It’s no secret that I read a lot of books in an attempt to enhance my skill as a photographer. Many of these have been written by Harold Davis, one of my favorite authors on things photographic. His latest volume, Creative Garden Photography, is one of his best, if not in fact the very bestContinue reading “Smell the Roses, Then Shoot Them”
Author Archives: Norman Reid
Looking to 2021
For me, goal-setting is a time-honored tradition at the commencement of each new year. I intend to challenge myself to accomplish much this year. I do not intend to let Covid stop me.
Following Dreams, 2021 Style
The transition between the old year and the new is a time long recognized for both looking back at what has passed and forward to what might become. January is appropriately named for the Roman god Janus, the two-faced god who simultaneously looked both to the past and to the future. It is a timeContinue reading “Following Dreams, 2021 Style”
From Waste to Wonderful
One of the most exciting photo books I’ve read recently is Lisa and Tom Cuchara’s Create Fine Art Photographs from Historic Places and Rusty Things. These outstanding photographers, whom we might call denizens of the dusty, frequent abandoned factories, prisons, and asylums among other neglected places in search of creative and often iconic images. InContinue reading “From Waste to Wonderful”
Wise Words for Grown-ups
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the early French long-distance pilot and author, is most famously known for his enduring classic, The Little Prince. But he wrote many other books, mostly drawn from his flight experiences in Africa, South America, and during World War II, when he ultimately died during a reconnaissance flight. The Little Prince is famousContinue reading “Wise Words for Grown-ups”
Birth of an Elephant
The opportunity to safari in Kenya was a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see and photograph big-game animals in their native habitat. Early on our first morning out in the Land Rovers, we chanced upon a herd of elephants in a state of considerable excitement. During the night a baby elephant had been born to a youngContinue reading “Birth of an Elephant”
For the Love of Trains
There’s something about a train that’s hard not to love. Many of their features are worth noting, but to my way of thinking, it’s the wheels that are most iconic. This is especially true for the drive wheels of steam locomotives. They were, after all, the motive power that moved heavy loads across miles ofContinue reading “For the Love of Trains”
Ode to a Bookend
Now the lion roars in silence Haunting phrases bound in covers, Mane on paws unsharpened resting, Stoic stillness never broken. Solidly he lies in waiting, Words unseeing, deaf to meaning, Yet in majesty he lives, Bringing joy to one who watches. Will that one the words uncover, Will the lessons he discover, OrContinue reading “Ode to a Bookend”
Fostering Creativity
Creativity is more than something that just “happens.” It is something that can be fostered through the hard work of preparation and experimentation.
A Time to Give Back
As it is said in Ecclesiastes 3, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven, . . .” In my life, it is now the time to give back. I will do so by serving on the board of my local community services agency, whose services include mental health, substance abuse, and support for children, youth and the aging.