Re-visiting Past Photos

One of the things that I love about photography is that I keep learning new things. This means that I can go back to images I made in the past and re-edit them in new ways to express my vision of how I feel the image should look.

This week I began working on some images I made last spring and early summer. Not only was it fun to remember making them last year, I loved feeling a breath of spring during this snowy week.

Can you tell I was in an impressionist mood as I worked? I’ve been playing around a lot with selective blurring to create soft impressionistic images. As always flowers and nature are my starting point.

I first found the tree below on a walk at Woodlake Nature Center several years ago. Last spring I went back to see if it was still there. I was hoping to create a better image than I had before. When I went looking for it, there it was—my “heart in the woods.” I love that this image is almost monochrome and I love the graceful curves of the heart-shaped burl in the tree.

Today the snow from this week’s storm began to melt away. The ice-covered pond began to have open water again and I am hopeful that the remainder of the snow will be gone within a few days. I remain hopeful that this was our last snowstorm of the spring and that warmer weather will soon bring spring greens.

Last evening I saw three deer foraging on the far side of the pond and in our neighbor’s yard. They looked so hungry and were finding very little to eat. With the snow covering the ground there was little for them to find. Hopefully today’s melt will uncover more food for them.

When I think about how the wild creatures survive and thrive in our Minnesota weather, I cannot help feeling wonder and compassion. I often think of how difficult it must be at times. My cushy life seems decadent in comparison. Yet there is an abundance of wild creatures all around us, often living “invisibly” in our parks and neighborhoods. I am grateful to live in a such a nature-filled place.

What are you grateful for today?

May you walk in beauty.

ac