![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKeXo6hfmUFXQSc9sRS_cnaryd0AUqgRuHgYuf8MSEF0QhCN6q45gPooRlHiZTxsHn50Hp4HwAYYxkE5JFrXaT3iWMoud_ehAVp0NikTaD64RC6IoN-ULDQAVVta_XfQpUTy4GfWiCmdPPNnd5om8mXZzcYFmvN96OURlsNPRWvYonyWUXQKwHEv9HQ/w640-h426/031823-04.jpg) |
Inside Looking Out |
When I was up on Mt. Tam on my bike the other day I scouted a location my wife's been wanting to paint, checking to see if it's green enough yet. She's painted from the same location a couple other times, years when the hills were more golden, but she's had to postpone capturing the scene in green due to drought-challenged conditions. I sent her a phone snap of the scene, and she decided it was finally a go.
On the way to dropping her off with her easel and paints yesterday, a large madrone caught my interest, and after we parked the car I headed back toward the tree with my camera gear. There were a few tiny flowers blooming on the tips of its sparse, copper-colored branches, but I was drawn to the hollowed-out, fire-scarred section of its trunk.
Every angle I set up on felt like an homage to this resilient old tree. The deep beauty of photography comes when we sense a connection with our subject and feel the bond between ourselves and a fellow living being. Something in the core of our own being harmonizes with the life of another, and it feels like respect. It reminds me of the well-known Henry Beston quote, but extended beyond animals to all of life.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGyVXS_A7qZY1ykQldedxJ3zWEKPfsL6GNEmt5TsMwMR6rPXt5TSFbiO4-o85cX016o7Ye32xSFNRTeJ4AJ5pK0HFSN59O9d0hGjwOPDoanp5ygvTe06_Vc6WfvQdi_UM8UfcoYtdsS0V1mMhYJ6wwX_zvaje2wv_5xLw_ygr0AyP66zqNTWFZtRtxw/w428-h640/031823-23.jpg) |
Madrone Portal |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HkivHv0rdU9tQRGPRVlJyuWdLgVO05utNppZSWhMdEuw3a_Y0gm8PfU5m_1e66UP2mjTpfYBwnTPUjGBnnfUERzqqV58FkBXYduq0MjGNZFDw5X-E6p1wIsV1l_MmvuhTCn3P920T2PTXQY9KwaFFv4SgVffRSc8gs0NmpXAX5x8KmJeZnbeVp_fOA/w640-h426/031823-26.jpg) |
Waves of Time |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_FNMt-NVo8-hmTFdTq9vDX_IcwxoevOMXwcsga_lt3TAAU1FsyVQicMBUQBOl0BXYpGKLIo2vPY5c9oYydWwOhiYEYGBT5nj846d0iHPkWSq-brHOsUBxBdWuJbBb59O2aoq2Nyp8cTEOCYwRKs_PzjLg8GzavdZUdPptBaYPw6CevDk0aCmZ2gTYA/w428-h640/031823-33.jpg) |
Texture & Curves |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DpKfNAvCxuEVzzQUbCCe5Z3MCA--hPxjPr7T5UPHMXmG5InVd2LvMaLCzI_r2tTRcwVr2Sgv4249nPLIIim6kArdKdkv_H9ajhm7kNurNNO-TlfFQuapfTFQsNORbFGY-pjtlJLThwC5PAmdpkq_puY1xZNZCdFCjUqDJaEtUTmJ1awuTIKkNEo2xQ/w428-h640/031823-35.jpg) |
Ancient Strength |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXklvhBAvyuHCnif_0fik-VihVsdrKPAhywuojm1A5ARJK0WMhep8nomHQf5cIDWGJl-8DByVFjzZJr2FkSCH7gzk0qn-bfD_EJvQfzyxTURQjXFaSSbbfRNhBBJ9noVnOMk1rvhVnLu8QoUTb1bKDHJspnU8K5IRXUSD5dLnedxOzXcffEVTTlvy1w/w428-h640/031823-36STK5.jpg) |
Life On The Rock We Call Earth |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaxWtDtT7Dtbf5Zwe5AkrORmhTWD2epyvvBapQgdPqI229e2e4lKXXn8beNkFXk90gO17GR5pkEO7IYC_708y4OdCKZRcjDjGbVRtmdOMWm-EdAjSMaE2lQieOMbTcDV7AI1oxdppi8o1PU0jsMmBcRZGZUr6OeKewYBo9AGhg6gQoTkwxq13nMQhNg/w428-h640/031823-42.jpg) |
Always Reaching Higher |
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