What sparks my fire.

I enjoy spending most of my time outside. Wandering around in the woods, away from all the chaos that people make during everyday life. Places where I can’t hear the vehicles, the slight sound of voices, boats on the water, construction on roadways and homes. Places deep in the woods where (hopefully) it’s just me. I find myself alone…but not so much alone. There are still sounds, instead of them being the noise of humans, they are sounds of the forest. Sounds that would exist even if humans became extinct.

The rivers flow, not stopping for anyone. The birds chirp, no-one there to tell them to quiet down. Rain drops fall onto trees and off the trees, making little creatures on the ground able to quench their thirst even a little. Leaving the forest a tranquil place. All sounds I wish I could fall asleep to every night.

If you stand there for a while with your eyes closed you start to notice more and more.

Pinecones falling from trees, the tiny footsteps of squirrels scurrying around looking for food to save for the winter, the wind blowing through every tree branch while also rustling leaves up from the ground.

Then…You open your eyes and slowly notice all the sounds you stood their listening to.

The river, beautiful colors of deep blue with a tint of green seeming as a turquoise dream floating around anything in its path. The birds, woodpeckers, finches, winter wren, owls, all sitting on branches or flying in the beauty of the landscape. The rain drops splashing from tree limb to tree limb, puddling in leaves or making their way to the forest floor. Let it be first snowfall, everything is in slow-motion as snowflakes float down from the sky, creating a blanket to cover the earth.

These are the moments that inspire my photos. The moments that make me think, this would be a beautiful shot. I have a matter of seconds (sometimes less) to catch a moment in time in order to create a memory that I can ponder over with my eyes forever. These are the moments I have a deep passion for.