Tag Archives: Nature
365 Project Day 152: Symphony
Posted on 02. Jun, 2011 by maryanne.
Secluded Symphony
Canon 5D Mark ll, 100 mm 2.8 macr0, 3.5 aperture, 1/125 shutter, 125 ISO
There, beneath all of my comings and goings, nestled deep in the green of the grass and the warmth of the earth, aloft sparkling drops of sprinkler-rain. There, curling, ascending, around my barefooted toes. There plays a symphony of color, light, glory. Veritable prisms of songs inaudible to the human ear. Water beads into drops and gathers on the tips of lifted arms. Light streams through and I am undone. It is the worship that the earth sings back to the Father. Reflections of His glory, springing up from the ground we tread upon. If I had not looked, I would not have seen it, the majesty that lies in the most hidden places. I see Him there, and I join in the song of the earth.
Yes, I will sing too.
Gems at My Feet
Psalm 65:8 ~ “The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.”
Revelation 21:11 ~ “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”
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365 Project Day 38: Seeking
Posted on 08. Feb, 2011 by maryanne.
Edge of Beauty
Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 2.0 aperture, 1/125 shutter, 400 ISO
I flew out of the house just before the last light of day was gone. Not for my image of the day, not for any other reason, but to find the beauty. I had to. I was suffocating.
Sometimes I feel like the clouds, the cold, the utter exhaustion of enduring winter are going to smother the life from me. To top it off, it was Monday. What is it with Mondays? So hard on me, on my house. All the voices rattling off the lists of things to be done, things that aren’t done, things that feel too hard to do. Shhh, I say. Hush now.
It was cloudy and cold nearly all day. A sudden rain storm appeared just before sunset and then retreated as fast as it came. I threw on my coat and hat and grabbed my camera, gasping for air. Raining or not I was getting out there. I had to feel something, to find the beauty. Then, at nearly the end of my drive, I saw it. Creeping on elbows in soggy earth, I neared the edge of a glimmering puddle of fresh rain water. It had trailed down the drive to this very circle, this place at my fingertips. There, I found the beauty my soul craved. A circle of water clinging to the shimmering reflection of the sky. I breathed out a sigh of relief, and then in again, feeling the cold seep into my jeans and the elbows of my wool pea coat. Breathing again. Alive.
I feel Ann Voskamp says it so eloquently in her book “One Thousand Gifts”, this pursuit of beauty. ” A hunter trying to capture. And none of the shots are close enough, wide enough, radiant enough for the hunter. What is this that I feel sitting here, coursing through me relentless, hot ardent? I have to seek God beauty.”. Yes, that is it. God beauty. She goes on, ” Nature is not God, but God revealing the weight of Himself, all His glory, through the looking glass of nature.” So good.
May you find the beauty today. He is near.
Psalm 19:1-4 ~ “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Clearer
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Opening
Posted on 27. Aug, 2010 by maryanne.
The past month has been difficult for me on many levels. I have been involved in a new project that has stretched me far beyond anything I have ever done before. Stress and performance can do odd things to a person. I have tried so hard not to, but day by day, I have felt myself closing up on the inside. Afraid of failure, and unsure of what to do in this difficult new territory, I have inch by inch watched my spirit and soul get tangled up like a rubber band ball. Not only is this entirely unhelpful for me as a person,wife, friend, mom, and child of God, but it has shut me down creatively as well.
“Unfurl me”, I begged God, digging my heels in, but to no avail. Hard to hear someone speak when you have your hands clasped over your head and ears. Hard to breathe when you are holding your breath. I so wanted to please Him, to please my client, to please my family. Please. A polite but violent word when it is all you are doing. Pleasing.
Yesterday, I had to get out. To watch the sunset. I have seen them, the little puffs that form on the end of the long fescue grass. They capture and hold sunsets, if only briefly, every evening at dusk. With my macro lens in hand, I set out to capture those that capture glory. Don’t we all want to hold it a little while? I found them, and I could feel it happening. Worship. Worship of my God, and then gratitude. Gratitude that He never changes. He will always breathe rays of sunshine into puffs of fescue. He will always blow kisses into my heart. My heart bowed and worshiped my King, and I opened. Pouring out praises to Him as I pressed my shutter button, tears rolled and the rubber band loosened.
I should know these things. That He is always God. That His glory opens my heart. That worship helps me get my perspective again. He is God, and today I know that. I only pray He helps me again with every tomorrow He gives me.
“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.” ~ Lamentations 3:22-23
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A cup of violets
Posted on 30. Mar, 2010 by maryanne.
Another busy week in my world. Most of it spent at the computer, quoting jobs and processing photos. Then, out of nowhere, comes today. Sunshine and flowers everywhere. It was like a dear friend coming up from behind and putting their hands over my eyes, saying “guess who?”. Spring, that’s who. The cherry trees are in full bloom, the sky is a bit more blue, and the sheep have little lambs in the pasture next door. Then, there are the violets. I love violets, even though they tend to grow where I don’t want them. They remind me of my childhood and every Spring from then on. When Johnny and I came home from lunch, I saw them. The ground was covered in them. I had several things to do, but knew instinctively they would all have to wait. So, I played all afternoon. In the violets.
It was like playing hooky on a school day. I picked them, arranged them in beautiful china cups and gazed at them through my different lenses. Guess who? Spring, that’s who. Welcome home sweet friend. Here are some images from the day. I found some other sweet visitors as well.
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A Piece of Faraway
Posted on 16. Feb, 2010 by maryanne.
We don’t get much snow here in Georgia. Last year we got one day’s worth, and it was so magical. I felt like a little girl on that day. Then, as if someone shook the etch a sketch, it was all gone the very next day. We have had some false alarms this year, so when the weather man said it would snow on Friday, I was more than a little cynical (mostly because I wanted it so badly). However, much to my surprise, we got a great snowfall, and enough to play in too. It was a wonderful Valentine weekend surprise.
I took some photos while it was snowing on Friday afternoon, and then again Saturday morning when the sky was cerulean blue. I found my heart overwhelmed by the dramatic scenery. I asked God to help me to capture it if possible, but more than that, to breathe it in and enjoy it. I have often felt jealous of other photographers who get to travel and photograph beautiful scenery in faraway places. To quote photography icon and author Joe McNally from his book The Moment it Clicks, ” If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff “. I love that quote. The bottom line is that capturing God’s creation is at the center of my joy in photography, and I want to see more!
However, I felt thankful Saturday morning as I walked in the glory, that I had not (up until this present time) been a world traveler. I found my heart could not contain the splendor I found in my own backyard. I felt so small and incompetent as I fumbled through my bag, disapproving of each of my lens choices as soon as I placed them on the camera body. It was a humbling experience, as I once again offered up my heart, and my camera to God, and I laid down my need to perform for the approval of others. That is something we artists have to do on a daily, or even hourly basis. Anyway, this is what came of my time in the glory. Thankful for my own piece of ”faraway” that God gave me this weekend just out my back door.
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Post Rain Glory
Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by maryanne.
It rained here all day on Tuesday. I mean rained. It was a down kind of day and I felt in a fog myself, so blah and numb in my spirit. I worked processing photos all day and went to bed just tired to my core. When I awoke yesterday, it was as if someone had turned on a light switch. I walked outside as the sun was just coming through the trees and could hear the previous day’s rain dripping from the trees. It was like grief was dripping off the leaves to reveal the brilliance of light and hope. There is something so magical that happens when water and light meet. I immediately put on my boots, grabbed my camera and two lenses, and headed down to the back pasture. It was like coming home. This is how I spent so many of my mornings in my early journey with photography, talking to God and capturing His glory, as best I could, with my camera. I could feel my spirit breathing and my heart enlarging as I talked with my Creator, telling Him how much I loved the goodness of His creation. He is so unique in how He does things. Amazing how many minute details show up early in the morning as the dew is still clinging to them. Even the little spider webs were visible. Our God is such a God of details.
Yeah, like coming home. It reminds me of this scripture ” weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” ~Psalm 30:5
I hope you enjoy the bits of glory that I was able to capture~
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Bokeh Beauty
Posted on 21. Oct, 2009 by maryanne.
I am in love with bokeh. For non photogs, that is the beautiful blur of colors and circles you get in the background when you shoot with a shallow depth of field. It makes me feel giddy when I see it in my own work, and somewhat jealous when I see it in other people’s work. Like all beautiful bokeh should somehow be mine. Yes, give me a serving of colorful bokeh and a dash of sun flare in my photos and I am happy girl. Recently, I took the plunge and purchased the incredible Canon 50mm 1.2. L lens. The very day I got it I had a senior photo shoot. I was so excited to take it along to see what magic we would find. Not halfway through my shoot, I reached for it from my sweet assistant ( Johnny) and somehow it tumbled onto the rocks. Busted. My heart stopped. Well, what do you do in those situations? I reached for my other lens, and put that one back in my bag. We ended up having a great shoot, but in the back of my mind I knew I had to get that lens repaired and wondered what that would entail.
Well, it’s home now, and is snuggling up nicely with my new Canon 5D mark ll. I couldn’t be happier. I have been dreaming of this set up for about a year now, stalking blog’s like Jenny Sun’s who always shoots wide open and gets more lovely bokeh and warm sun flare than I could ever imagine getting! Of course, it takes more than the right gear to get these desired effects. Jenny is extremely gifted and generous with her talent. You should check her out!
Getting this set up reminds me of a story from my childhood though. When I was about five, I remembering trying and trying to learn to ride my siblings hand-me-down bike. It was old and wobbly. I just couldn’t get it! When I my parents finally purchased a new one, it felt like I was born to ride a bike as I soared down the street with no problems. Sometimes you just need the right equipment. Not always, but sometimes. I am so happy with my new lends and camera. Here are a few pics I have taken in the past couple days since I got it home from Canon. Yay, just yay!
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rain rain go away
Posted on 22. Sep, 2009 by maryanne.
It has been raining here in Atlanta for weeks now. We are breaking all kinds of records and several lives have been lost. It is very hard on everyone, the constant day in and day out of rain, rain, rain. We have also had all kinds of sickness going on in my house, including a stay in the hospital with my youngest last week.
So, I am continuing to stroke the chords of hope and creativity by looking through some of my favorite photos, and happier times. Here are a few more of my favorites. I am hoping to hang some of them as canvasses someday soon. Praying for sunshine…
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some favorites
Posted on 20. Sep, 2009 by maryanne.
I have been thinking a lot lately about my nature photography and how I miss it. I want to get back to it. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE shooting people. People’s spirits mingled with beautiful light is a magical mixture I hope to always capture. However, I do miss this, and need more time for it. I find God in the dew drops, the evening and morning light, and in yellow flowered pastures. He tells me He loves me in these things, and my life and soul are enriched in finding and capturing them. Enjoy some of my faves I recently put together as possible wall canvas ideas.
