Tag Archives: sunrise

Could Be A Painting

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Could be a painting, but it’s not. A photograph, perhaps. Yes, a photograph, but why the blur? Was the camera movement intentional or was it a miscue?

What is it you see? Only a grainy image of dark and light and shadows? A sunrise or sunset? Water and land and trees?

How do you feel when observing this image? Nothing? A mystery to be solved? A sense of calm? A memory?

I know what I see since I took the photograph. I know exactly where this is and when it was taken. I recall the moment and swiping my cellphone as I depressed the shutter button. When I view this photograph I am transported back in time to a moment when I felt at peace as I watched the sun rise over a lake on a cool, calm morning. I like recalling such moments.

Clarity is often gained by reflection…

Patches of Tangerine

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Have you ever come across a brilliant sky and simply admired the magnificence of it?

Fleeting is the word, and opportunistic is the vehicle to capture such a sight before it changes into a totally different canvas.

As I drove into town this morning, this is what I saw. I had my camera with me in the Jeep so I pulled it over and took a few shots. By the time I made it to my destination the sun had peeked out and the sky looked foreign from only ten minutes before.

Certainly I have taken more dramatic photos of the sky, as have many of you, but this one just appealed to me a lot. The soft streaks of tangerine colored clouds against a faint blue background and the dark side of a large tree line made it irresistible.

Life is rather like the sky…ever changing. Sometimes it is brilliant and at other times it is gloomy. Often it is simply dull. The good news is that, like the sky, our lives do change on a regular basis. I hope your lives illuminate the world as this sunrise did for these clouds!

Mediocrity?

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Creativity is an odd thing…some possess loads of it while others have it within them, but can’t seem to squeeze it out all that often. In my case, the desire is there, yet the enthusiasm wavers a bit. Hence, not much creativity being published.

I like quotes, quips and prose. I read a lot…not a big deal. What do I gain? The more important question is, “What do I contribute?”.  Oh, I love a wonderful photograph and painting ! Great sculptures also capture my heart.

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I woke up early this morning before the sunrise, but as I saw the illumination upon my dining room wall, I quickly grabbed my Canon and took this image. The sky was changed within seconds. Literally.

Mediocre photograph…which may equate to mediocrity. What do you think ? I wonder ?

I like it because it reflects the ever-changing gift of God’s creation. Please take a moment and study the makeup of the clouds…the odd color and shapes…the background…the tree tops which just emerged from winter’s grasp.

Mediocrity. I am not sure I know the meaning of this word. However, I like this photograph because it reflects a peacefulness about it. I hope you like it, too.

D A W N

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In less than ten minutes this weather beaten barn went from being in the shadows to being illuminated by the warm rays of the morning sun.

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And, ten minutes before this photo, the barn was in the dark. The lighting doesn’t change the condition of the structure, but it does help us to see it clearly.

That’s what Dawn does-it helps us to see life from a brighter perspective.

And what causes the light? The sun, of course…always on time, always illuminating and exposing what can’t be seen in the darkness.

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The sun creeps up on us like a car at dusk getting ready to top a hill. One can see a glow above the crest of the road, but it is not until the head lights come into view do we see what created that glow. It is at this moment we are illuminated.

In addition to illuminating and exposing, Dawn brightens and enlightens. Has it been awhile since you’ve witnessed a sunrise? If it has, may I suggest that you do so soon. And, if you have seen many Dawns, but don’t give them a second thought, perhaps pause for a moment and simply watch in awe how amazing this daily occurrence really is. Quite possibly you may become enlightened and illuminate someone else’s life. That’s well worth a few minutes of our time, and the benefits can’t be overstated.

Maiz on Monday Morning

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Pre-Dawn Corn & Sinking Moon

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Close-up of Corn Stalk Tips as the Sun Rises above the Horizon

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Sunrise Diffused by Clouds

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Sunlight Breaking Through the Clouds

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Cornfield with the Sun Beginning to Illuminate the Stalks

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Close-up of Ripening Corn Stalks with Sunlight

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Infra-red Close-up of Stalks

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Infra-red Image of Corn Field

Pleasant morning with a palette of colors in just an half hour. Afternoon temperature was 95 degrees F…a twenty degree increase from the morning temperature (common for this climate and time of year). Tassels are just now developing with corn heads appearing within a week or two. We are blessed to have an abundance of rich and large tracts of land to grow crops for us and the world.

 

 

 

Sky Torch

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Rather large for the Olympic Torch, and too small to actually hold the Sun, but here it is. A large water tower adjacent to a run of high voltage transmission lines. The cloud cover blanketed the sky, except for an area which allowed the sun’s brilliance to shine through.

Timing and location are critical to so many things in life including photography. Once I saw the morning glow from a totally different perspective, I drove to a spot that I was familiar with and waited for the sun to travel along its early morning path. This was the result.

I posted this photo a few years ago and came across it again while searching for another image. It was taken during this time of year and it just drew me in. I hope you like it.

L A Y E R S

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Sunrise, Lenexa, Kansas, USA, at approximately 7:30 am or 0730 hours, January 31st.

Walked to my car from the health club after a workout and this is what I witnessed.

The actual sunrise was much more outstanding than my photograph, especially as it changed colors and shapes by the second.

After downloading this image to the computer, the layering seemed to magnify itself.

So, I thought about layers. We sometimes hear that certain things are only skin deep. At other times we hear that some things are buried so deep they can’t be found.

The reality is that when it comes to life, most everything that lives has layers: whether it be physical, emotional, mental or anywhere outside these realms. Life is complex.

I would like to limit this post to humans. We are fragile, yet flexible. We are strong, yet weak. Courageous, yet cowardly. Compassionate, yet cruel. Kind, yet mean. We are amazing. We are a mystery.

Like an onion which has a layer of silky skin upon juicy layers of zesty fruit, we can peel away and come to the heart of this vegetable without really understanding its uniqueness. We simply take for granted that is how all onions are and so be it. Like them or not. I venture to say that people are similar to onions in that we possess a complexity of layers.

We are not single cell organisms like some bacteria, but complex in every discernible way. This complexity is patterned after the Creator of the universe. Appreciate the commonness as well as the uniqueness.

If you can relate, I am so tired of the charade that is taking place in our world-especially in America. So many are divided. So many are angry and critical. So many are giving up. And, so many feel lost. This doesn’t even cover the majority of our world who don’t have a clue as to what I just stated-they are simply trying to survive. Can you imagine that…existing each day merely to make it to the next?

So, I return to the topic of layers. Explore the diversity, the uniqueness, the amazing in others, and in yourself. This may take some time as you peel away each layer, but discovery awaits. But, please, do not forget to explore the oneness we all have as human beings created in the image of God. May we all experience, and exercise, more peace and patience each day. The world needs it, you need it, and I definitely need it, as well.

Almost

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This photograph is of Thursday morning’s sunrise. Or, should I say attempted sunrise? Shortly after I took a series of photos within a five minute period, the sun didn’t shine through the clouds the rest of the day.

However, I was hoping for a breakthrough of sorts as it has been rather dreary of late.

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For this photo, I zoomed in a bit closer. I liked the thin clouds intruding ever-so-faintly in front of the emerging sun…gentle waves of ethereal vapor.

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As can be seen, sunlight had no chance of illuminating our region…it seemed to simply fade away. We almost had a sunny day. We almost were warmed by the sun’s rays. We almost enjoyed the pleasantness which seems to attach itself to sunshine.

Almost can be encouraging or discouraging depending on perspective. In this case, I almost did not get the opportunity to view this short-lived image or shoot it with my Canon, but I did. I’ll take that as encouragement every time!

Emergence

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This Iris represents emergence…new life about to unfurl. Yes, this photo was taken in cooler days before the shadow of the sun reached its Solstice. Obviously, I live in the northern hemisphere and summer is well on her way.

I like nature…a lot. The beauty which surrounds me often overwhelms me. And, when I gaze upon my fellow bloggers sites and view wonderful posts, and look at photos my family or friends have taken at places I have yet to venture to, I am amazed. I find beauty whether I am in my backyard, at a city park, in the desert, among wheat fields, and especially near mountainous regions with crystal clear streams and glistening lakes.

Funny thing, but this post isn’t so much about nature. Actually, it is more about how it makes me feel. I would have enjoyed meeting John Muir and Ansel Adams. Oh, how they drank in their surroundings as they completely immersed themselves in their chosen environments. They were driven by a force I appreciate, and which continues to develop within me. Although I have not physically uprooted myself and journeyed to the wilderness for lengthy periods of time, my soul has.

When I step out onto my deck in the early morning hours-before the sun has risen-I feel a sense of wonder that can only be satisfied by absorbing my surroundings through all of my senses. Then, when the first rays of sunlight filter through the trees, I marvel at the sparkling dew-laden grass, and feel the warmth of the rays touching my skin. I hear the song of robins and watch squirrels chase one another. I feel the breeze wisp through leaf laden branches and witness ants traversing the deck railings down to their home. Carson sniffs where a rabbit had laid and a hawk circles above looking for him.

I return inside to prepare for what awaits me at work or whatever I need to do this particular morning. I am not the same, though. Inhaling nature’s grandeur-even in my backyard-fills me with appreciation and gladness, and a sense of peace comes over me. Then, I thank God.