Today’s post obviously is about sunrise/sunset.

If you know me, then you know that I love the rising/setting sun, and all of the mood and provocativetive emotions that might follow. From colors tones, to silhouetted shapes, the rising or setting sun is its own artist. We only need to recognize it, and then compose everything in the picture frame, as best we can.

Most if you know, I have made more images of the rising sun, than the setting sun. All and all, either can be great.

I love sunrise when there is a series of lines and directions within the image. Creating light spots, and silhouettes together as to bring movement or at least direction within the picture frame, also creates depth despite a two dimensional photo.

Keep in mind, blue casts from parts of the sky, add even more atmosphere to your photos.

Keeping some areas dark and in silhouette, can be accomplished by taking meter readings for some of the brighter areas of the scene.

Signs of man are not necessarily bad when making images at sunrise or sunset. A lighthouse on the lakeshore can add a lot.

Okay, the point is you can shift your image to black and white? Not often but sometimes.

Really, this image was made quite a while after sunrise, and there was not much color in this scene to begin with. Especially when I reduced my exposure for a pure silhouette. It was lacking much color, so why not b&w?

How about a harbor full of sailboats?

If the desire is to make your image a nature only shot, then use what you find in nature for some silhouetted shapes.

Layers can make for a unique and deep photo.

At sunrise, a rock, a tidal pool with cloud reflections, some beach sand, and Lake Michigan.

A ragged old tree without leaves, some prairie grasses with leafless bushes, and a hillside in silhouette.

Sometimes we do not realize just how much is in a scene.
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Clouds and trees, at sunset.

May God truly bless, and may you have both sunsets and sunrises in your life.

Stories from (or near) the field.

I will from time to time here at Earth Images, relate to you experiences that have occurred in or near the field. I recently shared with you a young school teacher on his way west for a conference who could not pry himself away from a high altitude location in the Rocky Mountains.. Whether he ever made it to his conference I know not.

This experience was near the field. Sort of.

Memories dull a bit for me these days but at least the last portion of today’s memory remains crystal clear.

I was out making images with a friend, and we decided to stop for a while and we drove towards her house. I believe but I am not sure, that we were going to get something to eat and some rest.

She had a fascinating house. A two story unit where almost the entire back of the house was glass. The clear sort that you can easily see through.

While we were in the house, a fairly loud thud occurred from outside. We went outside and there on the ground near the giant window, was a male Red Cardinal lying there. He had flown into the glass while he was flying rapidly with some other birds. My friend, ever so gently picked him up in her hands and gave him shelter and support. He was clearly groggy and confused.

There was a well known wildlife rehab center not too far from this location so she ever so gently handed him over to me, and then went inside to call that center. Cell phones were ineffectual about half the time back then and she wanted to use her landline inside.

While she was speaking to the center, I felt the life of my little red friend slip away. Forever. As if it was flying to a better place.

I singled to her to forget the call. Our beautiful friend had died in my hands.

She (my photography friend) came out to the spot where we were and began bursting into tears. I have never before this moment admitted to the fact that my own eyes began to gather tears partially from her crying, but from the feeling of the life leaving my cardinal friend. Like any man, I gathered it all up and kept my wits about me.

Barely!

She went inside and found for me a spade to dig with, and something to wrap him up in. We had our own little funeral of sorts, for a fallen friend.

While I often forget that I almost burst into tears, I have never forgotten my friend and her feelings of sorrow, for that beautiful bird, and how saddened I became, when we lost our battle to save him.

We can’ live by memories. We can however discover who we are and why from them.. Both from yesterday, and today.

May God truly Bless you with great friends as He has me.

Notice, there is a difference in the Holy Spirit of God convicting us of sin, and Satan condeming us for it.
God sends all of us signals. We only need to hear Him, and ignore the pretenders which are plentiful.. We need to get past the noise of which there is much.
From King David
Psalm 7
O Lord my God, in You I put my trust, save me from all who persecute me and please deliver me.