Lens-Artists Challenge #139 – Special Moments

“Life is not made up of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years, but of moments. ”
Sarah Breathnach

We’ve all had them…..you know what I mean…those moments that take your breath away. Moments that you want to save forever in your heart of hearts. Aha moments. The birth of a child, taking your wedding vows, your first shooting star, a perfect sunrise….I could go on and on. This week, let’s look beyond the life-changing events and share some everyday special moments and what they mean to us. Hopefully we’ll end each post with a smile for the gifts these moments have brought into our lives.

My opening image was captured here on Kiawah earlier this month. Eagle nests are typically very deep and very high above, making it quite difficult to capture the birds “in residence”. Eaglets are even more difficult to photograph, as typically they are hidden deep in the nest, emerging only to eat until they are large enough to fledge. To have captured an eagle with her two eaglets was as excited as I’ve been about a photograph in a long time. For me it was a very special, unique moment.

elephants, contrast, botswana — **CROSSING TO NAMIBIA**

“A photograph is an opportunity to keep a moment forever.”
Destin Sparke

A bit farther afield 😊 the image above represents our many amazing travel adventures. Seeing sights like the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef, Angkor Wat at sunrise, the rose rocks of Petra…..has gifted me with many special moments. I distinctly remember my excitement on our African Safari and the moment I saw my first elephant – from above the Okavango Delta in a small plane. To find myself up close and personal with these gentle giants gave me many moments I’ll always cherish.

Charleston, pineapple fountain — SOUTHERN COMFORT

“The memories of beautiful moments are magical.”
Giovannie de Sadeleer

The image above is an iconic symbol of welcome in nearby downtown Charleston, SC. It represents the moment my husband and I arrived here in the south, having relocated from the cold and crowded northeast. We enjoyed living in town while we built our home on Kiawah. In hindsight it was the perfect time for a move and we’ve never looked back.

“Life is short. Don’t count the seconds. Enjoy the moments.”
David Cuschieri

I laughingly call the two moments above my “claims to fame”. On the left, my image of my husband during a rare snowfall on Kiawah. (In 20 years we’ve seen snow here only twice. ) Once home I posted the image on Facebook. An hour later we were watching TV when incredibly my photo appeared, fullscreen! The announcer talked about how rare it is to see snow on the famous Kiawah Island Ocean Course. Our phone started ringing immediately with friends asking about the photo. It was the last time I published an image without my watermark 😊. On its right, an image I submitted to the New York Times for their feature on “Why People Travel”. Not only was my image and story selected but it was published in full color on a quarter page of the Sunday Times and was the featured image on their online site for several weeks. Seriously fun AHA moments!

“It is up to you and me to create the everlasting from fleeting moments.”
Sanober Khan

I cannot overstate how magical I found the Giant Redwood Forest during a visit to California. In my image, my 6’3″ husband is leaning against the bottom of one of these incredible specimens. It is truly life-changing to stand among them, knowing that they are in fact interconnected beneath the earth, sharing the resources that help them continue to thrive. A truly ethereal moment.

Also magical, we were fortunate to visit Arizona during a superbloom. It was an incredible experience hiking through the amazing explosions of floral color and beauty. Of course it took a great deal longer than normal, as I stopped every few steps for yet another photograph!

“Try to hold on to those moments that flicker like candlelight with the people we care about.”
Katherine McIntyre

Of course my special, more personal moments would include things like the moment my husband and I married, the birth of our beautiful granddaughter and that of every one of my 16 nieces and nephews, family reunions, you get the idea. But instead I’d love to turn it over to you! Show us some of your favorite moments and tell us why you chose them. We look forward to seeing your responses. Please remember to use the Lens-Artists Tag and to link to my original post.

In closing, we thank you for your glorious examples of Natural Light in response to Amy’s challenge. The variety was amazing, and proved beyond doubt the importance of light to an image, no matter the subject. Next week we’re excited to announce we’ll welcome Beth of Wandering Dawgs as our Guest Host. Be sure to stop by and check out her always-interesting blog. Until then, as always stay safe and be kind.