Seeing and Sharing Beauty
Sun Kissed
Tomorrow I’m heading over to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, to teach a week of Digital SLR Photography in Georgia O’Keeffe country. I look forward to spending time in that most beautiful landscape, sharing this passion with a new group of participants.
Hosta Cuddle
I was running out of inspiration in my photography. My last “photography trip” was way back in early March 2011, and the next one would not be for a year or more. No one was buying my photos, and no one was enrolling in my workshops. I was getting very few “Likes” on my posts. I was thinking why do this at all. Who cares about these images anyway? There are trillions of them on the internet, and why bother?
Yesterday when I was walking up my driveway after a day at the office, I heard the singing of a Cardinal up in the sky somewhere. I stopped and listened and looked until I saw him, sitting way up on my TV antenna. Then I smiled and whistled back. Was he singing for me?
Last Saturday I was at the Chicago Botanic Garden, to shoot some pictures of the flowers and plants there. Initially, I was walking around in the grip of the mind’s chatter — “Find pretty flowers … in soft light … with uncluttered backgrounds … and get their names … and won’t everybody just love it … and blah blah blah blah blah.”
But then, by walking around, by myself, just being still and letting the plants attract me (letting my heart attract them?), by just walking around and noticing my feelings, my mind’s focus was directed to a group of hostas perched quietly along a stairway under a canvas tent. Their stillness and apparent contentment with their position, leaf curling against leaf, created in me a feeling of appreciation that these flowing, unspectacularly green ripply plants had accepted their destiny to put on a display — today — now — just for me, because everyone else had passed them by.
So what is the purpose of a plant growing or a bird singing or a Harry making a picture? Is it to win awards, recognition, appreciation from other people? I think not.
I think, when we are still, we are all inspired to do what feels good to us, and I should not forget that for me it feels good to pour some of my life into creating a thing of beauty. Like the Cardinal singing his song. Like the hosta leaf growing and cuddling with her sisters.
I will remember to focus my mind on these things, before focusing my camera.
Water Color, Cannon Beach, Oregon
My image “Water Color” was selected for the Open Lens II exhibit at Gallery 7, Joliet, Illinois.
Open Lens II is Gallery 7’s 2nd Annual Juried Exhibit of Photographic Fine Art. Over 535 images were submitted by more than 90 artists from across the country. The exhibit features 68 images selected by 2 jurors with a Best of Show Award, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Awards, 6 Honorable Mention Awards, and Purchase Awards honoring more than 10 Artists and images. The exhibit features an Opening and Closing Reception and is open for viewing by the public and invitees over the course of the exhibit.
The Exhibit Opening Reception is today, June 4, 2010 from 6:00 PM to 9:00PM. The exhibit runs through the July 15, 2010 Artists Closing Reception.
Gallery 7 is a Fine Art Gallery in the Rialto Arts District in Historic Downtown Joliet. Located just one door north of the historic Rialto Theater, Gallery 7 features Fine Art Photography, Fiber Art and other artworks. It is a collaboration of nine member and associate member artists. The gallery is open 11 AM to 2 PM, Monday through Friday, for receptions and by appointment. Call 815.726.1840 for appointment openings. Address: Gallery 7, 116 N Chicago St, Suite 102, Joilet, Illinois.
Sunrise on Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Mesa Arch is such a popular location in Canyonlands National Park, I had to get up very early to get a spot to photograph the arch before all the other photographers and tourists arrived. Ahhhh — Nature!
It was a beautiful sight. This image is actually an HDR composite of 2 images. The trick is to take one shot exposing for the close side of the arch before the sun comes up, and another when the sun comes up with the aperture closed down to about f3o, which makes the arch look pretty black.
It’s funny how we humans like to rate other humans with “best” lists like the Academy Awards, or the Person of the Year, or the Superbowl winners, or even The Biggest Loser. Maybe we just need to deal with a finite number, because we would feel overwhelmed by considering everything or everybody.
“Muley Point”
To manage our comprehension of the wonders of nature, we have them in a list called the Seven Wonders of the World. Really? Are there only seven? Of course not. Every day there are wonders all around us if we but open our eyes to them.
My practice of creating landscape photographs has made me more aware of seeing what is around me, and I am hyper-aware when on a trip to a place I’ve never seen before. My last trip to parts of Utah and Colorado was to photograph some of the most beautiful and spectacular sculptures of nature I had never seen.
Trust me, there were many more than seven wonders! Here’s one of “The Seven” — watch for the other six that I’ll post over the next few weeks.
It's a Beautiful Life!
Harry H. Hitzeman Jr.
Photography book, The Wonders of New Mexico, includes many of the sights near Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch. Inspirational quotes from W. Clement Stone, David Hume, Thich Nhat Hanh, Georgia O'Keefe, Michelangelo, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Henry Ward Beecher, Walt Whitman, Mother Meera, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, and Anne Frank. (40 Pages. Available in Softcover and Hardcover)
Photography book, The Wonders of Oregon, includes Cannon Beach, Columbia River Gorge waterfalls, and Yaquina Head lighthouse. Inspirational quotes from writers and poets such as Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lao Tzu, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Albert Schweitzer. (40 Pages. Available in Softcover and Hardcover)
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