Close Closer Closest

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True beauty is often invisible to the naked eye. Look closer, and closer to see the essence. The inner beauty, if you will. It’s the third eye, through heart and soul that sees the inner beauty, essence - in nature, in humanity, in everything.

Day lilies really only flower one day. Talk about loving the present. Tomorrow is another day and another new and fleeting bloom. Love the moment; each new moment - that may be the message I hear.

Fleeting Beauty close

Fleeting Beauty Closer

Fleeting Beauty Closest

Lilies of the Field

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Thousands of lilies - a half dozen large plots of a variety of lilies that bloom at different times - This is Susan’s Lilies of the Field. Basically, they take up home on the majority of her large yard, on a scenic hill, in rural Vermont. I love it - nature’s coordinated colors and exquisite designs. It is new to me, to look so closely at flowers. They are something to behold - such perfection, such art. Nature’s living plants are unf……believable. I wish to photograph more flowers, wild plants.

Lilies of the field

Ground Cover

Finding Essence

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A recent photo of a lily pond reminds me of finding essence. I like the original image, but it is cluttered with detractors to the beautiful essence. I work to eliminate detractors, in my imagining, and with my meaningful living connections. I want to focus on what’s important, as I attempt to live my higher self. Are my contributions to my family, spiritual communities, and myself in balance with my basic goodness, my essence?

Decluttering

It’s complicated

GOLDEN HOUR GOLDEN YEARS

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What a beautiful time of the day - 5, 6am - calm, quiet, colorful, first light - Golden Light. It’s a wonderful time to capture a beautiful image, to reflect, to be. It’s analogous to my Golden Years - not always sunshine but often enough to be grateful for what IS.

I know it is unfathomable to believe, but I recently celebrated a 60 year reunion from St. John’s Prep school with a dozen other preps, at an all school reunion. There was not a seventieth reunion. In fact we were, ostensibly, the oldest attendees. What does that tell you? I say - we’ve gained wisdom, gratitude, love, longevity. Yes we are getting a little old, but I feel the care, the interest, the love, the spirit. I hope there is a 65th and 70th for me and others, but I don’t know. We may have to leave that up to the LEGENDS - The graduates of 1961 - not us Hooligans of 64!

The Golden Hour

Metamorphosis

LIVE LOVE second edition

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Photographing, reflecting, writing gives me pleasure, and evolves me! I am particularly happy with the completion of the second edition of LIVE LOVE. Changes with the second edition include 15 of my favorite images, my current whiteboard, and an added AFTERWORD which speaks about my latest revelation about SCG. My journey of seeking the significance of LOVE is my highest purposeful priority. You can view the full 62 pages of LIVE LOVE, including images, at MikeSipe.com/Live-LOVE.

David Stromeyer sculpture Love’s not Time’s Fool moving apart and coming close (my interpretation) is below. Shakespeare says about love: “Its constancy can hold the mutability of Coming close and moving apart”

Moving apart

Coming Close


I FEEL IT AGAIN!

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I wake at 4am at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire to walk the beach a couple recent mornings. It is low tide. I hope to catch the beauty. 4am or predawn was a habit for rising, to walk the shores of Lake Champlain a while back. What a delight - I remember - calm, peaceful, colorful, solitude, music of water lapping, birds singing. Time to focus, reflect, love. I capture a few images I can use for my new photo project, ABSTRACTION

Hampton Beach 5am

Noble Vue

Skyart

First Abraction

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I have my first image for my new project, Abstraction. I believe my approach is to going to be, look close in nature for light, color and composition, then look closer. I was amazed at seeing tens of Yellow Swallowtail butterflies, along the river in Woodstock, Vermont. It was a special experience - what beautiful creatures. The metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly is miraculous.

Yellow Swallowtail buttrfly

Yellow Swallowtail Close

Abstraction

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After writing some reflections, I will self-publish SKYWARD, a photo project I have been working on for awhile. I expect it to be my finest work - of course, the latest work is always the finest work! When I finish a photo project, I feel good and sad, at the same time.

I feel better now, that I have another project in mind - ABSTRACTION. I am not sure what will come to mind, but my reticular activator is up in nature, for minimalism, abstract, emotion provoking. Below is Dip, an image that qualifies. So does UNION, that I have the impulse to view and emote often.

Dip

Union

The Gift of Light

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When I recognize The Gift of Light I feel grateful. Sometimes this happens when I am processing and reflecting on an image captured, like the one below, Totality Blue.

I decided to use Totality Blue as my end image in my personal photo project, Skyward. I started Skyward, after Patty’s Passing, 1/25/2022. I have over 300 images that are book worthy. Since I am limited to 250 pages with Blurb, I will have to cull out a number, due to the limitation, and wanting room for personal reflections.

The reflections are partly done, but I look forward to the additional reflecting because it is meaningful and fulfilling, for me, to take the quiet time with viewing skyward. I am a little afraid to finish the project - then what? Photo projects are me. I guess the end of the project does not preclude me, nor do I want it to, from continuing to look skyward and reflect on LIGHT.

Totality Blue

Another First

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I have never done it before - that is, have 100 images in recent work at MESipe.com. I reserve that space for images I have recently taken that I love. The eclipse, The Sacred Valley, and Palm Springs, were back to back events for me, with beauty opportunities that were unbelievable. I am so grateful to have had such wonderfully magical nature capturing experiences. Peru consists of 85 of the 100 images. I was there a month and took over 4000 images. I don’t take an image unless it attracts me - that is how attractive The Sacred Valley was to my photo eye.

I will be delighted if you see the images at MESipe.com at the tab recent work.

The Sacred Valley light and color

enriched

Painting with Light

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Eyes have amazing ability to capture light, colors, tones. Imagination is unlimited with creativity. What fun to interpret what is, and make something that brings you to exciting the senses about the memory.

Camera lenes are pretty powerful. I didn’t notice the reds, blues and flares of the eclipse until I viewed the more than two hundred images I took during the few moments of happening.

I wasn’t much interested in the eclipse, until I thought about it. Amazing, nature is! Wake up Mike.

Painting with Light

Sun Burst

Once In My Lifetime

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I didn’t think much about it; the total eclipse viewing in Vermont yesterday. I thought, darkness for a few minutes, and a dark ball blocking the sun - big deal, not very aesthetic. But I heard the hype. I heard my fellow photo club enthusiasts. I thought this is a once in a lifetime event for me. I have to see it. I want to view and be with fellow photographers. I was delighted I participated. Come to think of it - today is once in a lifetime. And, extraordinary things are happening in my present. I wish to be there!

Eclipse composite

Skyward

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I take to the sky today - Peru to Vermont. Before I plane, I spread a blanket, face skyward, absorb the Peru sun’s warmth, hear the hummingbirds song, smell the fragrance of the flowers, notice the beauty of cloud movement. My mind is in neutral. My spirit, energy is active. I am alive, grateful to be part, one with, all living. How do I be a good steward, contribute what I can, nurture the growth and preservation of what I am a member?

Looking Skyward

A Dance in Peru

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The last month has been a dance in Peru - like the swing at times, a waltz at others, and a tango or two. Bridget has been a great host and a lesson in listening.

What strikes me boldly, in addition to connecting with Bridget, is smiling wrinkles, dancing skies, majestic mountains, flowers aplenty, and stones - stones everywhere.

Bridget Contenplating

Rose

Smiling Wringles

Dancd

Rock way

Winding Road

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How do you get over a mountain? Slowly - back and forth, winding curves, north, south, east, west. For some, it is stomach turning. For others it’s an adventure to memorialize a sight to behold. It’s a metaphor for life - wondering if you’ll get to the other side, enjoying the journey, or scared about what’s around the corner - unexpected light, fog, darkness, falling rocks, washed out road, reliable transport, or risk worthy awe inspiring beauty. The imagination can go on and on about troublesome possibilities, or let go of thinking about possibilities and, be open, embracing what is presented, with acceptance and wonder.

Glory

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I usually apply an artful filter to my images, often to enhance the sky to my liking. With Glory I didn’t need a filter to enhance what I felt. It is amazing what is possible with the iPhone 15. I took Glory at 30 miles an hour, in the passenger seat of a car, cropped it once to get Rock Almighty and again for Glory.

What is most amazing is natural beauty presented to me constantly. Since I started to look Skyward, at our majestic horizons, I have been filled with awe frequently. The Andes have delighted, as a foreground for the awe inspiring skies, as has the Adirondack and Green Mountains. Can you images seeing all, Mike.

Glory

Rock almighty

Cacao

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We drove four hours over the 12,000 foot high pass from Urabamba, Peru to the Keyabama area to visit a few small organic Cacao farmers. Bridget and I were on a journey to do a little sourcing of quality organic cacao for MotherFolower, our family business.. Our goal is top quality organic cacao directly from a small family farm business.The pass views were absolutely spectacular. I will display a few images soon, but now I want to tell you how amazing it was to walk the high jungle farm of Mario Antonio Durand Olave and family. I felt touched to tears by nature, walking the paths, tasting the cacao, and a half dozen natural fruits of the farm. They made it clear they love the land and growing quality organic Cacao. Bridget’s great organizing of personal driver and connections made it happen Maybe it was serendipitous, as Bridget said, to hit pay dirt on our first stop. Mario’s daughter-in-law is creator of maywa products which she has had her eye on for awhile now.

Cacao pod

Cacao

Cacao products