A mirror reflecting the Creator - June 2014 Calendar Page

I really like the writings of John Muir. I have found that things he said over 100 years ago are insightful and apply just as well today as they did in his time.

For those of you not familiar with Muir he was a Scottish naturalist and early (1838 - 1914) advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States.   He was known as "The Father of The National Parks" because of his efforts to convince Congress to create the National Park Service,  Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.  During his lifetime John Muir published over 300 articles and 12 books. Ten of his books are public domain and available as free downloads.  He co-founded the Sierra Club, which helped establish a number of national parks after he died.

I have often used Muir quotes on my calendars.  One of my favorites is

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."

I chose the quote for the June calendar page because it so describes the flowers in the dew drops as a "mirror reflecting the Creator".  As June and I have become more interested in nature photography we have learned to look closely at everyday objects and see God's handiwork.   In this case this was a stem on a flower in the Centennial Park in Nashville.  It had rained the night before and there were water drops everywhere.   It was easy to get caught up in the reflecting pond, flowers, and buildings, but I found this dew drop covered stem to be the best thing there that morning.

This was taken with my camera on a tripod with a 100mm macro lens attached.   I manually focused to bring the refraction of the flowers into focus.  The macro lens created a shallow Depth of Field (DOF) and blurred the same flowers below the water drops.   This is not a particularly difficult shot if you have the right equipment, patience and an eye for these little details.

A 16 x 24 inch ThinWrap print of this photo is available in the Blowfish Emporium on State Street in Bristol, Virginia.   It is a lustre print that is coated with a soft Satin Laminate. The print is then mounted on Gatorboard with the print wrapping around the edges.  A block on the back makes the print float away from the wall when mounted.  I really like ThinWraps because they are a little different, look great and don't require expensive frames.

Everybody Needs Beauty... The Calendar Chronicles for April

Its April 6 and I'm just now getting around to blogging about the calendar photo for April.   Spring has become a busy time and is about the get busier for June and I. I think the photo for April is appropriate for busy times.

When I am busy and don't take time to slow down I miss out on what God has given me to enjoy in His creation.  Busyness also robes me in other ways.

"the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." - Mark 4:19

John Muir had it right.   We all need "places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike."  We need to take time to slow down, turn off the pursuit of wealth and other things and spend time in His word and His presence.  

This all sound great, but it can be difficult to accomplish when those other things are screaming for attention.  One sure fire way to get away is to go somewhere that does not have internet service, wifi, or cell phone service.  If I can't read my email, check facebook, listen to voice mails, or check in at work then the power of those things to be distractions is greatly diminished.  

One of the best places to do this is Cades Cove in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The subject of this photo is the Cable Mill in Cades Cove.   Everyone who has been to the cove has taken pictures of this mill and I have a pretty good collection of them myself.  The challenge for me the day I took this one was to come up with an image that is different from all my others and maybe even different from the million and one others out there on the internet.  

The fact that it was raining made this photo possible.   The cloudy rainy conditions provided nice soft even light with no harsh shadows to deal with.  Normally on a spring day there would have been many people exploring inside and outside the mill.  On this day the rain kept them away and allowed me to compose this photo to include the bridge, see inside the mill and capture the Dogwood flowers.

During the next three plus busy weeks take a moment and think about what Muir had to say.  Slow down

"Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience."  -Ralph Waldo Emerson