Photo Feature: Wild Beauty

0 CommentsWednesday • January 18, 2012 • by Beverly Britton

Nature never hurries. Atom by atom, little by little she achieves her work. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have a reverence for nature. A respect that has grown as I intentionally connect with Mother Earth. Last September I visited the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, doing lots of yoga and daily meditation outdoors, listening to the hummings of the rocky river and taking in all the green. Nature restores, it’s true. It’s something we need to survive, not only enjoy as a pastime. And that is what I mean by reverence.

On one of my walks, camera in hand, a couple lone yellow flowers danced brightly. They might have looked like nothing special to most passers-by, or at the very least blended in delicately with the landscape. But they were calling out to be noticed and photographed.

For the photography buffs, I used my Canon EF f/1.8 50mm portrait lens. It takes amazing portrait shots and allows you to have a wide open aperture, giving you wonderful bokeh (that awesome blurry background) and soft lighting, especially when shooting outdoors in natural light. Then, a few little fun tweaks in Lightroom and we have a lovely blue and white version. I resisted the urge to crop this one. I love the ample space around the flowers. What do you think?