It’s not what you hold in your hand that makes a good photograph; it’s what you hold in your heart.

Dancing Queen

Dancing Queen

I often grab my camera with one thought: there is something beautiful waiting to pose for me so I can show it off to the world. The best images I capture begin with this idea: I anticipate beauty.

Fortunately, one of my favorite places on earth to discover beauty is in my backyard; the Flint Hills of Kansas. If you think Kansas is boring then you need to join me on a hike through the Flint Hills and let her forever change your mind. She will seduce you with her charm.

I recently loaded up my cameras and headed to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve snuggled in the middle of the Flint Hills. As I began a leisurely stroll down one of their many hiking trails, I was reminded of the power of anticipating beauty in nature. Not far in the journey, I saw this beauty dancing without music.

Along the journey that day, I discovered a few others.

The Easy Chair

The Easy Chair

DSC_9761

Sycamore Sky

 

Alone. Strong.

Alone. Strong.

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Angularity

 

 

Wonderful things happen when we anticipate beauty in nature, in people, in families, in our jobs, and in our selves.

  • Our overall attitude towards life will be better.
  • People will enjoy our company much more.
  • We will find the solutions to problems.
  • We will enjoy the hidden treasures that others pass by.
  • We will make the world a much better place in which to live.

St. Thomas Aquinas defined beauty as something that, once seen, pleases the eye.

[Tweet “May this day be the day when you discover beauty you’ve never seen before.”]

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