krnaturalphoto's Blog 
As we age, if we are doing this life thing right we grow and we change, hopefully for the better, over the years. Our interests, beliefs, and values might change. The things we enjoy change. We develop new passions and some things maybe fall aside.
When I was in college I thought my real interest was in psychology. But that interest could only thrive in an academic setting. Then I discovered photography and that passion bloomed and grew for years. Photography began to encompass everything else I loved as well. Nature, hiking, dogs, wildlife, and even running once I found that sport.
Over the last few years I had begun to think that my true passion had shifted from photography to running. There was a lot I loved about running. And one of those things I loved about it is it felt like something that I was in complete control over. I could pursue it as hard or as softly as I liked. Choose big goals and go for it. And I could make those things happen. Whereas it felt like to a large degree the bigger the goals I chose to pursue in photography the more of it was out of my control. And that was just a drain.
I don’t love running simply for running’s sake. There are a lot of qualifiers that really make the act of running connect for me. For example getting on a treadmill and running does nothing for me and I kind of hate it.
But just focusing on the simple act of creating photography with nothing else in mind. That energizes me.
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I have been struggling a lot to create any photography this winter. I can’t remember the last time I photographed anything. I don’t know if it just the times we are living in getting me down. Or that I have just been too distracted and unfocused. Allowing the flow of social media to wash over me. Or maybe I am trying too hard to find “balance” by spending a little bit of time on all the different aspects of life I enjoy.
The challenge is photography takes some level of commitment. It takes time. Photography requires focus. And when you are unfocused and noncommittal then photography falls away.
At the encouragement of my wife I took a day to go out and focus on photography.
I have had so little energy and enthusiasm for photography that even after adding a new lens to my toolkit I hadn’t even taken it out of its box let alone used it. So, this would be the primary focus of a day out creating photography. Explore the world with this new tool. See what types of images I could create. And also maybe do a little more traditional waterfall photography as well. (I just can’t help myself)
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“He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world’s believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1785
Follow this path into the sunset at one of my favorite local parks: Sunset at Sperr Park during winter.
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“The deadliest enemies of nations are not their foreign foes; they always dwell within their borders. … The nation blessed above all nations is she in whom the civic genius of the people does the saving day by day, by acts without external picturesqueness; by speaking, writing, voting reasonably; by smiting corruption swiftly; by good temper between parties; by the people knowing true men when they see them, and preferring them as leaders to rabid partisans or empty quacks.” – William James
This is nothing compared to the ice contained in a mighty glacier: Calving Glacier in Alaska.
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“Although the job of a Congressman involves several different roles, the main ones are as representative and legislator. As a representative, a member serves as an agent for his constituents, ensuring that their views are heard in Congress and that they are treated fairly by federal bureaucrats and other public officials. As a legislator, a member participates in the lawmaking process by drafting bills and amendments, engaging in debate, and attempting to build a consensus necessary to address our nation’s problems. Fulfilling these roles may sound easy, but can be enormously difficult.” – Lee Hamilton
If winter is your thing then check out this very different winter photo: Peering through icicles at Seneca Lake.
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“For twelve years this Nation was afflicted with hear-nothing, see-nothing, do-nothing government. The nation looked to government but the government looked away. Nine mocking years with the golden calf and three long years of the scourge! Nine crazy years at the ticker and three long years in the breadlines! Nine mad years of mirage and three long years of despair! Powerful influences strive today to restore that kind of government with its doctrine that that government is best which is most indifferent. For nearly four years you have had an administration which instead of twirling its thumbs has rolled up its sleeves. We will keep our sleeves rolled up. We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering. They had begun to consider the government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
If like winter scenes click the link for a beautiful phot of a frozen lake in NY. Frozen Canandaigua Lake.
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When I first got into photography I imagined photographing majestic creatures. Bears, mountain lions, moose and similar animals. I was inspired by the types of stunning imagery you see in National Geographic.
And while I have been fortunate enough to se and photograph a few of those types of animals on occasion they do not make up the bulk of my wildlife photography. The real key is to come to appreciate the common and the underrepresented.
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Normally one of the activities I participate in most over the course of the year is running and I do a fair amount of running races. And then I like to write about it and I do a big recap at the end of the year about all my running adventures. Well this year I did much less running than normal due to an IT band issue. I only participated in two Running events and I only did any running in one of them. So, what in the world would I do with myself if I couldn’t run?
Enter cycling. I had been gradually getting more into cycling thanks to a running friend who also rides and does triathlons. My friend connected me with a someone who had this idea to ride around each of the 11 Finger Lakes over the spring and summer. This idea became the focus of my year. Initially I was planning to fit it into the background of my running plans during the spring because of events I had planned, but post injury it became my main focus.
Having one thing make up a major part of one’s identity can be a tricky high-wire to walk. And this has been happening for me progressively for running. Running is the main way I move my body and it is the main way I connect with other people.
Over the years I have been open to more different things in running. And as I have endured injury I have become more open to other activities in general. This had me primed for a boom in cycling this year.
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I don’t know if it good or bad that my favorite photos are both images that I created quite some time ago now. But at least that means I don’t have recency bias.
Part of the reason I like the first image from Lucifer’s crossing is that it required a lot of work to create that one image. I had to be on location to capture the photographs in the first place. Then review them and recognize what I could actually do with them. This image is a composite image created by combining 7 different images.
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How did I even get here? Well, ever since I became interested in endurance sports in the form of running I have been pursuing challenge. Maybe pursuing challenge is what I have always doing in all aspects of my life, but it has become increasingly obvious since I found running.
First running at all was a challenge. Then run a 5k. 5k became 10k. 10k became a half marathon. Became faster half marathons. Became trail running. Trail running introduced the concept of ultramarathon. 50k, 50 miles, 100 miles. I continued to challenge myself.
Then injury entered my life. Injury through me into cycling more than I ever had anticipated. I had only dabbled until recently. But when I could not run, but I could ride my bike and I went for it.
I would ride longer and longer distances. Then a friend said let’s ride around each of the 11 Finger Lakes in New York. A challenge that would challenge me and build me up to the point where I rode 100 miles. I did not see this coming. But I absolutely loved these bike adventures.
Along the way of this cycling journey the past few years I discovered gravel biking. This year I bought a gravel bike and began to dabble in that aspect of the sport. Gravel biking for me is the same as trail running. I love running period but I would prefer to always be trail running. And cycling is going the same way. I love riding and road riding is where most of my miles are because of convenience, but I would aspire to always be riding on a dirt road or a trail somewhere.
After visiting the local bike shop repeatedly I saw their advertisement for a race series they were a part of. It was all on gravel and dirt roads. It caught my interest. Cameron Crusher was up next. The final race of the series in October.
