One of my favorite subjects has always been insects. Certainly dragonflies are among my favorites insects.

When working close with creatures like this, unless you are doing field guide identification photos, shoot for the eyes if you can.

The depth of field was so shallow in this shot of a Winged Skimmer, I made sure I aimed for the eyes. If the eyes are sharp, the rest of the subject can go slowly into softness.

F11, with a 1/200th sec shutter speed, produced enough depth of field for the face to be sharp, and enough shutter speed to arrest any movement.

If I was making imagery for ID purposes, I would have made a profile shot with all of the identifying marks showing.

The angle of this image of another dragonfly, along with a distant background of blue sky, gave me a lot of latitude to work with.

Also the warm color of the primary subject, and the cool blue sky in the background, allowed for enough contrast for the primary subject to “pop” if you will.

Morning dew on flowers, leaves, and other plants is a given. You can find that almost everywhere. Including occasionally in the desert.

Insects also collect dew overnight.

When I found this little gem it was not going anyplace fast. My only worry was that I might accidentally with my tripod legs, or my own clumsy feet, knock the dew off or the beetle itself from its perch.

Of course, what better macro subject than a flower? The dark woodland background was perfect with this little Iris. There was just enough of a spotlight coming into the forest to let us know what the subject was.

This appears somewhat like an artificially lit studio shot but I assure you it is not.

Let us flip subjects a bit now and focus (literally) on the land and water.

Ah spring. It will be here before you know it.

This field and wetland was photographed in southern Wisconsin at a state park. I was likely searching for wildlife when this jumped out at me a long, long, long time ago.

I loved mornings that led to a variety of subjects.

Every spring is like the birth of a new earth. Everywhere you look, God is refreshing the planet.

The image below was made in the spring of the season, in the Smoky Mts. of Tennessee.

This sunrise was made high in the Smokey’s, above “The Dome” as it is called.

Simple, obvious abstractions, which pit shapes and tones against each other, were always a favorite of mine. This was created in the Badlands of South Dakota.

Let us end with an avian friend, the Clarke’s Nutcracker. This portrait was made in Colorado near the eastern entrance of Rocky Mt. National park. Notice that the lighting in this image has similar qualities as has the Iris flower we viewed earlier.9

Flowers, beetles, birds. The natural world is full of subjects, millions in fact, just waiting for an adventurous photographer to capture their own vision of what they see.

Now for some truly great images.

Below I share with you two photographs which have long ago became famous. No, they are not mine.

The Steve McCury image you see below is that of an Afghan girl made many years ago in the Middle East.

Oh those eyes! I am not sure whether I see her eyes as penetrating or scary, but this photo has lived on for decades.

Next one of the more famous photos ever made, by one of photography’s most iconic image makers, Ansell Adams.

This is the Snake River in Wyoming and everything here form the sky to the river to the light and the composition screams power!

Ansell will live on forever. .

Next we have not a photograph, but a jpg of a painting.

Albert Biersdant painted this lovely little gem.

Oh what I would have given to have been able to paint!!

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Last but never the least.

Maybe I should have been a preacher. Then again my pulpit side manor is not of the quality needed.

The reason we cannot earn our way to Heaven, is that each and everyone of us, has the stain and the stench of sin on us. It does not leave us because we have done some righteous, Godly deeds. We will sin again. We cannot become pure enough. We still sin and we need forgiveness for those sins. Even the Apostles had those same handicaps. We cannot be next to God in Heaven, while we are still sinners. Of any sort.

That of course does not mean that we shouldn’t aspire to perform God like tasks as the Bible tells us to.

During the time Jesus hung nailed to that cross, He was the biggest sinner of all time. He carried the weight of sin from everyone from Adam and Eve and all that would follow, on His bleeding shoulders.

Sincere faith in what He did for us, is the only path to Heaven. It is a gift from Almighty God. The blood of Jesus, washes away the stain and stench. If we have the knowledge and faith to let that happen.

Yet untold numbers of the human race will never see Heaven as their arrogance of how “good” they can be, makes them feel more powerful. Churches that teach that Christ (God) and what He did does will not suffice, are cultish in their teachings. In some cases they actually are a cult. Do what we they say, and you can go to Heaven. Trust not in the Lord , trust us.

They are wrong and a proper reading of the entire Word of the Bible, proclaims that.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live in the body. I live (eternally) by faith in the Son of God, who gave Himself for me.

There is only one God in the universe. That God is triune. The one who is the Christ, lives as God and the Spirit and was once a man as well. That is so we can be forgiven, via the cleansing Blood that Christ shed, and our faith in Salvation.

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I have lived with and without God. That is to say, I have lived without a faith or belief in the existence of God and what He did. Many do that today, including some who attend churches. Churches are important, but they do not provide you a journey to Heaven.

Without Christ and what He did for us, I and millions of others would just be sinners headed for Hell. My own arrogance in what I can do, would be the final ticket to my destination.

God wants you to one day live in His home, called Heaven.

Be Blessed,
Wayne