Whispers and Lake Shadows

Glory Sky

Night Rhythms

Dusk

Twilight Solace

Burnished

WHISPERS AND LAKE SHADOWS

A passing loon cuts a wide swath across the lake, shining more smooth and white-silver in the expanse.

Water glows in sparkling, vast ribbons here, shimmers in tiny fish-scale patches there, moves in undulating bands of black in other places.

Where does the shimmer begin? ...Or the glow end? There are merging points invisible to me; forces incomprehensible to me; power hidden from me yet apparent by its echoes and traces.

I am not a holy person but I am surrounded by the Holy. I rejoice in my smallness and ignorance, glad that the Largess of the universe holds a place for me.

Are all these etchings of wind, current, deep-water spring, and journey, the realm of the snapping turtle and the silent bass who glides under the dock? Or do they hold a note of truth for me, as well?

--Poem c Lynda Lehmann 2010

All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission by Lynda Lehmann, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my primary art site www.lyndalehmann.com if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art.

Sibilant Songs of the Shoreline: Surf, Shells, Seagulls, Sand, and Sky

Early Bird - Image c Lynda Lehmann 2010

Winging It - Image c Lynda Lehmann 2010

Feeding Time - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Alone Among Strangers - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Anticipation - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Blue Sky, Blue Water - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Nested in the Sand - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Gull Walk - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Beach Baubles - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Inevitable Beauty - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

What's sibilant at the seashore? The hissing of the foaming surf, the shrill screeching of gulls, the satisfying intervals of silence and solitude.

Okay, you've got me. The words I've used to DESCRIBE those natural phenomena are instances of sibilance, whereas the phenomena themselves, are not.

Nevertheless, every time I go to the beach with my camera, nature reveals her little secrets to me, sights and sounds and smells (there I go again) that fill me with joy. It seems that by looking through my camera lens, I've made a pact with beauty. Each time I see more than the time before. No exotic foreign scenes, just everyday sights of the shoreline. Each time, I feel so rich and enriched: my cup of beauty is full again!

I see the entire animal kingdom in the clannish squawking chatter of the gulls, moving mostly in unison against the waves, in vigilant outlook for their next meal. I see the cosmos in a brightly colored scattering of shells, the treasures of ages in a golden, iridescent conch half buried in the sand.

It's an addiction. Framing an image in your viewfinder or LCD screen can do two things. It can actually insulate you from the walking/hiking experience because you loose yourself in the intention of getting satisfying photographs to document the experience you're only HALF having, lol....

Or, by the concentration of your focus on aspects and segments of the surrounding environment, you actually sense and see MORE of it! Most of the time it's a wash (no pun intended) and what I lose in the directness of the experience, I'm compensating for by the poignant visual moments--those shining little moments of thrilling epiphany--in which I entirely lose myself. Nature spins its magic around me and I'm in FLOW for as long as I go with it.

At one point I had hundreds of gulls taking wing around me--and for a moment I was immersed in a universe of fluttering wings whose "whooshing" sound filled the beach and drowned out the crashing of waves and the hiss of sea-foam. (As you can imagine, I was immensely grateful that none of them dropped on me...)

I watched in awe (through my lens) as one sedate gull was knocked over backwards by a wave. He had to use his wings to straighten himself and scramble back into his sitting position. If a gull can look surprised and flustered, I think he did! But maybe I'm anthropomorphizing too much....

I've been carrying my tripod lately. It becomes quite heavy to lug over long distances on sand or muddy trails. But it's worth the benefit of better photo quality--and I'm finally training myself to carrying it religiously. I've been shooting at narrow apertures, as small as F 11 and even F 16 on sunny days, to facilitate depth of field. Although JPG noise continues to be a problem, even when I use a noise filter in the processing.

Here are a few of the many images I shot the other day. My favorite shots are "Anticipation," "Nested in the Sand" and "Blue Sky, Blue Water." My greatest joy is finding beauty and tranquility in everyday scenes, including local beaches and parks. Most of us are fortunate enough to have a park, or a stretch of forest, or a garden, somewhere nearby. Do you have a favorite sanctuary where you habitually go to find natural beauty and peace?

NOTE: I would like to thank all those of you who voted for my photo in the Newsday photo contest. I believe the winner had literally thousands of votes, and was a shot of a child hugging a marine mammal. I haven't been able to find it again to verify this, but it was an adorable and heartwarming photo, well deserving of the votes.

All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Harmony

Just like the complementary colors (magenta and green) in the quietly unfolding leaves of this beautiful plant, the human soul is capable of great harmony. In a meditative state of mind, peace and affirmation may become as real and present as the unassuming, quiet glory of this foliage. Image c Lynda Lehmann.

All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Enchanted Forest in Sierra Club's "Daily Ray of Hope" Feature

My photo "Enchanted Forest" is being used in today's Sierra Club "Daily Ray of Hope," along with the following quote from Sandra Day O'Connor:

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.

This beautiful ornamental kale caught my eye late one early-winter afternoon when my husband and I were on our way to meet friends for dinner. Since my husband cannot stand to be late, I had to hustle to take this shot. It was one of those lucky times when I just happened to have my camera with me.

The kale, in a planter outside a store downtown, was so delicate and just glowing in the afternoon light. I felt I HAD to move up close on it. Looking through its leafy arms was like looking into an enchanted forest.

My thanks to Cara at Sierra Club for using my image. I love nature and want to see it preserved, so I'm very happy with this kind of usage (with my permission) of my photos!

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My thanks also to Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage for the gorgeous set of cards and envelopes she gifted me with! Here's the pomegranate photo she sent, which I had admired on one of her posts.

All her photos are beautiful, and her site looks just great. If you haven't visited Cindy, go on over for a look at her work and to read about her gardening and kitty escapades! Her love for nature and life come through in everything she does.

If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Last Light: A Spiritual Twilight

An inspiring and incredibly beautiful sunset, seen from the middle of a lake in southern Maine, near Sebago Lake. Image c Lynda Lehmann.

I haven't had much time to post or make the rounds this past six weeks, but hope to make up for lost time! I'll be starting a series of posts called "Forest Views & Roadside Ramblings," just as soon as I can get around to it. I hope you're all having a great summer!


Image c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can buy my prints plain, or matted and framed.

Scenic Nature-Zen and a Study in Opposites: Spray and Stone

Sparkling River Gems - Image c 2008 Lynda Lehmann

Pebbles glisten in the froth and foam of this energetic stream, while the foam changes pace and pattern to rim the rocks in festoons of white bubbles.

Dazzled by the Sparkling Stream - Image c 2008 Lynda Lehmann


These girls wade into the clear, cold water pouring out of the White Mountains into Diana's Baths, a scenic and serene spot in eastern New Hampshire. I feel they must be as fascinated by the glimmer and colors of the rocks sparkling beneath the waters rippling surface, as I am. Nature welcomes them into this beautiful and pristine pool among the boulders.

Dance Over Boulders - Image c 2008 Lynda Lehmann

This boy's smile and lithe step say a lot about his sense of joy and discovery at this beautiful scenic spot on a New Hampshire river. His stance is graceful and puts him in a visual harmony with the curve and flow of the boulders.

Spray and Stone - Image c 2008 Lynda Lehmann

Also taken at Diana's Baths in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, this shot is one of contrasts: between light and shadow; the delicateness of the spray and solidity of the stone; between what is ephemeral (the water's flow) and what is enduring (the mass and steadfastness of the boulders.) It is also a study in textures and the more subtle colors of nature's palette.

Thanks for sharing the joy of nature with me!

Images and text c Lynda Lehmann. You can buy these prints in several sizes, on a variety of papers or framed, at my Imagekind gallery or Artist Rising. The links to these and my other sites are in my sidebar.

Serendipity: The Unexpected Beauty of Peach-Colored Irises and Pink Peonies

Precious Peony - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Peachy Petals - Image c Lynda Lehmann

I had the pleasure of finding these blooms on a recent walk. Some days I find only spent or wilted flowers, but this past Monday, my luck was good. I felt blessed to encounter these lush specimens at the peak of their glory! I shot with a small aperture for depth of field, because of the depth of the blossoms. Hope you enjoy them!

I'd like to dedicate them to Janice Thompson at Drinking the Moon. Janice is bedridden with a bad bout of arthritis. I'm sure she'd love to have our visits to her blog to see her lovely poetry and nature images, and that would cheer her a little when she's able to get up. I hope you feel better soon, Janice!

I'll be busy building a cabin into a house this summer, with my husband, so you'll probably see less of me here on the blogosphere. But I'll try to post and comment, although maybe less often. I couldn't resist posting these beauties today. Now why doesn't MY garden look like this?

Poised in Perfection - Image c Lynda Lehmann

Images c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind .

Sky Blue Universe

View From the Jetty on a Pristine Day -c 2008 Lynda Lehmann

Sky Blue Universe

sunlight bends to grasp and hold
far regions bound to earth.
horizon ties heaven, land, and sea,
the universe-continuum
whose color is the sky.

waters, skies, pass days to nights.
boulders massive, algae slight
bind all to One
grand cycle, play, and song,
transforming dark to light.

- Text and image c Lynda Lehmann 2008


Image c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind.

Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere....

I try to walk every day that weather and time permit. With each walk I enjoy the air, the sunlight, and views of hills and trees. Our neighborhood looks out at a harbor and Long Island Sound, as so many North Shore neighborhoods do, and the glint of water is never far away. I always come home feeling great, having imbibed in a bit of air and exercise, and lots of beauty.

What makes my walks really special is when I remember to take my camera along. Right now I have a SONY digital-SLR and it's a bit heavy. But it's worth the work of toting it in the hope of grabbing some good nature or garden shots as I go. Sometimes I take my monopod, but that gets in the way at least as often as it's helpful. I'm sure that one of these days I'll trip on it outright, and go flying down one of the steep hills here, camera still in hand. Be that as it may, every find of a beautiful object or scene is a gift, and if I manage to get a decent photo of it, the gift keeps giving. I feel very rich to have my passion fulfilled and the camera putting so much joy in my life, on a regular basis.

All the above shots except for the purple and white orchids were taken just in the past three days, as I labored up and down the hills of my small town, searching for window pots and hedgerows close enough to the street to photograph. I hope you enjoy them, as I'm enjoying sharing them with you!

All the above images are or will be available at Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or you can buy them framed at Imagekind, should you be interested in purchasing them.

Spring Flame

I'm uploading this image to wish you all a happy and bright spring! We passed the most beautiful flowers hanging in window pots outside a local Long Island restaurant today, and I shot them in spite of a stiff and maddening wind. I manipulated this one in Photoshop, repeating a single blossom to make the composition.

It was my first day out since last Tuesday. Seems I had a little bout of flu, and now I have to catch up on all your posts! I hope you've had a better week than I did, although all things considered, I have nothing to complain about. Happy spring!!

Image c Lynda Lehmann. If you are interested in purchasing this image or any of my art, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography. Or you can buy it framed at Imagekind.