Change Your Perspective

   This is one of my favorite type of shots to photograph. Although the composition has a vanishing point that clearly influences the shot, the subject of focus that I would like to draw your attention to is the perspective.  Perspective is very important in photography, as well as in our everyday lives. This is a simple and ordinary walk way of a bridge.  Nothing really too exciting or even really worthy of photographing, unless you change your perspective.  If you compose the picture as just an everyday shot with the predictable perspective, the results will likely not be pleasing to the viewer's eyes.  However, if you try a different perspective to compose the shot, the picture can suddenly become much more interesting to the viewer.
   Perspective in our lives works exactly the same way.  Personally, I have learned that if I go about my days with the same old mindset, things can become very boring and dull. It's as if I'm doing the same old routines and there is absolutely nothing I take pleasure in doing.  However, if I just change my perspective, as in the photo, my life suddenly becomes much more interesting, worth while and enjoyable.
   That is the point of this picture and what I am trying  to convey to the viewer through the composition. What is indeed a very ordinary bridge and walkway with dull shades of browns and grays, becomes a very interesting piece of architecture. Suddenly it's a river crossing with early morning blue sky filling in the symmetrical framework.  The purple tinted chain link fence  guides your eyes through the frame  by way of the horizontal and parallel lines of a vanishing point. The whole subject is transformed from dull to spectacular. So remember when life becomes repetitive and dull, change your perspective and see the beauty that is your reality.

These are the Days That We Will Remember

   The most important time in a child's life is the time that you spend together.  We all have our time consuming responsibilities that make it a difficult task to accomplish.  However, no matter how hard it may be, it's something we must do.  We must set aside as much time as we possibly can for the sake of our children.  They are the people of tomorrow.  They will carry our torch when we no longer can, passing down our values as well as our teachings.
   This time does not have to be filled with expensive things or trips, in fact they shouldn't be.  This time we set aside for them should be just that, time .  A walk in the park along with a good conversation is worth more than anything that can be bought.  A hike, high on a mountain trail, where you teach them how to push themselves beyond their limits for the experience of personal triumph, is one thing that could never be found on the shelves of their favorite toy aisles.  Even just a reading from their favorite book would mean much more to them than what you may think.  How you raise your children and the things you do will play a big role in the way they parent their own. 
    I've heard many people with no children say, "I would not bring a child into this horrific, God awful world."   However, I say that it is through having children that we can bring a little beauty back into the world.  So, if you really want to make a difference, but feel as though you are not big enough, important enough, or whatever your reason may be, look no further than your children.  Because, believe it or not, when you spend quality time with your children, you are changing the world for the better, one child at a time.

Over and Through the Autumn Leaves

   This is my favorite shot of the Autumn colors that I photographed this year. Many people have complimented as well as commented on how much they enjoyed it. This is a road in the Pine Mountain State Park in Pineville, Ky. I was driving down from the top and as I came to this spot in the road I knew this was it. I knew that I had to try to capture what my eyes were seeing.
   The way in which the leaves littered the road as the light shined through the trees and onto the leaves was truly gorgeous. I had been practicing shots with leading lines in the composition (lines that guide the viewers eyes through the frame) and the twisting roadway was a perfect example of this great technique. I was so thrilled that it had turned out exactly as I had planned. Personally this shot is fun to look at, as my eyes are drawn over and through the Autumn leaves.

A Long Journey

   This picture is symbolic of a difficult journey through life. A journey most of us will take in some way or another. It must begin with one step in the direction of the light or destination From the beginning it will be ordinary, dull, and quite repetitive. There will be many splinters and maybe a few injuries from the many ups and downs of this long journey.
   As you take step after step it seems as if you are spinning your wheels and going absolutely nowhere. It's as if at any point in the journey you look around and it's exactly the same as when you first began. You want to give up. However, you just can't because there is something deep down inside that will not let you. Maybe it's hope that helps you along. Perhaps it's faith. Personally, at these moments I feel that it's my human spirit that drives onward. It reassures me that there is a light and peace at the end of my journey.
   Whatever it is, it pushes us to continue on down the line. After all of the wear and tear this journey puts on our mind, body, and soul, we finally victoriously arrive at our destination. Of all the wonderful feelings and emotions that fill our spirits at that moment, none can compare to the life knowledge and experience we will have gained. It is this experience and knowledge that will serve as a reminder that our next long journey will be one that we can overcome, no matter the odds.

 For my dear friend, Nola G. Sizemore