“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
~ Leonardo da Vinci ~
Warwick, NY (GoPro in chest harness & iPhone)
Life is simple…
At least it should be. Lord knows humans can complicate matters beyond imagination. The mundane morphs into difficult and challenging becomes impossible. If we stay out of our own way and keep it simple (ahhh - there’s that word again), it should be easy.
E.B. White sums it up best in Charlotte’s Web… “After all, what is life anyway? We’re born, we live a little while and we die.” This is brilliantly stated as we’re not on planet earth very long.
Considering we all enter & exit this glorious world in the same manner, the defining moments come in the middle. This is where we blaze our own frontier, light the world on fire and hopefully, don’t offend anyone along the way.
Ironically, this ‘live a little while’ section is also the time when our legacy (if any) starts to develop. If we dig a little deeper; our occupation is usually not our calling card in life. Sad, but oh so true… rather, it’s what we do on our personal time that shines the light on who we are (i.e. coach, volunteer, charity, musician, photographer, etc.)
It’s the rare person who finds their destiny early in life and makes it their occupation. It happens… but, it’s not common. For everyone else, our true passions are revealed on weekends/holidays/vacations. I can only speak for myself, but I probably won’t be remembered as the guy who worked in finance for 30+ years. More than likely, I’ll be mentioned as the passionate skier who loved the mountains and took an endless amount of photographs along the way.
Reflexions of Fall - Rockland Lake, NY
Speaking of which… let’s discuss photography for a New York minute. It doesn’t have to be complicated either. Photographers follow the ‘Exposure Triangle’ and dial in light sensitivity (ISO), shutter speed and aperture. Once we find our desired settings… i.e. instruct the camera of our intentions… we then add our own creativity to the mix.
It’s a Brand New Day… Congers Lake, NY
The challenge comes into play as we attempt to silence the noise and declutter our minds. Clearing mental clutter can reduce stress levels, sharpen our focus and lead to enhanced creativity.
Fall foliage is a blissful time of year for photographers in the New York region and a great time to embrace the silence. Playing in the colorful array of maple, oaks and birch trees can allow individuals to be more in tune with their surroundings, notice the nuances of nature and channel their emotions and experiences into their photography.
As we find the imagery that brings us joy and satisfaction, we can dismiss the illusion of photography being a popularity contest sanctioned by social media rules: likes, emojis, comments or shares. Our inner voice will have the final say on the quality of our image… nobody else. It’s not always a good or bad result, as plenty of variation exists to appease your creativity.
A Moment In Time - Congers, NY