It had been a cloudy day, many miles had been driven though hills and valleys in search of natures beauty. At times the beauty is encompassing but only if the mind allows the eyes to see it. The in between time of summer and autumn. Heat from the dog days had passed and cooler nights were welcoming. The vibrant colors of autumn had not yet begun. As the shadows began to appear the day would ease into night, slowly and with comfort to searching eyes.
Not many images had been laid upon the memory card that sat secured in my camera. One of those days when my mind struggled to understand what I was a willing companion to. Easy to lay claim to an unproductive outing if, and only if I was to stop trying, to stop seeing and stop experiencing all that was around me. This is never the case, I am part of the land, the scene, willing to stop, look and listen. Within times of solitude humility becomes pronounced.
Gentle sounds of wind blown grasses, of distant songbirds searching for comfort fell soft on my mind as distant scenes became clear. In the midst of cloudy confusion one thing became evident. I had experienced a day of grace.
© Brad Mangas
That’s all you needed. I like your crop on this image. It makes it more interesting to me.
Thank you Monte, the full image seemed lost in the space. When I cropped this much more became evident.
There is a certain gracefulness in the curve of the landscape that’s very appealing. Beautiful, actually.
Thank you Ken. It was that curve that initially drew my attention deeper into this image, when I provided this crop to it, it along with the lone tree and fence line became the photograph. Does seem obvious when looking at it but together they just seem to work.
So very well stated Brad! Time spent in nature looking, seeing, experiencing is never wasted and sometimes results in hidden gems! The simplicity and elegance of your image is striking
I am missing the Flint Hills!
Thank you Stephen, it always amazes me how when I chose to just stop, look and listen beauty has a way of showing itself. Kinda like the tortoise and the hare, slow and easy always wins the race. I appreciate you commenting. And yes you should try and make it back to the Flint Hills! Your work always is delighting.