ABOUT ME
I've always appreciated that no two moments in life are ever exactly the same and when it comes to nature, that truth strikes me even more profoundly.
Living in Aromas, on the Central Coast of California I have an opportunity to observe, enjoy, learn about and photograph the wide variety of beauty it has to offer; and, while I have a passion for bird photography, all of nature catches my eye and often my lens.
I'm also an amateur astrophotographer and love to sit under the stars, when coastal weather permits, listening to the sounds of nature at night; or to be in my observatory exploring and photographing the beauty of the universe itself.
Thank you so much for stopping in……
(Cheryl Gidding: Photo credit to Joe Mancino/Elkhorn Slough Safari, LLC)
MY BLOG
A few years ago, I was asked by a gallery owner to tell him the story behind one of my photos. I was taken abackh. I had no particular story, per say, for that photo. Instead, when I looked at the photo I had taken, I was filled with how I felt, what I was thinking about, the beauty of nature and more.
I recall watching that hawk and wondering what it must feel like to fly and glide so freely with the wind. I remember comparing it to the closest thing I had in my own experience - to sit on the back of my horse trusting him completely on that steep and winding cow trail.
But instead of sharing that with the gallery owner, I looked at him rather stunned and just bluntly blurted out something to the effect of....., "I just saw him and took the photo." Which of course was true - but there was so much more to it than that. Oh, the look on his face. Haha.
I don't think I've ever taken a photo, of any animal, landscape or nebula when my mind wasn't roaming with awe and wonder at the beauty of it all; pondering life and heading down a dozen rabbit holes of thought, information and the questions of life in the process.
And yes, sometimes, there is a direct story that is humorous, adventurous, inspiring or just a simple story of how it came to be that I was in that moment, at that time.
It was after the exchange with the gallery owner, along with my own life experiences, that I decided to start a blog; and Cheryl's Journal was created. I welcome you all to join me there.
Wishing you the best....
Cheryl