Bringing Softness, to our photos, is both a challenge and a gift if we can pull it off. I immediately think of items that suggest softness. Maybe you do too. Photos of clouds, blankets, lush fields, and even tender moments come to mind.

But the challenge takes us on a journey to step outside our box, and our comfort zone. In some respects, it feels like the chance to play with a new toy, with results that bring a fresh mood, or softness to my photos.

I hope so.

Before I tackle the task, I recall a favorite photo that evokes softness with it’s unedited presence. This Bighorn lamb at Valley the Fire in Nevada has landed in my blog before. There are always two responses to this photo: “Awe, how sweet” and “Where is the mama?” Rest assured she wasn’t far, as was the herd. And with worry aside, I showcase the photo because the landscape, the fur, the expression on the lamb’s face, and the tenderness of the moment encompasses everything soft.

Stay soft, it looks good on you.

Bringing Softness:

In Tuscany, calmness and tranquility seem to be the mood, anytime anywhere. On this July day, I could only imagine what it might feel like to open the shutters of this castle winery. And funny how this view also wants me to close my eyes for just a moment to take in what can’t be put into words.

A matter of focus, indeed.

An entrance gate, at the Appalachian Trail, crossed the road from a forest into this field. It’s light suggests a welcome. To the through-hikers, the journey is a chance to realize a dream that has more meaning than placing one foot in front of the other.

Gates made of light swing open, leading to the trail, and a place to welcome your body, mind and soul.

Love? On a trip to Mt. Rainier, I was touched by this young couple who did their wedding, photo shoot on the road up to the overlook. I didn’t know them, and loved the chance to capture a moment that looked as if they were in a dream…in more ways than one.

You have a place in my heart no one else ever could have. -F. Scott Fitzgerald

At home in Arizona, even from the beginning, I remember thinking…how in the world can I bring a romance or softness to our prickly and spiky desert? And it dawned on me…

Softness is not a weakness. It often takes courage to stay delicate in the chaos. – Beau Taplin

And years ago, a kayak float along a river in Yellowstone, takes me where I hear quiet, and opens my senses to the trickle of water, and to wherever the river takes me. This was one of my favorite days during my time in Yellowstone. The float took me past fly fishermen, waterside patios, herring, a moose and her calf. It was one of those days you keep looking ahead, never wanting it to end.

Nothing is softer than water, but it’s force decides where it wants to go.

And finally, I introduce you to a soft spot in my heart, Yellowstone and bears. Our two years living in Yellowstone taught us their habits. Springtime searches with fingers crossed for the first cub sitings were always a priority. But I loved watching them snack their way through the wildflower fields at the foot of Mt. Washburn. It is here I learned my connection to the bears.

Have you ever experienced a moment in time where the world seems to disappear? A moment where you are so focused that nothing else matters? A bear in wildflowers does.

So do I.

Wind Kisses, Donna