Back in the saddle again

OK, so it's been a long time since I updated my photo blog. I have no excuses.

I mean, I've been thinking about it for a very long time. I guess I just got busy with other stuff, the full-time j-o-b, etc. I'm going to try to keep this more up to date from now on. I know I've said that before, but this time I really mean in (I hope).

Since it's spring in Texas, here's the obligatory image of bluebonnets. the state flower of Texas. I know, just about every photographer (or guy/gal with camera) shoots bluebonnets in the spring. This is actually from last year's crop, shot for a photo spread for the paper I entitled "Spring In Miniature."

This particular patch of bluebonnets is in the cemetery at the historic Old North Church, one of the earliest churches in Nacogdoches County, located north of Nacogdoches on Highway 59. I shot this on a somewhat overcast day, using a pair of off-camera strobes either side of the flowers to punch up the color and give a bit of separation from the background.

I've always enjoyed nature photography. If I had my dream job, all I'd do is travel around, following the seasons, shooting nature and macro photographs. Unfortunately, I've gotten used to eating regularly, so I do the full-time gig with the newspaper.

But I still like to keep my hand in with my macro photography. There's something satisfying about taking a look at something we see every day in a way most people don't see it. Getting down on the ground and up close to a flower opens up a whole new world. And it's a world most people don't take the time to notice.

For most, bluebonnets (heck, any flower) is viewed as a pretty blob of color, hundreds or thousands of blobs, in the case of wildflowers. And they're usually seen out of the corner of the eye while driving down county roads or along highways, brief glimpses of red, blue, purple or yellow as they flash past at 70 mph.

But taking the time to get up close frees the mind, for me at least. Taking the time to peek beyond the normal, every day vision is refreshing. I'd advise taking the time to look at the world under our feet.