Warm winter evenings...

Beaches in winter.

Morning dusting.

Pleasantville.

The tollbooth.

The Doctor

Dawn of a new year...

Just something on my mind...

"Be excellent to each other."
- Bill S. Preston, Esq.

I claim no particular religion. I force my beliefs on no one. My faith is my own and I respect the same in others. But extremism in any form is a thing that worries me. Fear, anger, and elitism are not qualities anyone of good moral standing should express as the core of their philosophy or theology. Something tells me honesty, sincerity, and a good heart will get you much further in this life and beyond no matter how many Gods you believe in or what you choose to name them.

... Now where was I?

“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself”
- Zen Proverb

After a lengthy and lazy break from doing this whole blogging thing, I've decided to get back into it. I'm shooting for a living now and doing a lot more creative stuff at my new job. So I figured I'd share with the few of you who have stuck around through my absence. I took these shots earlier today with the lovely Sara. I can't take full credit for these, though. She found the location a few days ago and she picked out her own wardrobe and everything. I just arranged and set up the shots and did the post-processing.

Strobist info for most shots -
20mm @ f 8 - 1/200 sec - ISO 100 - natural light

We were going for a spring look for these photos. The past few weeks have been pretty rainy and today the sun finally came out and the temperature is hovering somewhere around 80 degrees. We didn't want to waste the opportunity, so we jumped in the car around 11 and went for it. The field was pretty incredible. These yellow flowers stretched as far as you could see.

Coincidentally, yesterday I had been talking about how I wanted to do more landscapes and teach myself more about composing a shot in a natural environment. I've been shooting a -lot- of portraiture lately and landscape work seems to be drifting to the wayside. So my goal was to think more about composing a photo of a location to make that stand on its own. I'll end with a photo I took yesterday while I was thinking about that. It's in stark contrast to the above springtime photos, but I think it stands on its own. Enjoy, and thanks for reading :)

Autumn is upon us.

"The process of delving into the black abyss is to me the keenest form of fascination."
- H. P. Lovecraft

Autumn is by far my favourite time of year. It's common belief that this time of year, the veil that separates our world from the beyond is the thinnest. Spirits of all varieties make their trips across the divide to mingle with us and change the seasons. The air is filled with a certain magic and electricity... that wonderful combination of warm sun and cool air and mysterious nights...

It's really no wonder the angels and demons and spirits of the dearly departed choose this time of year to visit us. Where else could you enjoy these colors, the vibrancy of everything surrounding us, the smell of falling leaves and chimney smoke? The days may not be as long, but they make up for it with the intensity and fullness they bring with them.

This weekend, my lovely muse and I enjoyed some time outdoors appreciating the beauty of the season. We found hot apple cider and fresh home-made donuts at a local farm and took a walk off the beaten path through the woods discovering hidden abandoned campsites and relics from teenage summer parties rusted beside a long-cold campfire.

I've always noticed that nature has a way of coming alive in autumn in a way that it doesn't at any other time of year. The birds sing louder. Horses run around in the low-hanging sun. Deer graze in the open and spy on you from just beyond the bushes. We even had not one, but two close-calls with hawks this weekend... one swooped down inches from my car to catch its lunch, and another flew right past us as we were on our way back home. A group of turkey vultures even circled above us as we took our hike through the forest. Nature is always keeping an eye on us.

There's definitely magic on the wind this season. Take some time our of your daily grind to walk through the leaves and see something new. You never know what the spirits will unearth for you... like the remains of an old car buried deep in the woods, for instance. Fall is filled with mystery and secrets. And if you listen, it will share those secrets with you. Just follow that cool breeze off the trail and see where it leads...

...and while you're at it, take some time to enjoy the sunlight. It won't shine like this again for another 12 months. And once it sets, nothing beats watching some good movies under a warm blanket with a hot mug of mulled wine with your loved one. Happy Autumn, everyone!

-c