Art that is Inspirational, Motivational, Transformational. Subscribe to my free weekly Newsletter.
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December 4th, 2024
BEYOND THE SUNSET
A while back, l was feeling quite sad about Adam being gone from my life, even after 26 years. And I told God about it, not complaining or asking the "why?!?" questions. I just let God know how much I miss my son.
His response was a beautiful and gentle reminder of where Adam is today, in Heaven with Jesus.
You see, Adam was a pilot of airplanes. It's all he ever wanted to accomplish in life, and mastering the trumpet, which he did (both) by the age of 17.
He made me so proud!
Of his accomplishments, for sure. But it was his character and his faith in Jesus that crowned my head.
One of his favorite Christian hymns was "Beyond the Sunset." It was my mom's favorite, too. I sang it to her on her death bed back in 2021. She was 98 years old.
I've sung that old hymn a thousand times in church services, finding myself a bit closer to Heaven each time, as I age. I'm 73 at this writing.
Well, shortly after making my feelings known to God that day, He responded with a miracle message, and quickly I might add.
I captured it all with my camera from the balcony of my apartment. Adam... Flying his plane (symbolically) ... Over the Cross... Toward the sunset.
I am comforted by the scene, and I revisit this image on days of sad remembrance.
Miracles come in a wide variety of experiences.
Peace to you.
November 12th, 2024
The main theme of my BLOG is discovery of Hidden Beauty in life.
Whether it’s photography, poetry, architecture, music, looking and sometimes listening deeper you’ll open yourself to a whole new world of discovery and wonder.
That’s finding the Hidden Beauty within all things in life and nature. This week's topic is finding Hidden Beauty in a form of photography called Intentional Camera Movement, or ICM for short. Using some old electrical wires and photographing it using ICM reveals a Hidden Beauty in the composition, as depicted in the image on the left.
I use this form of photographic art that requires me to ‘break the rules’ when capturing an image. Using lens stabilizers, pillows, tripods can aid us in keeping our camera still so we can capture a nice sharp image. And most of the time that’s what we want. But in ICM photography, Intentional Camera Movement we are intentionally moving the camera around to capture something new, wonderous… Hidden Beauty.
So, go ahead. Break the rules!
Moving the camera while capturing an image allows the photographic artist to discover, to find the Hidden Beauty within.
“Moments in Time” is often used to describe the art of photography. Capturing ‘Moments in Time’ with a portrait, a bird in flight, a sunset, or even a bunch of electrical wires.
Huh! A bunch of electrical wires?!? Yes! And this form of discovery is something new, at least to me, where I have discovered the wonderous Hidden Beauty within it.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I simply don’t have the space to use that many words for you to understand what I’m going on about. So, perhaps a short visit to my website is in order.
Here’s where to go to see what I’m talking about:
1. Go to www.marktriplett.com
2. Click on the “Collections” tab at the top of the screen.
3. Scroll down to “ICM Colored Wires” and click on the image to open the collection.
View our Collection of ICM Colored Wires images here.
Images 2000-2024 All rights reserved.
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November 12th, 2024
CHASING RAINBOWS
Have you ever heard the saying, “You’re just chasing rainbows.” Well, chasing rainbows is more than just a whimsical pursuit; it's a journey that invites us to explore the depths of our own aspirations and dreams. But where do we start? The answer might surprise you: often it is right in our own back yard. I’ve learned that all-too-often we overlook the Hidden Beauty and potential that lies just outside our own backdoor, or down the block.
Why chase rainbows? Because they symbolize hope, promise, and the vibrancy of life, finding the Hidden Beauty, just waiting to be discovered. When we take a moment to stop, look, and listen, we open ourselves up to receive inspiration from our surroundings, whether far or near. This practice not only nurtures our creativity but also allows us to grow closer to our dreams and desires.
So how do we embark on such an adventure? Begin by immersing yourself in nature—whether it’s capturing fall colors through photography or simply taking closeup photos of seemingly insignificant subjects. Paying attention to the little things, the Hidden Beauty in all things often holds the keys to unlocking your deepest hopes and wildest aspirations. And they may surprise you, potentially offering some Inspiration, Motivation and even Transformation into your life.
Back in mid-October, at the height of the Fall Colors season, my wife and I went out “Chasing Rainbows” of a sort; Fall Colors. We ventured out to capture the grandeur and majesty of Nature’s best. Our ‘Chasing Rainbows’ in Eastern Wisconsin was to relish in the fall color display promised by the color maps provided by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
In Minnesota they actually have a published a Rainbow Routes guide. (https://driftlessareamag.com/unicdn/what-is-the-driftless/)
So, this year we traveled to eastern Wisconsin, not too far from home. It was a four-day trip operating from one base location in Eau Claire, WI. Our daytrips were different each day, as we chased the rainbows of fall colors in fields and forest and small towns in the Driftless Area of SE Wisconsin.
Capturing our photo treasures in camera is a bonus, one we can return to enjoy and share stories about with others. But we fell a bit short for such an investment in time and expense. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we did see some nice areas, we met many fine people, and discovered many ‘new’ places to visit for fun. But the photography fell short of my expectations. I wondered, “Why did I choose THIS location, at THIS time?” Was I just Chasing Rainbows?
A few weeks after returning home from our trip we started getting weather usually not associated with ‘Chasing Rainbows’ and Fall Colors displayed in Nature. The season had changed and quickly. But even though November brings cold rain, wind and heavy fog to be the norm, I still felt the pull to chase one more rainbow – foggy scenes.
And I was rewarded with a few images not a mile away from our home. One along the road just a block from home, more about a half mile away. The act of ‘Chasing Rainbows’ was diminished, and my actions were more motivated by ‘Seeking Adventure’ and I was not cheated.
When should you start your journey? The answer is now! There’s no better time than today to begin chasing your own rainbows, your own adventures. Embrace the process, let go of expectations, and allow yourself the freedom to dream big. Your backyard, your neighborhood holds endless possibilities; all you have to do is look for them! Oh, and don’t forget to bring your camera!
Be Inspired!
~ Mark
Here’s a link to my “Chasing Rainbows” Collection page – Enjoy!
https://marktriplett.com/collections/chasing+rainbows+fall+colors
https://marktriplett.com/collections/autumn+color
Images 2000-2024 All rights reserved.
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~ ~ ~
John Mellencamp’s “Chasing Rainbows”
(Lyrics below the YouTube link for his song)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMUpq8fIXKw
John Mellencamp "Chasing Rainbows"
Chasing Rainbows
A long, long time ago
When I used to chase rainbows
I thought there was a pot of gold
When I got to the end
But there were many people there
And I said, "What are you doing here?"
They said they were looking for the end of the rainbow
At the end of the rainbow
Turns out it's not somewhere
Look around, it's everywhere
For anyone who cares
This world is full of fancy dreams
And money can get you anything
But that's not really true
It's just make-believe
As you walk down the streets of broken dreams
Where some have lost everything
While others are still looking for
That easy pot of gold
At the end of the rainbow
Turns out it's not somewhere
Look around, it's everywhere
For anyone who cares
Some people will go to any means
To capture a shallow dream
In this world of make-believe
That we all believe is true
When you get there, there's no place to go
Just a lot of I-told-you-so's
So, take this love with you when you go
To the end of the rainbow
At the end of the rainbow
Turns out it's not somewhere
Look around, it's everywhere
For anyone who cares
At the end of the rainbow
Turns out it's not somewhere
Look around, it's everywhere
For anyone who cares
Songwriter: John Mellencamp
Chasing Rainbows lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
September 2nd, 2024
The main theme of my BLOG is discovery of Hidden Beauty in life.
Whether it’s photography, poetry, architecture, music, looking and sometimes listening deeper you’ll open yourself to a whole new world of discovery and wonder.
That’s finding the Hidden Beauty within all things in life and nature. This week's topic is finding Hidden Beauty in the nature of light, specifically polarized light when passed through ice, as depicted in the image on the left.
When using a polarized filter on my camera, I'm able to witness the Hidden Beauty of light in ice crystals - frozen water. The results are amazing and never ending. (There's more in my Collections on my website.)
There are a couple of different methods of capturing the Hidden Beauty of light in ice crystals. One is to use a polarized filter on the front of your lens and photograph light reflecting off the surface of ice that is suspended just above water (like in a pond or a puddle). The water is liquid just below the frozen top layer and when light passes through the ice and is reflected off the water, the light then passes through the polarized filter on the lens to product a rainbow effect.
A second method can be done right in your own kitchen. Place a thin (1/4 inch) layer of water in a flat pan or plate. Freeze the water and remove it from the pan or plate, putting it on an elevated platform on your kitchen counter. I use a flat bottom pan for my light to sit. On top of the light source is a polarized sheet or even a polarized lens filter. With the light on, shining through the polarized filter, the ice is placed above the light source to receive the light from below. When it’s all set up, photograph the Hidden Beauty in your Birefringence of ice.
View our Collection of Birefringence Images here.
Images 2000-2024 All rights reserved.
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September 2nd, 2024
Linda and I have been accepted into the 2024-2025 Art Exhibit at the Minnesota Zoo, in cooperation with the Hanifl Arts Foundation.
This is our first art exhibit, and we are very excited! We've not had much luck with Gallery Exhibits as the competition is fierce and space limited to but a few artists of all genres.
Our hopes are quite high.
Hope is a great thing! "Overall, hope is beneficial to our well-being. Hope encourages us to persist, even though we may be facing setbacks. Hopeful individuals are more likely to frame difficulties as challenges, rather than threats. This enables them to experience setbacks as less stressful and draining." - Author unknown
Linda and I work diligently to discover the Hidden Beauty in life through our photography, and share it with others to bring them Inspiration, Motivation and Transformation.
That's our Hope. By displaying our photographic art online, in Galleries or Exhibits, we ultimately hope it brings a sense of wonder, delight, mystery, beauty and joy.
We hope you can attend. We'd love to hear from you about the exhibit.
Peace.
View our Collection of MN Zoo and Hanifl Art Exhibit images here.
Images 2000-2024 All rights reserved.
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September 2nd, 2024
The main theme of my BLOG is discovery of Hidden Beauty in life.
Whether it’s photography, poetry, architecture, music, looking and sometimes listening deeper you’ll open yourself to a whole new world of discovery and wonder.
That’s finding the Hidden Beauty within all things in life and nature. This week's topic is finding Hidden Beauty in a garden, specifically a Rose Garden as depicted in the image on the left.
Recently, Linda and I took a break from our daily grind and headed 'up north' to Duluth, MN for a few days of R&R. The weather was splendid, the Air B&B was outstanding, the wildlife entertained us around the clock, and the view... ah, the view of the Duluth Harbour was simply grand!
Each day, we were visited by no less than seven young deer, mostly males with their racks still covered in 'velvet', a very chubby skunk, a male gray fox, and a pair of Peregrine Falcons.
On day three, we hopped in the car and headed into town to visit the famous Duluth Rose Garden, near the Lief Erickson Park. The Duluth Rose Garden boasts a vast array of over 100 varieties of roses along with many other complimentary flowers and plants and covers over six acres. The fragrance of the Rose Garden was Heavenly! The air was saturated with the perfume of all those roses, and it simply took our breath away.
We planned well, meaning the weather was splendid and nearly perfect for our photo session with the roses. It was a bright sunny day with a gentle breeze off Lake Superior, and the park was well manicured and very well kept beautiful.
We immediately got to the task of seeking out the best-of-the-best for our photographs, getting lost in the grandeur of it all and even losing each other amongst the array of hedges and looping walkways.
Once we settled in with our task at hand we were immediately reminded of the pros and cons of photographing in full sunlight, and with air movement from that lovely, gentle breeze. We adjusted our camera settings and proceeded to capture some of the most beautiful images of roses and other garden plants.
We shot dozens of images and was blessed with perfect R&R weather. View our Collection of Duluth Rose Garden images here.
Images 2000-2024 All rights reserved.
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September 2nd, 2024
At our local library, out in the side-yard where children run, jump and play, there is a very large stone filled with shapes, colors and certainly... mystery!
I decided to take a "day off" and visit my local library to sit and read, to enter a brief respite from my daily grind and into adventure, mystery and intrigue. I love to read. It was a beautiful fall day, the sun warming the large stone in the side yard of the library. It was quiet and peaceful there, so I sat down to read my book, on that beautiful large stone.
As I began to read (a poetry book on beautiful things) I was drawn to the very rock I was sitting on, reflecting on what I had just read. I looked deeper into the surface of the large rock and inspiration struck. I could see multiple stories hidden within the stone's multifaceted surface.
I set down my book and picked up my camera and began an hour-long adventure, each image a separate story on its own. The more I looked into the stone the more stories emerged, stories of mystery, intrigue, adventure and mostly of beauty.
Next time you visit your library, city park or even your own back yard, stop to look for things that have Hidden Beauty within them
Visit my Collection "Hidden Beauty" on my website Hidden Beauty
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September 2nd, 2024
You may have heard the phrase, “The calm BEFORE the storm”, but today I want to share a true story about discovering the Hidden Beauty in the storm. This personal discovery actually helped me in my grief journey. And, oddly enough, I was intentionally seeking a storm – on Lake Superior, on the Minnesota side of the big lake.
As a very brief introduction to my story, I want to say that each year on November 10th, folks along the North Shore of Lake Superior, from Duluth to Grand Marais, commemorate the sinking of the large iron-ore ship, The Edmund Fitzgerald back on November 10, 1975. As a memorial tribute to the 29 sailors that lost their lives that day the legendary Split Rock Lighthouse provides a ‘memorial beacon lighting’ ceremony.
In 1976, singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot paid tribute to the 29 lives lost in the sinking of the ship with his song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
As a photographer and storyteller, I am drawn to the memorial lighting and to those raging storms that buffet the lakeshore during a time now called The Gales of November. Many photographers have captured the wonder and mystery of those storms on the big lake. And each year, my wife Linda and I trek up to the big lake in hopes of experiencing a big storm, to capture images of those rare and powerful waves crashing onto the Sawtooth Mountain Range that guards the shores of Minnesota. It’s in those crashing waves something wonderful is revealed.
Through a natural response to various events we may witness, we can see ‘things’ within what we are actually looking at. It’s called Pareidolia, seeing things within other things. Webster’s dictionary defines it this way - pareidolia: the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern. (See the two images of large waves hitting the cliffs of the Sawtooth Mountain Range – those were taken by my friend Paul Sundberg (Sundberg_1 & Sundberg_2). What do you see in the images?)
In November of 2022, Linda and I found ourselves ‘locked in’ during the storm because of freezing ice and snow on the roads. We never made it to the Sawtooth Mountain Range to witness the power of the storm. Instead, we were to wait out the storm until it was safe enough to drive. By then, the storm had passed, and a calm was settling in on the lake.
But during our unfortunate ‘lock down’ we discovered something much different than what we’d been seeking. We discovered images of Peace, Beauty, and Calm – all AFTER the storm. Seeking the Hidden Beauty in things is my mantra, as a visual artist, and especially as a grieving dad. (See my wife's photo - "Tears in the Woods")
As you may surmise, the effects of grief are numerous, painful, dangerous, debilitating… I could go on, but you may already know the ‘stuff’ of our grief. In my book (not for sale) I call it by its rightful name – The Villian. Am I right? Using the things I’ve learned in my 25-plus year grief journey, and through my storytelling and art I have discovered a new way to cope along the way – seeking and discovering the peace and calm in the Hidden Beauty within.
For years Linda and I were given little tokens of beauty in Adam’s life before his death in August of 1997. Stories of legacy and laughter, items of joy and tears, memories we had not known until someone gifted us with them. All hidden from our sight until ready to be revealed – in time. And when revealed, a calm comes over us as we experience the hidden beauty in them.
My hope and prayer for you is that you take a day-at-a-time experience in your grief journey, allowing you to discover all the hidden beauty in your lives. This road of grief is an unrelenting sorrow, authored by non-other than The Villian of our lives. But one thing the Villian cannot do is rob us of our memories, stories and legacy of our loved ones. Fight back with discovery, fight back with the hidden beauty of your loved one’s story. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll find. I am, continually.
The photos included in this post are mine, Linda’s, and Paul Sundberg, my friend.
What began as a hobby in 1965 became one of my life's many passions, and I see photography as the art of visual storytelling. I believe there's a hidden story in every image captured.
Photography not only tells a story but preserves those precious moments in time we all come to cherish. I enjoy capturing beautiful landscapes and nature, people, and places, or creating digital art and abstract images.
I desire to produce art that transcends time and space, whether steeped in rich, vibrant colors or hidden within the mysterious and intriguing nature of black-and-white scenes. With a sensitive eye for detail and over four decades of experience, I bring you to where my true passion lies, straight from the heart.
Images 2000-2024 All rights reserved.
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