Because I generally blog about things having to do with nature, I figured I could take a little break from analogy and deep meaning. Instead, I offer you a photo dump of 5 of my favorite nature photos that I’ve taken, as well as the stories behind them.
1. Fire
I love this picture not only because I am fascinated by fire, but also because the reason it was taken amuses me a lot. I took this picture at a girl’s bonfire birthday party in seventh grade. There were a bunch of people there that I didn’t know very well, so I went and sat by the fire to avoid social interaction. It would be weird to sit there doing nothing, so I decided to snap some photos. This beautiful moment was captured for the sole purpose of concealing my social ineptitude.
2. The Butterfly
Contrary to the previous photo, “The Butterfly” has significantly more meaning. The day before this was taken, my sister went on hospice care. We thought she wouldn’t make it through the week, so we vacated our house in Houston and went to the nearest beautiful beach we could get to, which happened to be in Galveston, Texas. When we got there, I went outside, enjoying the fresh air I hadn’t tasted for who knows how long (quarantining in a big city like Houston is suffocating in so many ways), and I caught sight of a butterfly partially buried in the sand. I tried for about three hours to keep it alive, dry off its wings, feed it sugar water or anything google said it could consume, but it finally ended up passing away, and I let it drift off into the ocean.
3. The Beach in Galveston
This was taken the morning after “The Butterfly,” at around 6:00 am. My family and I are from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, but because my sister was getting medical care at Texas Children’s, we all lived in Houston for around a year and a half. One of the things we missed most was the sunrises and sunsets. We had to leave and go back to Houston that morning, so we were all desperate to grasp onto one more moment of beauty. We got up at about 5:30 and waited for the sun, hoping that it wouldn’t be stormy or cloudy so we could see the sky in all its morning glory. Luckily, we were not disappointed.
4. Frozen
I feel like many of these were taken in Texas, but alas. This photo was from February 2021. My family was still living in Houston then, during the big “Houston Freeze.” All of our power went out, we were running out of food, we had no heaters… the inside of our house was about 20-30 degrees, and my sister couldn’t even make it to the hospital to receive her treatments. It was scary and painful, but then, I walked outside, and I saw some of the most beautiful scenery I had ever experience. Powdery snow cloaked the ground and the rooftops in white, and everything was covered in a layer of frost. Because the cold came on so quickly, the plants didn’t have the chance to die out yet — they were just concealed in coats of ice that looked like glass magnifying their colors in contrast with all of the bleakness that surrounded them.
5. The Fallen Lantern
I think this last photo is my ultimate favorite. It wasn’t the best memory for me, but it is beautiful, and I desperately needed beauty on that day. The picture was taken at the lantern release after my sister’s funeral. The sunset was stunning, and seeing all the lanterns lighting up the sky in honor of her was one of the most touching experiences of my entire life. I think that this photo sums up how I felt about that day. Something beautiful had fallen out of the sky and landed in the water, its light being snuffed out way before it should have been — way before all of the other lanterns that still burned so brightly. However, the beauty of the scene and the silhouette of the girl going out into the freezing cold water to pick up the fallen lantern symbolized how our love for my sister has carried on even after she died, no matter how dark or cold that might feel for us.
That wraps up today’s blog! Thanks for reading, and please let me know if you’re ever in need of pretty pictures!
You’re a really good photographer dude, these are amazing. That picture of the Butterfly and fire are phenomenal. Also, the sunset, gorgeous and thank you for also providing backgrounds into the photos that was great.
Sometimes explaining simplicity is a good change of pace, I would say sometimes there are instances where looking at the surface level of art is where a lot of the meaning and importance can be found. Good Job
These pictures are absolutely gorgeous! I especially love the butterfly and the ice one, but they’re all so magical to look at. It feels like something from a dream. If you have any other pretty pictures to share, don’t be afraid to send them to me! I’m sorry about your sister, as well.
I really like how all of these photos take dangerous or sad scenarios, like ice and fire, or death, and you find the beauty in it. That’s something that not a lot of people can do in those circumstances. But you did it really well.