Gratitude and the art of photography close to home

I began to experiment with HDR (High Dynamic Range) processing after a wonderful talk by Bill George at the DIGS meeting. Here’s what I got with lots of clouds and black and white “artistic” presets.

Sheila Honey, DIGS member

When asked to submit a photography story and pictures for the SaddleBrooke papers, I realized that I do not have a lot of exotic, spectacular photos. What I do have are photos I really like from close to home.

When I look at my photographs, gratitude is on my mind. I am immensely grateful for making it to near retirement age, with decent health and a decent enough income to afford a hobby like photography. I am relatively new to digital photography; really just since I got to SaddleBrooke in June 2017.

What we have in this area we are lucky to have, mostly dark skies for astrophotography, beautiful scenic vistas and an abundance of wildlife. I know a few photographer friends in Texas who must drive miles to see stars and the Milky Way at night or spectacular rainbows and lightning, not to mention backyard wildlife.

So, I’d like to share some of my pictures over the last year or so. Perhaps it will inspire someone to tell their own story. I have lots of others, but just want to close by saying thanks to the DIGS group and say, for me, photography is a way of appreciating the world around me in its myriad beauties.