Photo:Engage

  “ 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...

  “ When I photograph, what I'm really doing is seeking answers to things. ”  - Wynn Bullock      Another path to happiness, an emotion you control, may be found in my post from November 19, 2022...      One can’t answer how to be happy by reciting some creed or pledge. Best to demonstrate by what one does. And the thing to do is to be discerning. Judging well about what we do is the whole point.      Discernment leads to happiness, the direct result of a balanced mind and a soul filled with inner peace. The path to these treasures comes from important questions we ask ourselves: of what do I have control? and what do I not? what is worth my time? what isn’t? what really matters? and who?      If answered honestly at each successive moment of choice, questions like these lead to clarity. And so it is with discernment. It answers the question about what to do and who to do it with in the face of so many options. With r...

  “ Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. ”  - Gustave Flaubert      I do so love a good baking reference, like Alton Brown's classic way to determine when goodies are done in the oven: GBD! And even better when a little history is tossed in. My post from December 10, 2022 mixed in both...      Official historical markers have been around in this country for about a century now. Virginia posted a few signs at key spots on US Route 1 in 1926 and a few other states had some even earlier. Massachusetts had hundreds up by 1930 and this number doesn’t include the many markers posted by private groups. But the big explosion of the now ubiquitous signs pointing out significant local history happened after World War II.      The great American road-trip came into being as post-war families piled into their cars and hit the road to see their country. In the middle 1950’s, almost fifty million people went...

  “ The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. ”  - Marcel Proust     Our old friend Marcus Aurelius's favorite poet, Heraclitus, once said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” We all change throughout the years and who we were once is not who we are now. Neither are the places we've been before. Change is the hallmark of time's passing. May we all accept that change with gracious kindness and hopeful anticipation. As I wrote in my post on December 31, 2022...      Out with the old and in with the new, just like the rising of a vibrant dawn after the darkness of night reveals fresh possibilities. As we cross the bridge from one year to another, may the joys and heartbreak that marked our lives in the past year yield happily into the opportunities for love and growth possible in the new one. Happy New Year, my friends, and peace be with al...

“ A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know. ”  - Diane Arbus     I didn't see it when I composed and captured this image that beautiful morning on the sands of Rehoboth Beach. And I wasn't certain I would process it in monochrome, although I had a suspicion it would work well that way, what with all the contrast.     But what I didn't see was how the pylons of the jetty would glisten in the rising sunlight revealing several little beings robotically clapping in unison at the coming of the light. I saw it clear as day, although not a single other person seemed to. I'm not sure the witticism in my title for the photograph helped either. Either way, I suppose it is now a private joke, one I'm sharing with you.     As for the quote from my old Roman favorite, it's of a different though related note. Even if something gathers no acclaim, it doesn't lessen its intrinsic value. It is beautiful all the same. Re...

  “ There are almost too many possibilities. Photography is in direct proportion with our time: multiple, faster, instant. Because it is so easy, it will be more difficult. ”  - Ernst Haas     As November comes to a close, I reflect on how much this month means in my life. At the start, it's the anniversary of my marriage to my wonderful wife, and at the end, it the month of her glorious birth. And in between is the Thanksgiving holiday, when my thoughts most revolve around the idea of my wife, without whom my life would be altogether poorer. I am grateful she married me and adore her for her loving care of our children. She is a fantastic spouse, a saintly mother, and an excellent person, full of kindness and sharing spirit. November truly is the month of my life. As I wrote in my post from November 26, 2022... “The rains they did replenish springs, And it gratitude to each heart brings, When we reflect on bounteous season, For grateful feelings all have reason.” - ...

  “ If you are truly successful at capturing the pulse of life, then you can speak of a good photograph. ”  - René Burri     If you've never attended a military funeral before, or perhaps have only seen it acted in a movie, then you may find my description below interesting. But it's about much more than the ceremony, important as that is. What is paramount is the life and memory of the veteran being honored and celebrated, and the respect and gratitude directed towards their family by those attending. I'm grateful to have served with such brothers and sisters. As I wrote in my post on November 12, 2022...      When you arrive, you realize more people came to pay respects than you thought would be able to on a Wednesday afternoon, but then you remembered the incredibly gracious way the man you’ve come to remember and celebrate treated everyone he met, so of course a large group would attend his funeral. After waiting for the veterans cemetery to g...

  “ Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better. ”  - Albert Einstein     Sometimes, I think my more specific posts extolling the beauty and history of a certain location turns off part of my audience because perhaps they think they cannot relate to a place they don't personally know. But my sincere hope is that my words and images inspires you to visit the wild places close to your home and to cherish them such that you'll make choices that protect them. Love the outdoors near you! As I wrote in my post on November 5, 2022...      Gordons Pond wasn’t always just the amazing and beautiful mix of water and trees, grass and birds that we get to enjoy nowadays. In days long gone by, when European settlers first were looking around and wondering how to keep their food preserved, areas close to the sea were choice locations for getting their all important salt.       What is now Gordons Pond began as a manma...

  “ There is no question that photography has played a major role in the environmental movement. ”  - Galen Rowell     Burton Island wasn't always the beautiful nature preserve it is now, near the northern side of the Indian River Inlet in Sussex County, Delaware. The island has had many uses and seen many abuses during the years, but at one sad point in its story, it was a polluted dumping ground for a major chemical company. The island was trashed and unsafe to explore. Only with dedicated effort was the island cleaned up and restored to the natural state you can visit today. It's a lesson we must remember in order to keep our lands and water clean. Today, enough time has passed to see the forest lifecycle back at work. As I wrote in my post on June 11, 2022...      Gentle audience, allow me to reveal to you a little sneak peek into the unexpected light revealing an old actor who once commanded the stage in the forest near the oce...

  “ I think of photography like therapy. ”  - Harry Gruyaert      Hello everyone. My friend Bob, who I wrote about in my last post, died peacefully on October 14, 2022 after fighting brain cancer for over two years. When I wrote about my not knowing how much more time he had here, Bob had already passed away. The world was much better with him in it. I will really miss my friend. Bob is survived by his loving wife and his three children.      All profits from any sales on my website Marketplace from now until January 15, 2023 will be donated to the Glioblastoma Foundation, in remembrance of Bob. It’s a nice way to add some art to your life and contribute to an excellent charity. Peace be with all of you.     So what does the Glioblastoma Foundation do? From their own website: The Glioblastoma Foundation was created to galvanize glioblastoma drug development . Glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of tumor that arises in the brain. It ...

  “ No, you don't shoot things. You capture them. Photography means painting with light. And that's what you do. You paint a picture only by adding light to the things you see. ”  - Katja Michael     It's astonishing the number of massacres using firearms there have been since the despicable racist attack at a grocery store in my hometown of Buffalo. I can't include them all here since there's too many.      Everyone is aware and sickened by the attack at the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, but there were also people shot in Philadelphia by a man on a mountain bike, six shot in Alabama at a graduation party, a mother and her three young children were shot and killed by the mother's step-father in Michigan, six people were shot near the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, four people were shot in Colorado Springs, Colorado, four people were shot and one of them killed in a shooting in Fresno, California, four people were shot at a house party in Mala...

  “ The art of photography is all about directing the attention of the viewer. ”  - Steven Pinker     I always thought there ought to be a version of the classic Peanuts cartoon where Linus explains to Charlie Brown what Easter is all about. I can hear him, in his Linus voice, clearly quote from the Apostles' Creed, "Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty." But we have more about what actually happened that third day...      The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 28 (NRSV)      After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fea...

  “ If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff. ”  - Jim Richardson     Sometimes, the interesting stuff I'm looking for is an evening beach, a ship out at sea, an interesting cloud, and a glowing moon, all working in unison to inspire me to think about how everything works together. The moon influence the tides, affecting the ship, and also the weather, which influences the cloud, which all worked to produce this interesting composition for me to capture and share. I love the color and the light, but most especially, I love the way all the elements work together. What harmony we have when our connections are clear and valued. As I wrote in my post on March 19, 2022...      When I was much younger, there was a BBC television show called Connections starring the Sherlock Holmes of Science, Mr. James Burke, who had a way of making each episode exploring some aspect of science into a spellbinding detective story. It ...

  “ Fear is a thing that prohibits a lot of photographers from reaching their full potential. ”  - Collin Pierson     If you've made it this far, how many scary things along the way did you fear that when they arrived, if they ever did, overcame you, bested you, defeated you? None, because you are here now. And even if they did do so, and your feared thing did beat you, how did fear help you other than to warn you to be cautious and prepared? Fear paralyzes, caution actively prepares. And even the cautious can lose, because events are outside our control, but still I ask: how does fear help? It doesn't, but it does rob you of joy and calm at the moment of your greatest test. So put fear aside, for it is useless to you. Because you are here and you feared many things before, most of which never came but were only imagined, and whatever did come, you figured out and were brave. I know this because here you are still are. As I wrote in my post on February 19, ...

“ The world moves fast, changing everything around us with each new day. Photography is a gift that can keep us in a moment forever, blissfully eternal. ”  - Ali Novak     Our world does move fast, with events sometimes overwhelming us with their speed and ferocity and urgency. So much is happening that it's all too easy to lose focus of what it is we want to do with our limited time. The events of the world outside ourselves pierce our attention and compete for our emotional energy, but are usually well outside of what we can actually control. So I ask you to think about what you're focused on, for that will let you know what you truly value.  As I wrote in my post on February 5, 2022...      Taking the liberty of translating into a modern voice the timeless wisdom of Marcus Aurelius, who was both emperor of ancient Rome and a moral man, he wrote in his personal journal the following lesson about focus:      “Concentrate every minute on...

  “ The two most engaging powers of a photograph are to make new things familiar and familiar things new. ”  - William Thackeray      This image is part of a triptych. In case you're still wondering what a triptych is, allow me to explain. Historically, it is a type of art composed of three related pieces, traditionally panel paintings, which were hinged together such that they could fold or be allowed to stand upright on their own, often for use at the altars of churches in the Middle Ages. The middle panel was usually the largest, although today that's not necessarily the case.      A modern triptych can mean anything composed of three parts, but in my case, it's three photographs that are related to each other and that together tell a story. The first part of this triptych is an image I called Vertigo . Here, then is photograph number two of my first triptych, as I shared in my post from January 22, 2022...      Many of us dream ...

  “ The camera is much more than a recording apparatus; it is a medium via which messages reach us from another world. ”  - Orson Welles     This image is part of a triptych. It's my first one. What's a triptych, you may ask? Well, historically, it denoted a type of art composed of three related pieces, usually wood panel paintings which were hinged together such that they could fold or be allowed to stand upright on their own. The middle panel was usually the largest, although today that's not necessarily the case. Nowadays, a triptych can mean anything composed of three parts, but in my case, it's three images that are related to each other and that together tell an interesting story. Here, then is image number one of my first triptych, as I shared in my post from January 15, 2022...      Have you ever felt like you were emotionally falling? That everything happening in your life was just too much? More often than we might admit, many of us have that...

  “ Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future. ”  - Sally Mann     There's not much that's better than knowing something fun and exciting is about to happen. Remember the last time you had a big vacation planned? Just thinking about all the amazing things you were going to do away from the cares of work and home would fill you with joy. Looking forward to the thing was often as good, or better, than the thing itself.      I love that aspect of anticipation. And once the great thing occurs, when we've had the great experience we so looked forward to, we feel the appreciation for all the effort it took to make it happen, that the thing exists to be appreciated, for all the people who make the thing extraordinary.      And no matter how the event actually turned out, because maybe that vacation had a few off days or a few things that didn't quite work out, we can still be happy about the experience ove...

  “ A photograph can be an instant of life captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at you. ”  - Brigitte Bardot     We can try to outrun them. Or pretend they don't exist. Or that they don't apply to our current circumstances. But no matter what we do, universal principles will be there to correct our actions. We can't get away from the consequences of our choices because bedrock principles will always be the standard against we are judged, if only by our own uncompromising conscience.      Drifting away from our principles for a short time is perfectly normal but it's important to periodically take stock, accept responsibility for our mistakes, and realign ourselves with what we value most. We must never allow ourselves the hubris that comes with thinking we can outmaneuver that which never changes. We will only find ourselves dashed upon the rocks, the unyielding true principles of life.      Consider the classic naval...

  Photo:Engage     a photography blog you  want  to follow “ I fell in love with the process of taking pictures, with wandering around finding things. To me, it feels like a kind of performance. The picture is a document of that performance. ”  - Alec Soth     “Some one has justly remarked, that ‘eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.’ Let the sentinels on the watch-tower sleep not, and slumber not.” -  an article in the May 2, 1833 edition of  The Virginia Free Press and Farmers' Repository      We will never forget. ‘Vigilance,’ Fire Control Towers on the beach, sunrise at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware, in black and white. Clicking on the image will open it in full screen