Last week I headed over to a local outfit that rehabilitates hawks, eagles and owls (the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Fl). Â I spent about two hours there and came away seriously impressed with the admirable work accomplished by their volunteers (I’ll share more in a separate blog next week).
After an hour or so there, I noticed a dock at the rear of their compound that extended out into Lake Lotus.  I wandered out to the dock and happened to see a few water lilies blooming along the shoreline.  I’ve always been a sucker for lilies…maybe because I adore the series of paintings that Claude Monet created in the pond behind his home.

So I stopped and took a moment to enjoy the lilies. Â As I stood there daydreaming, I noticed how calm and clear the water was…and how perfect and pristine the lilies were and how nice the light was. Â Well, that was the end of my tranquil moment…the photographer in my head kicked in and the next thing I knew I was calculating angles, f-stops and ISO settings.

I love how photography encourages me to see beauty in the world that I would otherwise miss.
No awe-inspiring landscape vistas in this post.  Just taking a few moments to appreciate one of life’s less appreciated smaller vignettes.
Have a wonderful day,
Jeff
