Enough Said
October 20, 2012 * * * * * Posted by: guest blogger 
I WALKED to the lake to photograph the brilliant autumn color. The landscape was on fire with color and I could smell it in the air. The air was clear, crisp, and the sun was yet to rise. I anticipated the revelation to come as the sun rose to begin the illumination. What color would the light be? Would clouds form? How would the leaves reflect the light? What reflections would be revealed? I love the quiet anticipation and the solitude.
It was extraordinary. The sun began to light the northeastern edge of the lake. It spread an exquisite light, which crept across the tree line. The leaves became a luminous paint palette. And there in the reflection of the lake surface was a very unusual shade of salmon. The lake surface was glass. It mirrored the color of the trees hundreds of feet away. I noticed a spent lotus pad and stem bent in an arc on the water’s surface. I focused my lens and composed the shot. How could the beauty have been even more extraordinary in the viewfinder?
I thought about what I had just viewed. I contemplated the question and began to realize the answer was that within the rectangular viewfinder, I was able to hold and, yes, possess that magnificent scene. The ephemeral beauty was mine. It would not last. It was fleeting. The color. The light. The stillness. The serenity. I could visually touch it through the viewfinder. It was my form of intimacy with beauty.
I encountered another person. He was also present to photograph the autumn. We quietly spoke of lenses, tripods, and geese that flew back and forth across the lake. I do not know if he was aware of the remarkable color and scenes in the middle of the lake inlet. I pointed out several birds to him—the grebes, the red-breasted nuthatch call—and the clouds. However, I did not share the single lotus plant or the deep salmon light. These moments are sacred and they cannot be placed into words. The extraordinary cannot be explained by the ordinary.
Soon the dialogue ceased. We enjoyed talking and sharing the same passion, but the solitude took over again. After all, that is why we had come here. We were both drawn to the quiet and the beauty. Enough said.
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Today's guest, Joni James, comes to us from just outside Martinsville, Indiana, and is a naturalist, nature photographer, and environmental educator. Her "essay" is an excerpt from her book, Dancing With Herons: Bearing Witness to Local Natural History. You can find her at Joni L. James Photography and Bearing Witness. Thank you, Joni, for joining us today.
Joni James, Nature, solitude
Reader Comments (16)
Thank you so much for sharing the serenity and the beauty you found in your early morn. I am grateful to have been given this gift.
Ohhhh...I can so relate to this moment you've described here with such vivid clarity in both image and words. I - too - am up and out to witness the sun's rise...soaking in the solitude.
Thank-you for joining us here today Joni and sharing your sacred moment!!!
First of all, Joni, your image reminds me of a Monet painting! What an "extraordinary" view of your moment of solitude. Not too long ago Marcie told us of a similar conversation with a photographer who seemed much more interested in the gizmos and contraptions than in the moment itself. SHE was the one who ended up capturing the magical moment...just as you have done here. So you join the chorus of those who witness the holiness of solitude in Nature.
That viewfinder, btw, is surprising me all the time. It really does give us the chance to hold those fleeting moments of beauty and surprise. Thank you for showing us yours and for joining us here today. Welcome!
How beautifully captured! Solitude, beauty and simply being there. I share your excitement, thank you for reminding me of it as I face into my day here:~)
Thanks for joining us today Joni! Of course this capture made me gasp for breath and I had to immediately jump to your sites to visit and take in more of your captures! Solitude...I love it so and it just can't get any better than in nature! You just shared a moment that is what Vision and Verb is all about! Thank you!
You have described so eloquently that special moment in time that I, too, so enjoy. The beauty. The sacredness. The solitude. And your image, magical.
Thank you for joining us today, Joni. I'm looking forward to visiting your site to enjoy more of your work.
I know just what you mean, have experienced it as well. Your capture brings your words home. t's good to be alive!
I also see an impressionistic painting in your photo, Joni, it's beautiful.
I believe, if we all commenting and writing here stood in a line by the lake and each of us took a photo, they would differ a lot as what we see through a viewfinder seems very personal. It's a wonderful gift to express oneself this way, isn't it?
Gorgeous! Thank you.
It's wonderful the way the reflection in water often paints an even more lovely scene than the actual solid view. It turns it into a watercolor and blends the colors into something new. Thanks for bringing to Vision and Verb a bit of beauty in your photo and words.
I agree with Ginnie this does resemble a Monet painting and you describe perfectly the reason it seemed even more beautiful in the viewfinder...it did not change...You had captured it...Thank you for coming here with us today, Joni :-)
When I first saw your photo, Joni, it took my breath away. What gorgeous colors, the stillness of the lake, the spent lotus - such a beautiful composition. Thank you for sharing this wonderful sacred moment with us.
too beautiful for words:)
-Jennifer
Incredible beauty....thank you so much for sharing this image and your words.
What a beautiful photo and story.... yes, isn't that the magic of photography, that we all see our own version of what lies before us, capturing it in our own way? It sounds like you have a wonderful spot to start from...
Your photo is breathtaking and I love the way you describe the perfect moment that no one else sees. The moment that was there just for you.