It amazes me sometimes that no matter how long we live, we still search for answers to the same questions.  No matter what our belief system may be it is hard to deny that our time here is about pursuing answers to life’s questions.

I’ve written many times on this blog how I believe that if I have had any attributes as a nature photographer,  it was my never-ending curiosity and my need to wander and explore.  Those factors brought me everything I ever attained in so far as knowledge and photos of nature subjects.  As the number of blogs I have written has increased, I have attempted to show that nature photography has not been the only subject that I have been interested in, or even had a passion for.   None of us are “one trick ponies”.  Religion, politics, and the human condition and why we do what we do are all subjects that I am passionate about.  Any subject in life that is worth exercising our thoughts over, is worth doing so with passion.

I may have few or no answers in life but I do know if you think that life is all luck, be it good or bad, or just a series of coincidences, then that same life will ring hollow.  It suggests that nothing you do has much meaning.  You deserve no credit for anything you accomplish, and just as important, you are not responsible for any negatives that you create.  It is the easy way out.  Something else is always the fault of everything that seems to go wrong in your life.  The great thing about owning our weakness’ and flaws is that it means we deserve the credit for the good that we do.  We all feel better when we do good so eventually the good acts will far outnumber the bad.  Imagine a world in which everyone lives under those principles.

Normally whatever I write, it will begin and end with parallels to nature photography.  A need to know and a belief that we can really matter works very well with nature photography.  It will drive you not only to become a better technical photographer, and a better artist, it will mean that your passion and love for your subjects will drive you to care more about their well-being than you do your finished pictures.  How can you create truly great pictures if you do not care about your subjects?   When you do care and you know that what you do matters, then you will be rewarded with fine images and much success.

On to some pictures.

I have been to Cave Point county park in Door County, Wisconsin many times in my life.  I made this photo on a cold winter’s morning many years ago.  I enjoyed this spot on Lake Michigan so much that I eventually made it the starting point for my Door County Workshop series.

Certainly one of the most inspiring days that I have spent as a photographer was at Monument Valley.  My pal Ron and I were busy from arrival until dark.  This shot was made as distant rain storms brushed the land.

There is nothing that makes a wildlife photographer happier than photographing a new species.  My time came for the courtship dance of the Sharp-tailed Grouse in the mid 2000s.  I fell in love with the remote Namekagen Highlands Wildlife Area in northwestern Wisconsin where this image was created.  Of course I always fall in love with those wilderness locations.

Caterpillars are wildlife too and it took me years to find a Polythemus moth caterpillar.  I found one early in the morning at Bong State Rec. Area here in WI and the very next morning found another one at Chiwaukee Prairie, also in WI.  It is wise to go out into the field at every single opportunity.

Thank you and have a passionate day!

A page from the past.  War Stories. https://nelsonearthimages.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/war-stories/