One Bright Morning

In the recent post titled Barren Beauty, I featured a photo of Westbend Vineyards from a not-so-typical viewpoint. Of course, in that shot, a tree in the foreground was the primary subject, and the old home place was off in the distance, barely visible. But for the above photo, I moved considerably closer, positioned not far from the small pond that’s below a section of the vineyards and the old home place.

For today’s post, I’ve created several alternative versions of this photo, some of which are radically different. In case you’re “allergic” to radically modified photos, I’ve also prepared a few more mild-mannered versions!

Please continue to the NEXT SECTION to check out the alternative photos. Wherever you fall on the photo spectrum, I hope you’ll find a photo that you particularly like. You may even prefer the above version. Caution: Some of the photos are really different! CLICK to see MORE PHOTOS

Barren Beauty

Vigilance

I continue to be amazed by moments of beauty — beautiful moments that exist even on a seemingly ordinary winter day in a seemingly ordinary small town.

Quite often, though, seeing beauty in the ordinary is not easy. Vigilance is required in order to see through the everydayness of our lives to behold the beauty that’s truly there — whether the beauty is to be found in a landscape, an individual or a concept.

Barrenness

I think I was drawn to the above scene because of the beauty of its barrenness. There is no foliage to cover the tree’s imperfections or the decaying effects of time. The grass and shrubbery around the tree are dormant and brittle. The few leaves still left on the tree are shriveled and barely hanging on.

Yet the tree stands tall in the light, as if willing to be seen for what it is.

Parable

Perhaps the barren tree is a parable of how to live life: Without pretense. Willing to stand in the light and be seen. On a path of growth, despite imperfections and the decaying effects of time. Able to bare one’s soul, despite dormant and brittle circumstances. Hanging onto truth through seasons of doubt.

Be sure to check out other Westbend Vineyards articles featured on this website.

A Man and His Dog

Beautiful Weather

With the weather being spring-like yesterday morning, there seemed to be more folks than usual getting out to enjoy the pleasant outdoors.

There were more children in the playground area at Shallowford Square. More folks walking and jogging around the Square and along the sidewalks of Lewisville’s main thoroughfare. And more dogs and their humans making their rounds together.

I, too, was out and about, photographing within the Township of Lewisville. After a few hours, I decided to head back home once I stopped by the Post Office.

Missy

As I pulled up to the intersection of Shallowford and Williams Roads (at The Oaks Shopping Center), I spotted this beautiful dog, Missy, and her master. They were turning around there and were heading back toward the Square.

I thought, “Hmmm, I’ll have enough time to pick up my mail, park over at the Square and get set up with my long lens to hopefully get some nice shots of those two as they head my way.” They’d be walking toward the sun, so I wouldn’t have to worry about their being in the shadows as they moved in my direction. That seemed like a reasonable plan.

Where’d They Go?

When I soon ended up on the sidewalk with my camera gear, I started walking toward the not-yet visible man and dog. I began to think it was odd that they still hadn’t come into sight.

But as I approached a clearing on my right, I saw Missy and her owner there, and I moved in their direction. Missy was busy stopping to smell here and there in the brush and then moving quickly to new spots. When she saw me, though, her mild-looking demeanor changed. She was clearly not very pleased that I was encroaching on her territory.

An Explanation

Her owner told to me that 14-month-old Missy was headed to the vet next, and he was trying to give her some good exercise before the appointment. He explained that she’d had an unpleasant experience recently that made her leery of strangers. And that was proving to be true with me, as well.

In fact, during the entire time that I photographed the two of them, which included their making several laps around the Square, Missy never let down her guard with me. I could tell she was an intelligent and likable dog. But gaining her trust would take more than yesterday morning’s brief encounter with her.

Perhaps I’ll see Missy again sometime, and we can pick up where we left off. I hope so.

If you’d like to see a few more photos of Missy and her owner, please visit the Man and Dog photo gallery.

High-Test or Regular?

Well, it’s back to Jones Grocery Store on the outskirts of Lewisville, NC! And believe me — there’s so much photographic material at that old store that I could easily work it into at least a month’s worth of blog posts. But I’ll restrain myself and try not to pour it on too thickly! (If you missed the previous posts about Jones Grocery, please check out the Country Store and the Closed for Business posts.)

Second Thoughts

As you can see, I must be feeling under the weather, right? After all, unlike many of my previous photos, this image is not on color steroids! Do I have a fever? Or have I been converted to a life of more traditional photography?

Well, let’s just say I’ve been “convicted” about overdoing it maybe a little too much, and maybe a little too often, when it comes to manipulating or enhancing photos.

Changing My Ways?

I realize that not everyone likes photos that are taken to the extreme end of the color-intensity spectrum. So in order to provide a little more objectivity (at least this one time!), I thought I’d go at today’s post a little differently. If you continue to the NEXT SECTION, you’ll see that we generally proceed from the more traditional to the more modified treatment of the above photo.

I’d like your input on the version that you like best. And do you typically lean more toward a significantly enhanced photo, or more toward a traditional photo?

Kind of like, does your car run better on high-test or regular?!
CLICK to see the enhanced photo options

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