The Bardo Group has identified May as interNational Photography Month. They have made it possible for people from around the world to link posts on how photography, as an art form, allows for expression of self and story. You can learn more by clicking on the link at the beginning of this paragraph.
I’m a newbie to serious photography. Not serious as in having multiple cameras and getting up at 4 a.m. to catch the earliest rays, but serious in the sense of devoting a lot of myself to it. I have always been a task oriented person, a thinker, an academic. Even my creative hobbies used more of my logical left brain than my creative right brain. As I have aged I have moved toward the center – still enjoying my logical thinking, but balancing it by integrating my emotional responses.
Photography has opened my soul to a whole new way of seeing and experiencing the world, and has allowed me to expand the edges of my creativity. I find I am interested in the technical aspects of using my camera and post-processing software but not for a sense of mastery. I only want to master them as tools to enhance my ability to create beautiful images that flow from nature, through my brain, and onto my blog. Photography has also culled from within me a new way of writing, not precise so information is accurately communicated, but precise so that story and image are merged to express beauty.
With camera in hand, I chase after the sun to capture what it illuminates, but also what it hides in shadows.
I play with the fire of my passion, exploring luminescence and color, until I become saturated.
I bend and sway to study form and composition. Finding it through my lens seems to help me compose the meaning of my life into a form that is solid but flexible; helping me unfurl the strengths I need to greet aging with grace and joy.
I find that photographs speak to me, revealing insights and new mysteries. I also find that my inner life directs my choices of subject. Sometimes I need to focus close, examining details, exploring within…
while other times I need to expand my view to the horizon, even if it is shrouded with haze. As I am aging I am becoming more aware of life’s uncertainties but also learning to trust beyond the unknowing.
I find immense joy in learning through practice, as I revisit familiar subjects and explore new places. I am feeling a sense of fulfillment, as my photography is helping me come closer to being and using all that I am, and experiencing an intimacy with the world I encounter.
Photography is the means to finding and recognizing the rebirth of Spring, but also gives me the perspective for accepting the ebb and flow of life.
All of these photos, except for the misty marsh, were taken in Holland Michigan at the Tulip Festival that is taking place this week.
A New Day: Living Life Almost Gracefully 
Your photos are lovely
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Thank you, Imelda. I always enjoy yours, too. 🙂
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A most beautiful post, Pat! These images are full of joy and life!
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Thank you so much. I am full of joy and life when I am out photographing – and it makes me very happy that you think it shows. 🙂
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Oh, I love the Holland tulip festival, you are very lucky. I’m so far away I may not get back there. So where was the misty marsh photo taken??
Oh, and that single orange flower – stunning, it just pops off the page. They are all beautiful.
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Thank you, Ana. The misty marsh photo was taken a few miles from my home in Michigan. It is one of my favorite places to drive through because there is frequently fog rising.
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I’ll bet, it looks beautiful, I sure miss the wilderness
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All of these photos are gorgeous! I like your style, composition, and vibrant colors.
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Thanks for the encouraging comment. I appreciate your visit, too.
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Beautiful photos! It is wonderful to get into creating such beauty, and honing one’s skills. Thanks for the link to Bardos and APA.
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Thank you, Angeline. I appreciate your visit and you comment. 🙂
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Brilliant post, Pat, both the photographs and your eloquent words.
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Thank you, Naomi. You are so sweet and generous.
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Your pictures are beautiful, Pat. 🙂
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Thank you, Imelda.
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What a wonderful voice your photography has given you…one that speaks to us all.
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Wow, Charlie, that is a really big compliment. Thank you so much.
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This is a beautiful post – both the words and the pictures speak with such clarity.
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Thank you for your very kind words. I appreciate your comment.
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Very beautiful words and photos!
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Thank you, Amy. It was a beautiful day.
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Beautiful post!
{Hugs}
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Thanks, RoSy. Hugs back.
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I’ve never made it to tulip time in Holland but know lots of folks who have. Your photos make me feel thankful for such beauty. I have memories of wearing a Dutch dress, apron, and winged organdy cap my mother made me for a pageant at school when I was in about seventh grade. Now I enjoy the lovely beds of tulips along the median strips on Michigan Ave.
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Aren’t we lucky to have all of the memories. Thanks for the interesting comment, Lois.
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Yes!
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Nicely said and beautifully illustrated. I have thought much about the question you asked me yesterday.I think my photography goals are two-fold. First I try to capture what I feel about my subject and then I try to use technique and technology to aid in that expression. Thanks for this post.
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My pleasure, Julie. Yesterday was such a wonderful day – and you explanation of your reasons for photography make sense to me. We just seem to click. 😀
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Such a wonderFULL post! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
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My pleasure, Carolyn. I so glad you visited and enjoyed it. 🙂
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Your photos are always lovely but these are especially gorgeous. 🙂 What kind of camera are you using?
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A Nikon D5100, and most of these were taken with a 70-300 mm Nikon lens. Thank you so much for your kind comment, Judy.
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