Earlier this year I was at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area photographing the amazing migration of snow geese.  Standing next to me was a mom with her little girl, who was taking photos as the thousands upon thousands of geese took to flight from the lake.  Photographers were lined up, many with massive lenses on tripods, all snapping images of the spectacular scene unfolding in front of us.  I overheard the mom ask the little girl to put down her camera and instead, “See with your eyes”.   She explained that this was a time that she wanted her daughter to fully experience and appreciate and not spend that moment trying to take photos.  She wanted her little girl to completely immerse herself in what was happening around her.  I am guilty of putting the photo before the experience and hearing this mom ask her daughter to “See with your eyes” reminded me take a step back, put down the camera, and appreciate fully whatever it is that is before me.  Our memories are like snapshots.  We may not have a digital image to remind us of a moment, but we will always have the memory that we have seen with our eyes.

I always hope for nice clouds on days when I am photographing landscapes or seascapes.  A plain blue or grey sky doesn’t add much interest to a photo.  On this day as I was headed to the lavender farm, the clouds caught my attention all by themselves.  Who doesn’t love watching the clouds and looking for shapes?  These cloud formations remind me of curling waves at the top and foamy sea water at the bottom so I had to photograph them just because.  Maybe I’ll start a new collection of images called “cloudscapes”!

Patriotic holidays are my most favorite holidays of the year!  Kicking off this Independence Day weekend, here is an image from the marina at Lake Nockamixon near Quakertown, Pa.  It was a beautiful blue sky day with a light breeze that caused ripples in the reflections from the boats.  Can you see the American flag reflection that adds to these patriotic colors on the water?