maintains a careful eye on the transit. Being off by a few inches now would mean missing the mark later. The crew works as single unit. Each takes his turn with the hammer in sequence with perfect timing. Somewhere along the way another team welds the sections together into a perfectly seamless pair of ribbons. Everything they do comes at price of aching muscles and stiff backs. The result is a web of steel, wood and concrete that stretches through mountains and valleys and across rivers in a way that adds romantic beauty to the landscape. They are artists and their medium is blood, sweat and steel.

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

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

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/

Click the web to go tohttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

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I am available for portrait sessions by appointment by appointment. To schedule a session please go tohttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/contact/

All images are my original work and are available as prints. You can request a print by using the Contact Form on my website athttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/contact/or via Facebook Message athttps://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

How We Made Post Updates Back In Day

black and white photography

Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Public Post” and is available for purchase by using the Contact Form on my website or by messaging me Facebook. Links to each are provided below.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 teaches us that “there is no new thing under the sun.” One might think that a status update via public post is a new idea but that’s not quite true. There was a time when you could find out what was going on in town by reading it on a public post. It wasn’t always an actual wooden fence post like the one in the feature image but there was “status updates” and even fake news. ( Trust me, I called 867-5309 and they have no idea who Jenny is! 😉) Even in old days we had trolling. Often the inflammatory remarks were scrawled on side of a bus stop or in a phone booth. (Similar to T.A.R.D.I.S. from Dr.Who only the same size inside and out.) The toughest part was changing your status. That would require a can of spray paint or sandpaper and in the most extreme cases an angle grinder might be needed. It wasn’t really uncommon to walk into a school gym locker room and see the coach supervising a young man as he scrubbed away at the inside of a locker. Several years ago I acquired an antique school principal’s desk. It was in decent shape and I still own it today but when I pulled out the drawers to clean it up I found a treasure trove of “statuses” under some of the drawers. ( a few that aren’t appropriate for public display). It seems that we are hardwired to leave our marks behind. At first I thought that I should clean up graffiti from under the desk drawers but then I thought about the discovery I was robbing from some future archaeologist as they try to decipher the codes. I also have an interest in petroglyphs. Those mysterious drawings carved into stone from the forgotten past. The real anthropologists say that all of them are “shamanic visions” and “hunting magic” but I have to wonder. If we could really read them fluently how many petroglyphs would read like a Facebook feed? Is that cave painting really just “caveman Bob” letting us know that the wife made the most awesome woolly mammoth BBQ last night? Remember that there’s no new thing under the sun.

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

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address ishttps://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

I have created Frameable Greeting Cards for Valentine’s Day for you

Go to https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/lloyds-lens-valentines-day-merchadise-page/ to support this blog by purchasing Valentine’s Day Cards

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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/

I am available for portrait sessions by appointment by appointment. To schedule a session please go tohttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/contact

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Spring Dreams

Uncategorized

Tonight’s image is Titled “Spring Dreams”. If you would like to order a copy of this or any other image on my blog please see the instructions at the bottom of the page.

Today I noticed that the moon was still fairly high in the sky at around 11:00 AM. I felt a little thrilled to see it against the crystal blue of daytime because I knew that this means that winter is winding down. Yes we’ve got several weeks of cold air that hurts your face and by the weekend we’ll have temperatures well below freezing but change is on the way. The rest of day I dreamed about balmy breezes, green leaves and open toe shoes. It’s only a matter of time before the low hanging grey clouds transform into high wispy curls and swirls that dance above the mountains. The ice in the rivers and streams will give way to kayaks the leisurely paddle around the old bridge and tiny minnows who dart around in the creeks. A friend who lives in South Carolina told me that he’s already hearing the frogs singing in the evening! So as I brace for the oncoming polar blast that will have started by the time some of you read this I do so with anticipation for oncoming thaw that’s just a few short weeks beyond it.

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

Ring this bell for Facebook

Recently, I’ve been made aware that many of my posts on Facebook are being buried in the feed. So, if you don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website at the bottom of theWelcome Page

Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Spring Dreams”and is available forpurchase by using the Contact Form onmy website. ( justclick on the the bell below)

(Note, I do not share or sell contact information. EVER)

4X6 is $5.00

5X7 is $10.00

8X10 is $15.00

Some cropping may be necessary for certain sizes.

Ring this bell to order prints or schedule portraits

I’m also available for portraits by appointment. Use the Contact Form or message me on Facebook.