“All journeys have a secret destination of which the traveller is unaware, ” so wrote philosopher, Martin Buber.
Mr Buber, certainly lived and wrote in a world out beyond the ken of your average blog scribe. But at the risk of doing him a bit of a mis-service, his basic go-to was about the relationship between ourselves and others. It get’s complicated after that, but extends to between ourselves and the around. And that has for me, connections with the Dao, that these days, of pop psychology gets, labelled, “Mindfulness”.
Medical Update. #kneetoo is moving about at home and getting mindful about her new knee. Hasten slowly is certainly the order of the day, and now we are all back in Covid Lockdown again—at least, hopefully temporarily—we don’t have anywhere to go anyway.
A blog I follow, is by Robin Whalley, The Lightweight Photographer and he has been discussing his choice of gear for his outdoor landscape rambles. And it struck me, at least I thought obviously, that while it’s nice to have a range of equipment to choose from, you know:
This camera,that lens, this ISO, that Filter, Use Flash, work with Early, or Late Light, and the myriad of other decisions we might encounter,
Sometimes, for us wildlife photographers, the secret destination, or subject, presents itself and we might not have that ‘special’ piece of hardware with us.
And I find myself having, excitedly—not limited by—to work with something that hasn’t been there before. To See Anew.
It happens in the backyard, out in the field, by the water, among the wonderful forests and of course involved with the surprising life of birds. And it takes on such an amazing range.
Here is the master, Lao Tze at this best,
Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream,
Alert like men aware of danger,
Simple as uncarved wood
Hollow like caves
Yeilding. like ice about to melt
Amorphous like muddy water
The early Hebrew poets said it this way.
Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)
Each trip small or large out behind the camera small or large, has the unlimited potential of a secret destination, I enjoy being able to flow with the world around and be shaped by eternal forces
It is a wonderful journey.
Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER - --doesn't mean I'm LOST 
Being aware is the best bit of kit we can have, and the ability to work with what is on hand rather than regret the missed possibility. That makes the journey to the secret destination all the more enjoyable. And that is relevant to any field of endeavour.
A lovely image of Jacky, David.
Good to hear that #kneetoo is progressing well.
At least the weather is suitable for staying during the lock-down, down side is on the occasions I have seen a Kite/Sparrowhawk/Little Eagle pass by home the camera has been in the case, with the macro lens on!!
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Among some there seems to this continual upgrade at any price race. Spurred no doubt by the web ‘influencers’, who have lots to say, but most often not much to show.
Took awhile to pare this down to the essentials as the “Stream of Consciousness” writing took over.
Fascinating to think of how much we miss being so busy looking for our vision.
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Very inspiring advice and insights David, I agree that the flow in the moment you find yourself is often surprising and therefore we are to focus on the the opportunity (which may never present itself again) and the subject more than the means. I guess myself not being an accomplished photographer who uses very few settings, with diminishing eyesight and catches everything on the fly using Manual mode see every good shot and special capture moment as gold being thankful for everything I do manage to capture in focus, especially if it reveals something of the character of the bird. We are so pleased to read that your wife is coming along well and continue to pray for full functional recovery. Enjoy your week under the doona as best you can, it could be us next, that is the nature of this unrelenting virus.
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Hi Ashley, thanks for the kind comments. I did have a lot written, but found myself in circular logic a lot of the time. So hope the edit captured the main thrust.
I had a couple of days of enforced inactivity during the week, and so turned to the books. Problem then was to stop the brain for overloading.
Simple shots, with simple intent always seem to be more readily acceptable to the viewer.
#kneetoo is on the mend, not big relapses so far and all the signs are good. We have done this sort of thing together once before—when she had a major back accident and know the basics of not pushing too hard.
Impressed by the leadership working hard to get on top of the current outbreak. Now is not the time for barbs at 10 paces, but rather working together.
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How lovely your Jacky Winter image is. Thanks too for your interesting thoughts, and for your mention of The Lightweight Photographer blog, which I shall investigate further. Our journey through the world is indeed a wonderful one if we live in the moment rather than strain after the next thing, and the thing after that.
I was amused by the most recent item in TLP’s blog, where he described all the kit he took on a hike up hill and down dale. I tend to go out with one camera and one lens firmly attached to it. I dislike the idea of changing lenses “in the field” in case of accidents, dust blowing around, etc and I also don’t want to carry extra weight.
It’s good to know the EE is progressing well. At least the lockdown means she isn’t missing out on any exciting excursions!
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Hello Eleanor, I’m a one lens in the scrub person too. For all the reasons you mentioned. Some times I miss a landscape lens occasionally but I go for birds and have grown used to not being able to take every opportunity
All going well with the healing so it’s just a matter of completing the course
Stay safe
Remain
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