The amazing array of great wildlife images that can be seen on the internet today makes a 20 minute web-browse feel like a trip around the world. Today’s journey here at Earth Images allows us to visit with some great wild things via the images of four great photographers.

Peak a boo. This Bill Maynard shot of a Great-blue Heron preening gives us the impression that it is playing peak a boo with us. Clicking at the right moment will always be important. I enjoy preening pictures, especially those that result in comical poses like the one below.

I love this image of two young Pileated Woodpeckers looking for supper. I detect some electronic flash used (perfectly) here by wildlife photography superstar Charles Glatzer.

The other master of the wild things is David Hemmings, and as usual he caught this Grizzly Bear at the peak moment in time.

Judy Lynn Malloch is a new discovery for me, and I m all the richer for it. She caught this Tree Frog in mid step and the black background due to electronic flash, is perfect to separate the subject from that background. Well done.

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I thought I would mention the fact that Canon has a 120 mega pixel camera almost ready to come out, and a 250 mega pixel camera being field tested. It seems counterproductive for Canon for let the news of a 250 slip out when they haven’t yet put their 120 on the market. I suspect that the 250 part of the story is erroneous. Just the same, 120 mega pixel will not be the finishing point. Keep your wallets handy.

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Dreamscapes

This next section of today’s post is not about dreamy land or waterscapes. It is about the night dreams of a former nature photographer.

I dream a lot at night, and no matter whether they are beautiful, peaceful, ugly or even horrible, I still love dreaming.

I discussed this subject in an earlier post and I mentioned that upon awakening from a dream, it is necessary for me to go over the entire dream very slowly, beginning the second I wake. Otherwise all of the details of the dream will be lost forever. I will have this out of focus abstract of some of the basics of the dream, and that’s it. Several days ago I had a dream that was significant enough to me, that I did just that. I went through every millisecond of sound, sight, and thought, that I experienced while in that dream state.

I think that anyone who knows me and the changes that have occurred in my life, could analyze that dream as well as any paid professional. As is always the case, when I divulge things that are personal to my life, I leave out the truly invasive facts. Confessing deeply personal thoughts is not really my thing so I will leave out just enough to keep it interesting, without being embarrassing to me or anyone else.

My dream began with me alone standing on the shore of a small lake in the late afternoon. The light was not pretty but I could see that as the sun dropped, it would get ever more beautiful and mood affecting. The sun would set soon.

There was a small island in the lake, maybe 50 feet off shore. I thought to myself, now that’s the place to be for the sunset. I wondered how I could get to that island. I checked my camera equipment. Since I was all alone, I would move all of my camera equipment accept my backup camera, into one camera bag, and leave the other behind. Now how can I get to that island? I need to be on that island. I began walking into the water. I wondered if I would drown. Even worse, I could ruin my camera equipment. The water was only ankle-deep but the color was getting better and I needed to hurry. Then I noticed there was another photographer on the island.

I could only see the back of the photographer, but it was a woman. She turned around briefly and lo and behold, it was my ex-wife. She was never even a photographer. Don’t tell her, that after not seeing her for almost 30 years, she appeared in a dream of mine. Please! The fifty foot hike through the water went on forever. Finally as I got close to the island, she turned around again and it wasn’t my ex-wife after all. It was a female photographer friend and now there was another photographer with her. I got to the island and said hello and received no answer. I decided to set up my equipment and make my pictures anyway. I was almost ready to click the shutter when I turned to look at my photographer friend and her companion, and they were gone. Then I looked back towards the shore and there were people arriving. More and more people, they just kept coming. They were silhouettes. No faces and no features. I finally made a hurried attempt to create some images and I realized my tripod was gone, and so was my camera equipment. Just an empty bag.

The island was now completely filled with people. Elbow to elbow with faceless photographers. I started back through the water to the mainland, squeezing between people every step of the way. Finally I made it to the shore. I found my other camera bag and it was empty. There were people everywhere so I started asking if anyone had seen my camera equipment. The throngs of people were now all talking at once but they could not hear me, or see me. I would stand in the middle of several people and talk to them but they would look straight through me. It seemed I didn’t even exist. Was it possible this was all a dream? Then it got dark and I couldn’t see anybody at all. I thought, if this is a dream, I’ll never find my way out of here in the darkness. Then I woke up.

A former photographer (me), and two people who were once in my life, increasing darkness and no way to make pictures, and oceans of faceless people who could not see me.

I guess sometimes it is scarier to dream dreams that are understandable, than those that are a complete mystery. Maybe next time I wake up from a dream filled with impact, I will skip the part where I recall it upon awakening for future reference. I guess sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

Had any interesting dreams lately?

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Today on 9/11/15  I will take a moment to reflect on what happened on this day in 2001.

Today is a date that America will never forget, although it seems like a segment of this nation, only remembers that day as a sort of memorial holiday.  Lessons learned come from remembering who did what, and are they willing to do it again.

There are of course, positives inside of every negative and let’s never forget the incredible way this nation came together, be it ever so briefly. The heroic performances of the first responders and the tireless effort of those who came later.  We can pray for a day, when they might not be needed again.

God Bless,                                                                                                                                          Wayne

Revelation 21:4 

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”