Happy Thanksgiving

I’ve been unbelievably negligent in both photography and blogging in the last month. Things have been hectic in most every regard. It’s so amazing how life comes crashing in at times and creates frenzy and chaos that consumes hours and drives out opportunities to stop long enough to contemplate what we have. It’s Thanksgiving morning, and I had a chance to get out and walk the forest. I was alone but surrounded—squirrels and wild turkey were all around. As I stood in the falling leaves and soaked in the solitude, it was easy to realize what the noise of the last few weeks has obscured. I have a lot to be thankful for. We all do. A kind and generous God. A loving family. Great friends. A good job. God given talent to create. A country where freedom is still celebrated. And a group of soldiers I’ve never met still willing to fight to keep it that way.

I wrestled a Sunday afternoon away from the hubbub recently to go shoot some autumn leaves. And for the therapy of looking through a camera lens. One of my favorite places to photograph near my home is a giant slab of granite (think part of Stone Mountain big), a creek, and a series of small waterfalls. It’s out in the county, lost in hundreds of acres of forest. Unfortunately, the water in the creek was very low, so the usual waterfalls were minimal. To get this shot, I had to lower and spread my tripod as far as it would go and submerge it in the shallow creek, with only the ball head and camera above the water. It’s a 1.3 second exposure at f16. As you might image, I got wet and muddy. But with any luck, this shot will end up on a magazine cover in the next month, my fourth cover in the last two years.

For all of you who find yourself on this blog, Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you can find some quiet time to contemplate what you and all you have been given. And if you’re consumed by the photography bug like me, find some camera time soon.