One subject in photography that is becoming very popular, even with nature photographers, is old cars and trucks. I have a love for this subject and only wish I would have created more images of this sort when I had the chance. I actually remember when you could find old vehicles like this in farm fields, and in the backyards of people in small towns. Of course today you find them in businesses that collect the vehicles and set them up for photographers. That is where virtually all the pictures you see come from. There is very little that you do see in photography today that is totally, 100% what it seems to be. I am glad I was a photographer when most of the stories that images told were exactly what they seemed to be. They are still great pictures though, and the first one below comes from Jack Graham, and the second from Jamie Konarski Davidson.

This beautiful rainbow-scape is another Jack Graham picture. It was made in the Palouse area of Washington State.

This very unique perspective of a Foxtail Pine tree was made in California by Marc Muench. I think the black and white treatment works well here.

I have been fortunate to make a few (very few) pictures of the beautiful shorebird called the American Avocet. I have however never even seen a chick. This one was made in Colorado by Facebook friend Dan Walters.

I have been viewing some superb Common Loon images by the wildlife photographer Charles Glatzer recently and the two photos below are just a sample.

Let’s finish with a beautiful landscape of the Canadian Rockies in fall by Darwin Wiggett.

.

——————————————————————————————————–

Explanation Needed

Towards the end of my last post, I offered up some observations and not so humble opinions about today’s youth, and how they are handled by adults. After rereading my comments I realized I probably left some of you confused as to whether I was saying that adults need to leave children alone more to enjoy their playtime with other kids, or adults need to be more vigilant in what their kids do in their spare time, as far as video games etc. In other words which is it, do they need to leave them alone more, or be more proactive in keeping track of what they are doing?

If an adult intends to be more vigilant with a child, it seems to me (my opinion) that it does not have to mean they cannot also give them the space to play and create on their own. If that same adult feels they need to give a child space, that doesn’t mean that they need to let that child do whatever they want, whenever they want. Those of you who know me, also know that I never believe that to do one thing, we have to neglect everything else. It remains true in photography and in life, but I digress.

My original writings in my last post were no accident.  I meant to give both of the examples I gave, and I did so without contradiction. My overall point in the article is that when balance is lost, so are the children.

I sometimes do not make my point on that subject (balance) clear enough, because I forget just how difficult that is for so many people today. Balance is in fact, just another way of using common sense.

My parents generation found common sense an easy tool for life, much like their parents did before them. It has become a lost art, and that fact makes it increasingly difficult to write articles without in-depth explanations.

———————————————————————————————————

Planting The Seed

When I write opinion pieces such as the one I refer to above, they may seem to be rather negative. I do think that if you have read my work for a long period of time, you will come across articles that you will find to be positive in nature.

From my perspective, I do not look at them as positive or negative. I make observations, and then I share them, including my opinions on what I have observed. Plain and simple. If putting my thoughts about what I observe to words, has any purpose other than cathartic, it is to plant the seed of thought about that observation.

“Sometimes” it helps to read what other people think. Sometimes it doesn’t. I used to read or listen to every opinion that I could find, from every point of view I could find, about every subject I could think of. I think it was beneficial to a point. I stopped doing that (for the most part), when I saw the opinions of others reflected in my writings. I want the opinions I offer, to be as honest and pure as I can make them. Not a rehash of someone else’s thoughts, biases or upbringing. I would suggest that anyone who reads my opinions, make sure to do the same.

———————————————————————————————————-

Photography Too

Eventually everything comes back to photography for me. When I was out creating images, particularly of nature subjects, I saw my purpose to be the same as above. I wanted to share what I saw, felt, and experienced. My pictures when they were at their best, were my opinion of what I observed. Then hopefully, every once in a while, I would have planted a seed that would grow.

God bless,                                                                                                                                       Wayne