I'm sad that the Bradford Pears have pretty much passed their prime here in the high country. At least this spring I was motivated enough to get out and shoot some photos of the pearly white blossoms before they faded.
Right now, I'm seeing more of the Japanese cherry trees, redbuds, and dogwoods. It seems like I can find something new every day if I look hard enough, so I'm always on the lookout for what will pop up next! How about you? Any spring beauties to share?
I always have been, and am pretty sure I will always be a sucker for trees. A quick search for "trees" in my Flickr photostream brought up a number of imagines which were centered around trees or just had trees in the photo.
I am always compelled to shoot a tree or two. In any season or time of year they are always lovely, with or without leaves, tall, short, aspen or pine......you can learn from them. And they could teach you a great deal given the chance.
I think of their roots embedded into the ground, and it reminds me to anchor myself when I'm feeling unbalanced. I see how resilient they are, and it reminds me that I too have the power and will to survive and succeed against the odds.
Although they may be aesthetically pleasing, they are also ecologically important and provide a great deal to the environment in which we all live. From the air we breathe to the shade upon with we seek shelter, they are there, unfailingly and without asking for anything in return.
Donating to a worthy cause on Earth Day was the very least that I could do. I thank you all so very much for enthusiastically participating to help rebuild the Brazilian Rainforest through the efforts of The Nature Conservancy. The "Plant a Billion Trees" campaign is far from reaching their goal.
When I first put up the "Where's your Green" post, they had 237,000 trees, now six days later they are up to 263,588! So, they're getting there slowly but surely............My total donation was $40.00 which equates to 40 trees; I had 18 request total to "Plant a Tree for Me!" and some who simply left a comment with the word tree in it, which I counted any way!
These photos are of all sorts of different trees, some here, some there.......from North Carolina, to Florida, and even Nevada.......a little of everywhere! None of which ever made it to the blog, which works out great since now I have something to share with you :o)
Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.
I don't like standard beauty - there is no beauty without strangeness.
~Karl Lagerfeld
Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!
~Andre Gide
I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.
Willa Cather (1873 - 1947)
The acoustics of the season tend to change as the month wears on, most of the trees are, for lack of a better term, naked now. I can't help but gawk at the branches and how beautiful they look against the sky. What lies beneath is just as interesting to me as they were with the changing leaves. I can appreciate a tree in any condition it seems, although this picture wasn't really about a tree.
This picture was inspired by the lonely chair I spotted behind an abandoned house located on Hwy 105, which is a main stretch of road I travel on occasion. I saw it, oh probably about a month ago, and instantly had the urge to pull over and photograph the lone chair, but I resisted.
Until the perfect day came along, and I was prepared, it wasn't really meant to happen. On the way home from Grandfather 2 weekends ago I finally decided it was time I brought my idea to full fruition. Cody definitely helped motivate me as well, the awesome assistant he is. Okay, that's sort of our joke, that he's my assistant - sets up the tripod, carries the equipment, etc.What are your thoughts about the lone chair, or have you ever had the idea to photograph something out of the ordinary?
Anyhow, the mission was accomplished and I was pretty pleased with the results.
A wise man once said, "Lance Armstrong wasn't winning Tour de France on his tricycle!", and as I couldn't stop laughing hysterically when Cody said this something about that statement rang so true in my mind. What he was trying to tell me was basically that everything comes in time, and essentially we must take baby steps to reach the status of ones who put their heart and soul into something and alas conquered. True, sometimes it comes easier for some while others struggle to accomplish such feats. In one day I can be encouraged and discouraged just as easily and in equal amounts. I see things that compel me to create but then I will also see some things that makes me wonder whether or not what I have to give will be as widely accepted as I hope. And when I'm sifting through the seas of the many other artist amongst us I can't shake the feeling of intimidation I have about putting myself out there like them. It seems as though it's a constant battle trying to convince myself that this is where I take that leap of faith and hope for the best. It's all a matter of perception, and yes, there will be those that like my work, and there will be those that don't. Plain and Simple..........but not really.
