Serenity at the Square

Early Reward

As I approached Shallowford Square early on the morning of our recent snowfall, I was surprised to see not a trace of footprints in the beautiful snow around the Square. “Wow,” I thought, “It looks like I’m the first one here.”

Pure, unblemished snow is not only a serene sight, but for me it holds a hint of the sacred. As I made my way around the perimeter of the Square, photographing from various viewpoints, I just couldn’t bring myself to transgress the white beauty. I surely did want to move into the scene and take some close-ups here and there, but I hesitated to mar the perfection before me.

Why not simply enjoy the beauty from afar and allow others to experience the same serene sight? That’s what something deep within urged me to do. So I moved on, leaving the scene as I’d found it — pure and unblemished.

Perhaps on the next snowfall I’ll dare to move in and get the shots I relinquished that morning at the Square. Nevertheless, on that particular day, not violating the serenity at the Square seemed more important than the photos I might have taken.

Photo Gallery

Please visit the Shallowford Square photo gallery to enjoy a few more serene photos of the Square. Any thoughts you’d like to share in the Comment section?

Snow on Conrad Road

Getting Around Town

A beautiful snow had fallen overnight in Lewisville, and I wondered: Just how in the world am I going to get photos along Conrad Road? I wanted so much to photograph the scenic Conrad Road area covered with fresh snow. Yet my little truck was not to be trusted whenever the roads were the slightest bit slick. With no clear answer, I left home on foot — equipped with photo gear — and I headed toward the center of town.

Somewhere along the ever-so-peaceful walk, the answer came to me. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before: Just bum a ride to get to wherever I want to go in Lewisville!

I mean, with two cameras dangling on me, I figured I’d look innocent enough to approaching motorists. And I trusted that I could accurately “size up” my prospective “taxi drivers.” (I was also convinced that kidnappers and other ne’er-do-wells aren’t prone to committing crimes on snowy days!)

“The Tank”

I’d just finished photographing around the old Spaugh House  (discussed in Oh, What a Beautiful Day), and was making my way toward Shallowford Square when I saw “The Tank” coming my way. It was a Hummer — the really big version.

Unexpectedly, the driver of the Hummer, Greg Aaron, brought it to a commanding halt in the middle of the snow-covered road, lowered his window and hollered: “Have you gotten some good shots?” “Yeah, I think so,” I replied. We talked a moment or two about camera gear, and then Greg said the magic words: “I’m headed to Conrad Road to take pictures.”

Before I knew it, I had “volunteered” to go with Greg to Conrad Road! Now, I’m usually not the pushy type — but when it comes to getting good shots, my middle name is “Assertiveness.” Thankfully, Greg is a nice guy, plus he’s a bona fide photo enthusiast who photographs as much as his schedule permits.

A Popular Spot

Of course, Greg and I weren’t the only ones heading to Conrad Road that morning. Numerous vehicles were stopping here and there along the most popular stretch, and folks were stepping out to take pictures of the lovely snowscape.

The everyday beauty of the Conrad Road area is always remarkable to behold. But when covered with snow, its beauty is gloriously magnified. Thanks to Greg Aaron’s hospitality, I was able to capture some of Conrad Road’s snow-covered splendor on a fine, and most memorable, winter morning.

If you’d like to see a few more snow-scene photos of the day, please visit the Conrad Road photo gallery.

Interested in more Conrad Road coverage? CLICK to enjoy more ARTICLES and PHOTOS on Conrad Road.

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

Foggy Morn

Missed Shot?

A heavy fog rolled in as the sun rose over Lewisville one recent morning. Shortly after pulling out of the driveway with camera gear in tow, I came upon a biker making his way through the mist. The biker looked mysterious and lonely in the gray haze, with just a hint of the full, round sun hanging above him.

Within a split second, I was passing the biker while thinking, “What a great shot!” — immediately followed by, “Oh, man! I’m missing this great shot!” as I made the left turn that I’d planned to make. And the biker? He just continued ever so peacefully on his way.

For a moment, I thought about turning around to follow and get ahead of the biker, and then scramble out of my truck to photograph him once he passed by. But honestly, I wasn’t feeling that energetic! Instead, I gave myself permission to skip that pursuit, but only after thinking a minute or two about how I might handle a similar situation in the future.

Surprisingly to me, I drove around for quite a while looking for a foggy scene that said, “Take my picture.” Even on the outskirts of town, where it’s more rural, nothing clicked. I began to be concerned that the fog would fade away before I took a single shot.

Eventual Success

As I drove back into town, I noticed the scene above and decided to stop and explore it. Even though the fog had lifted some, once I looked through the viewfinder, I knew I had a shot.

In preparing the photo for this blog post, I created several variations and selected the above image. But I thought you might like to see the optional shots. Maybe you’ll prefer one of them more. If so, then declare your vote in the Comments section!

And for those of you who live in Lewisville, can you determine the location of the photo? Please leave your comment, if you’ve got an idea. Give it a try! [Hint: It’s somewhere along the main thoroughfare through downtown Lewisville.]
CLICK to see the optional photos.

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