It is truly joyful to watch spring as it bursts over the land of these old mountains of the blue mists. One of my favorite signs of this occurrence, the delicate flowers and leaf tips of the Spicebush, one of the most common understory shrubs of cove-hardwood forests below 2500′. And while intimate landscapes of these settings are beautiful in themselves, some creative camera work in the form of intentional camera movement can often add to the appeal.
A focal length of 34mm, just barely within the bounds of wide -angleland, allowed me to include a substantial angle-of-view of the forest before me. An aperture of f/22 provided depth-of-field; and a shutter speed of 1.0 second at ISO 100 gave me an overall intentionally slightly lighter-than-medium exposure.
The forests of the Southern Appalachians, especially the Smokies, include some of the finest public lands in this country. We are truly blessed with this abundance and it is our great responsibility to preserve and protect them for future generations. I want my grandson to enjoy, understand and value this great common wealth.
Beautiful! I love impressionist music and artwork. Your painterly image makes something by Debussy run through my head!
Howdy Donald. Debussy would be a wonderful accompaniment for this image. I am delighted that it spoke to you in such a powerful way. One of my very favorite photographic artists for many years has been Freeman Patterson and one of my favorite of his many outstanding works is a volume entitled Photo Impressionism and the Subjective Image. Patterson’s work has influenced many photographic artists and this particular book is an excellent discourse in photography as art beyond the objective expression of images. I highly recommend it. Hope all is well in AZ. I’d love to see some of what you’ve been creating. Walk in Beauty.
I must agree with Donald. John O’Donohue wrote about the Beauty of Music, but in the release of the shutter you have given us the Music of Beauty; soft and soothing to the soul.
Thank you Don.
Hey Chuck. It’s always good to hear from you, my Friend. Your words are very kind and thoughtful, and very much appreciated. As much as I refer to O’Donohue’s great works in the quotes I pull to accompany each week’s image announcement, I’m sure it’s quite clear how I feel about his writings. He has gifted us with some of the most wonderful passages on the subject of Beauty that have ever been written. Thanks much for the reference. Stay well and take good care.
Hi, Don. Thanks for the image and the context. While this doesn’t appeal to me, I am fully aware that it is an honest expression of what YOU were perceiving at that time, and that you are generous enough to share that moment with others. I also know that encountering images like this might help me expand my boundaries, so thank you!
Hi Ray. It’s always a pleasure to read your thoughts. Isn’t that just the joy of photography, that we are not uniformly drawn to a particular type of image or expression. How uninspiring the world of photography would be if we were. You might also enjoy the work I cited by Freeman Patterson. Like many forms of art, the more you experience it, the more it appeals, until eventually you find yourself wondering how it the world it could be that you ever thought you did not enjoy it. That is not to say that you will like all photo impressionism any more than you enjoy every expression of objective photographic imagery. And isn’t that exactly the Beauty of all art. Have an excellent week!
Don,
You’ve elegantly captured the ghostly nature of trees dancing. Vivaldi … Delightful!
Ah, Patricia; your kind and concise words are, indeed, music to my ears. Four Seasons: Spring. The forests of the Great Smoky always seem to be dancing to me. Hope 2021 is the year we get to see you. Be well, stay safe.
Thank you all for your delightful insights and comments. Having the opportunity to be in touch with all of you, whether you comment each week or annually, is the highlight of what I do. I sometimes wish we could sit in a circle and talk for hours about the photographic process and the nature of Beauty in photography. What a great time that would be. Eschewing that, our weekly conversations are always a pleasure. Walk in Beauty and have a great week.