High Hopes
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of our unprecedented global pandemic and the accompanying economic depression is that it puts a brutal chokehold on the hopes and dreams we all lean on to carry us through the day. We just don't know when we will have the freedom to pursue these again!
As a photographer (well, a wanna-be anyway), a lot of mine are built around the freedom to explore and capture our beautiful natural world. To grow my skills and roam ever more boldly in the hopes of capturing the epic and wondrous landscapes around the world. Of course, those wishes were always balanced against the need to perform well in my job (not just that, but to enjoy and be successful in it as well), and to sustain and be there for my family. A delicate balance to fulfillment at the best of times.
But now? I find myself needing to tamp down thinking about the future and try to concentrate fully on the now. I don't know when the next trip will be. I don't know if I'll be able to afford it even when the possibilities arise again. It has caused me to rethink my approach to fulfillment and happiness. To lean on hopes that are too precarious and too distant to power ones daily actions is to try harnessing butterflies. Not going to get you far.
Now I am learning to modulate my expectations and alter my approach to life. Perhaps I had the luxury to count on dreams that could be readily fulfilled. Most of the world does not. In some sense, this pandemic is the great equalizer, we are all captive to the here and now. In many other very real ways of course, it further exacerbates the tremendous inequalities around us, and I am acutely aware of that.But I am also made more aware of the happiness and delight that exist around me every day. Blasting the music while I work on photos. Enjoying the magnificent extended spring weather on my nightly walk. Soaking up the laughter of family games around the table. So much to be grateful for! And a reminder of how much I may have taken for granted in the past. I hope I can take this for an opportunity to slow down and introspect, and maybe to grow up a bit. And one day, one glorious day to look forward to, I'll be back in the mountains breathing in the scent of pine.
So how does all this bullshit relate to the image here? Well, in better times I had an extended business trip in Europe and I decided that instead of hanging around Munich, I'd catch a train to one of the most exotic landscapes on the planet - the Dolomites of Northern Italy. Having seen many glorious images from there I came in with high hopes of capturing something truly exceptional! Nature decided not to play along this time, but instead to gift me with three glorious days of sunshine - and not a single cloud for hundreds of miles. Literally, nothing but blue skies. This was rather disappointing, but I still found it to be an incredible location, and on my last afternoon just before returning to the train station in Bolzano, I found a few clouds around Lago di Carezza (Karersee). They disappeared just before sunset naturally, but it was better than nothing! Unfortunately the lake level was rather low limiting the potential compositions. But it was a magnificent warm spring day and a nice finale to my quick trip through this exquisite landscape.
High Hopes
Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of our unprecedented global pandemic and the accompanying economic depression is that it puts a brutal chokehold on the hopes and dreams we all lean on to carry us through the day. We just don't know when we will have the freedom to pursue these again!
As a photographer (well, a wanna-be anyway), a lot of mine are built around the freedom to explore and capture our beautiful natural world. To grow my skills and roam ever more boldly in the hopes of capturing the epic and wondrous landscapes around the world. Of course, those wishes were always balanced against the need to perform well in my job (not just that, but to enjoy and be successful in it as well), and to sustain and be there for my family. A delicate balance to fulfillment at the best of times.
But now? I find myself needing to tamp down thinking about the future and try to concentrate fully on the now. I don't know when the next trip will be. I don't know if I'll be able to afford it even when the possibilities arise again. It has caused me to rethink my approach to fulfillment and happiness. To lean on hopes that are too precarious and too distant to power ones daily actions is to try harnessing butterflies. Not going to get you far.
Now I am learning to modulate my expectations and alter my approach to life. Perhaps I had the luxury to count on dreams that could be readily fulfilled. Most of the world does not. In some sense, this pandemic is the great equalizer, we are all captive to the here and now. In many other very real ways of course, it further exacerbates the tremendous inequalities around us, and I am acutely aware of that.But I am also made more aware of the happiness and delight that exist around me every day. Blasting the music while I work on photos. Enjoying the magnificent extended spring weather on my nightly walk. Soaking up the laughter of family games around the table. So much to be grateful for! And a reminder of how much I may have taken for granted in the past. I hope I can take this for an opportunity to slow down and introspect, and maybe to grow up a bit. And one day, one glorious day to look forward to, I'll be back in the mountains breathing in the scent of pine.
So how does all this bullshit relate to the image here? Well, in better times I had an extended business trip in Europe and I decided that instead of hanging around Munich, I'd catch a train to one of the most exotic landscapes on the planet - the Dolomites of Northern Italy. Having seen many glorious images from there I came in with high hopes of capturing something truly exceptional! Nature decided not to play along this time, but instead to gift me with three glorious days of sunshine - and not a single cloud for hundreds of miles. Literally, nothing but blue skies. This was rather disappointing, but I still found it to be an incredible location, and on my last afternoon just before returning to the train station in Bolzano, I found a few clouds around Lago di Carezza (Karersee). They disappeared just before sunset naturally, but it was better than nothing! Unfortunately the lake level was rather low limiting the potential compositions. But it was a magnificent warm spring day and a nice finale to my quick trip through this exquisite landscape.