The Sun – © copyright Mary Oliver

Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful

than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon

and into the clouds or the hills,
or the rumpled sea,

Cape Cod Sunset (Herring Cove Beach); copyright © reserved 2007-2010, Richard Lovison

and is gone–
and how it slides again

out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world,
like a red flower

Cape Cod Sunrise (Dennis Port); copyright © reserved 2006-2010, Richard Lovison

streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance–
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love–
do you think there is anywhere, in any language,
a word billowing enough
for the pleasure

that fills you,
as the sun
reaches out,
as it warms you

as you stand there,
empty-handed–
or have you too
turned from this world–

or have you too
gone crazy
for power,
for things?

***************************************************************

There are moments, very precious moments that when they happen, burn themselves into the very core of my being… life altering moments. Being presented with a book of poetry by Mary Oliver by the one I love was one of those moments.

I have never been one to be drawn to poetry. For some reason the way the words were usually arranged would cause mental short circuits and then frustration would set in.

This time was different. Immediately upon opening the book and reading the words within I felt at home. There were a number of passages that invoked such intense feelings that I literally cried out in joy and laughter.

I had never seen a sunrise or sunset with an unobstructed horizon before visiting Cape Cod in 2006. I cannot adequately put into words what I felt upon viewing such miracles though I can assure you, I didn’t leave Cape Cod the same person.

I have turned many times from the natural world in my own pursuit of “power and things.” I have weakened the connection though thankfully, never severed it. It’s time to return “home” for good and find my place “in the family of things.”

Thank you Mary.

Nature's Balloon; copyright © reserved 2010, Richard Lovison

I haven’t a clue as to what this is… it was found on the ground during a hike. It is rather fragile as it is dried. The balloon is about twice the size of an acorn and hollow. The overall length from the tip of the stem to the end of the balloon is about 2 inches and the height is around 3/4 on an inch. Any help in its identification would be appreciated.

The photograph is a CombineZP merge of five images taken at 1/2.5 of a second, f5.6, with each successive image having a focus point a bit deeper into the subject. The subject was placed inside a light box with sunlight providing the illumination from the right hand side. The Nik “sunlight” effect was used to warm the light a bit and add the tonal qualities to the foreground and background.

I recently purchased a used Zuiko 50-200mm f2.8-3.5 lens for my E-3. This is not the newer SWD model with the faster focusing though I’m quite pleased with this model’s auto focus speed and the sharpness and speed of the optics. It makes a fine replacement for the consumer grade 40-150mm f3.5-4.5 though it is a bit heavier to carry.

On my way to the town transfer station this morning I brought along my E-3 and 50-200mm to do some photography. I found a field to explore and set off on foot without a tripod. I decided to travel light and try some hand-held exposures using the camera’s built-in image stabilization.

Winter Field 1; copyright © reserved 2010, Richard Lovison

Winter Field 2; copyright © reserved 2010, Richard Lovison

Winter Field 3; copyright © reserved 2010, Richard Lovison

It was a cold morning so there were ice crystals on many of the tree branches and brush. It was a magical walk over snow that looked like it hadn’t been disturbed for weeks.

I have to admit I felt a bit uncomfortable and awkward without my tripod. Using it forces me to think and plan my images and I feel I usually get better compositions than when I hand-hold the camera though the freedom of walking without all the heavy baggage was enjoyable.