Arbor Geyser: A Metaphor in Monochrome

 

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer and often the supreme disappointment.” - Ansel Adams


How often we flail about trying to influence things we have no control over. What a great waste of our energy and time. Better to focus on the things we do control: our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Imagine how effective we can be then! As I wrote in a poem of my own in my post on February 11, 2023...


I saw a twisted tree today

with branches in every direction

and thought how like some people it is.

Unlike, I thought, most trees that grow

naturally true and tall

or animals that behave instinctively 

like the particular animal they are. 

People,

gloriously infuriating and

wonderfully complicated and emotional,

wave about like fan-powered air dancers

seeking to grab attention.

The tree, limbs flailing about,

is how like so many we folk are

still seeking a direction in life

as the tree searches for the sun.

Clicking on the image will open it in full screen

‘Arbor Geyser,’ a monochrome study of a contorted tree of character in the maritime forest found at Burton Island Nature Preserve in southern coastal Delaware.

www.johnjgiardinaphotography.com


Location: Burton Island Nature Preserve, Bethany Beach, DE 19930, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cow Branch Bend: Part 2 of 3 at Carolina Sandhills NWR

Image
“ Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph. ”  - Matt Hardy     You probably know that President Theodore Roosevelt directed the creation of our amazing National Parks, but did you know he also founded the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1903? On March 14 of that year, he established Pelican Island NWR along Florida's Atlantic Ocean coast.      Since then,  more than 560 wildlife refuges are in place across this country, and they're all managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Each NWR unit can be a wildlife refuge, a conservation area, a marine national monument, or a waterfowl production area. The different units help with conserving native species that depend on that land or water to thrive by using scientific management  methods. And I think they're another of our many national treasures.     As I wrote in my post on April 29, 2023...      Back in Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife R
Read more

Edge of Evening: A Lesson About Legacy

Image
  “ With photography, a new language has been created. Now for the first time, it is possible to express reality by reality. We can look at an impression as long as we wish, we can delve into it and, so to speak, renew past experiences at will. ”  - Ernst Haas     This was a wonderful time, nestled into a nook in the sand far back from the gentle surf, watching the light of the setting sun play on the sky over a beautiful corner of Hilton Head Island. It was unusually warm for the time of year, and I was dressed in sandals and shorts as I waited for the color to peak. As I passed the time on a Facetime call with my wife, three older ladies strolled up the beach towards me.      They seemed in a happy mood so I said hello and asked if they were locals. It turns out they were actually on vacation and were enjoying the warm evening with a walk in the sand. I offered to take their picture and one of them passed me their phone. Afterwards, they asked about what I was doing and I shared with
Read more

Gatherer: A Perfect Partnership

Image
  “ I often wished I could capture and share the sudden moments of beauty that I would see around me."   - Caroline Mueller     It's been put many ways but we don't help our spouses as a nice-to-do, occasional thing. A marriage, or relationship, is best built as a complete partnership where both people, or birds in this case, work together selflessly for the good of the relationship or family. Nobody is doing a favor as both parties act without ego to help further the goals of the unit. As I wrote in my post on May 13, 2023...      Welcome back to Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge where the graceful great white egrets roost and rule. Both male and female egrets help with nest building. This elegant bird posed perfectly for me with a small stick in their beak as they prepared to fly back towards the rookery. I watched the whole congregation for a long time work on their nests together and care for their hatchlings. What a magnificent display and a prime example of wh
Read more