This morning I went to buy fruit from Ken & Janet who once a week have their Blueberry Hill fruit stand in front of my favorite meat market – about 3 miles from our home. This week they had blueberries but were sold out by the time I got there, peaches, nectarines, plums, and a couple of early apples. As I was leaving to go home, I decided to go to the Dahlem Nature Center as it was almost on my way home, I had my camera, and the sun was shining so I was pretty sure I could get some good photographs for this week’s Lens-Artist Challenge: Here Comes the Sun.
I have taken a few photos of sunrises and sunsets but what I really enjoy about early morning photography is catching the moment when the rising sun shines through the trees to illuminate a subject. In those moments the ordinary is transformed into extraordinary. On my walk through the wooded area of the conservatory my mission was to find these moments.
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. Rachel Carson
When I take photographs of nature in these circumstances, I think about the definition of beauty. When I do the post processing I become concerned that what I saw as beauty out in a wild field or along a dirt road won’t be perceived by others as beautiful. I wonder what a professional photographer would say about my images and whether anyone would want them matted, framed and hanging on the wall.
These questions and worries don’t discourage me from moving forward with posting them on my blog, however. I think it is because my photography is driven by a desire to share emotions, whereas my life’s work was driven by thought and skill. It seems like those posts of bloggers I follow that focus their photography on the natural world are the most enjoyable. And for me the most exciting, the most gentle, the most evocative are the ones that are gently bathed in early morning sun.
It had been years since I walked the trails of Dahlem Center and I have changed in body and soul. I am thinking that Jim and I need to take regular walks here. I was wandering along an easy path, taking a few photographs and enjoying the bird calls when something caught my eye. If you look closely you will see the doe and spotted fawn on the path ahead watching me. As I slowly walked closer, they ran away.
Here is a gallery of nature’s late-summer offerings, at least they are the ones that the sun wanted me to aim my lens toward and put into focus.
It seems to me that Mr. Wright needed to add, ‘take care of nature.’ Maybe he thought that loving nature would cover it but I’m not sure. If we don’t respect and protect nature it will destroy us instead of being there for us; if we fail nature, it will fail us.
A special thank you to Amy for choosing a topic that motivated me to grab my camera and hit the trails. It has been a long time since I have felt the joy of searching for beauty with my lens.
A New Day: Living Life Almost Gracefully 
How did I miss this one Pat! It’s such a beautiful and honest post. Never doubt your photography. You reached my emotions just as you wanted to!
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Awe, Thanks Anne.
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😊
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Nice photos . . . as always!
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Love your idea and its outcome, Pat!
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It is so nice when ideas become good outcomes. Thanks, Ann-Christine.
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True!
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Great captures, Pat. It was a unique take on this challenge to let the sun pick your details to photograph.
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Thanks, Sofia.
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I love your idea that the sun directed you to photograph these particular details ❤ And what a beautiful place for a walk, made even more so by the deer!
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Beautiful nature 🌹 excellent shot thanks for sharing.💐💐👌
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How delightful that the doe and fawn put in an appearance for you, Pat!
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Maybe they were the Chamber of Commerce new hirers. In Florida they hire dolphins to swim by the pier in the evening for the visitors.
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😄😄👍
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Lovely nature post and thanks for the reminder to protect and guard nature
🌿🌱🍃
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Beautiful! Serene and inspiring. A new day.
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Yes, and the days seem to be flying by. Is that happening to you?
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My post op days are all running into each other. I think I’ll look back at this summer and see it as a blur. And yes, it’s flying by. I’ve no sooner wrestled my TED hose on my operative leg in the morning than it’s time to take it off to sleep. And I’ve accomplished zip in the hours in-between!
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Excellent. I love that first ‘peek’ photo in particular. 👍
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Thanks, John. I am always enthralled by sun peeking through trees.
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Lovely. I think your view of beautiful is just beautiful.
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Awe, what a sweet thing to say. Thank you, Dawn.
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A beautiful set of photos of “following the sun. Such an enjoyable walk through the Dahlem Nature Center. Love the the sun peeking through the trees especially.
Thank you for reminding us to respect and protect nature. Sharing the beauty of nature is also my motivation for photography.
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Hmm…did finally find the doe and spotted fawn…but felt like I was doing one of those Where’s Waldo challenges. 🙂
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lol – so did I. I couldn’t get a good photo because they wouldn’t let me close enough. A ways down the path, where the little creek is, I hear deer running through the underbrush. By the way, you can thank me for challenging your brain.
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