Since I began balancing, it has always been a simple and effective way to create focal points, whether for nodes in a garden, meditation, performance, etc…  The balances naturally attract attention by demonstrating obvious anomalies in the natural environment and often our own understanding of possibility.  Since the creek has been frozen over, it has a quieted landscape energetically.  When I add a balance in this environment, it sticks out even more against the cold surroundings.. This is especially obvious because of the cold color tone in the snow juxtaposed against the warm general color spectrum of creek rocks and bare trees.

The more tension I perceive in a balance, usually increases its appeal as focal point. This balance is extremely tense due to it’s point/counterbalanced nature all that weight in the top rock is needed to counterbalance so close to the center axis… For the top to balance, there must also be equal tension in the middle resisting the top weight…  Through playing with counterbalances and rock shapes, this balance appears to snake skyward..

“Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.”

~ Edward O. Wilson

This is my first winter of continuously visiting the creek with creative intent… Despite the frozen elements… it is quietly beautiful the way frozen interacts with non-frozen. This is a naturally occurring ice ridge where the water starts flowing again.. The photographic element I like here is the blending of stationary ice with flowing water..

Balancing on ice is the same idea, but with far less friction. weight really has to be focused at specific angles to avoid slipping away.. not to mention with the load of a small arch..  the rocks DID NOT freeze to the ice.  this one turned out be relatively stable compared to the last…at the end I jumped all around it on the ice, testing the vibrational threshold… no collapse… for all i know, it could still be there if the ice hasn’t shifted too much.. it’s small enough to remain slightly unseen by the usual pedestrian traffic.

**Although it is fun to come out in the creek in these conditions and “play around,” I do not recommend it for inexperienced creek goers..  The sheets of ice are strong but not uniform.  Knowing actual creek depths around you is paramount for safety.  some areas can have a relatively deep water flow under the ice.. which can be fatal to a small enough person.  this particular area was only about 15 cm deep on average..

ISO 100
focal length 26 mm
aperture f/27
shutter 2.0 sec

neutral density filter

I imagine many people will suspect this photo of being shopped.. definitely looks slightly surreal. But it’s not doctored in any way. Promise. Right now the creek is covered in a THICK sheet of ice with water exposed in narrow channels.. openings in the ice that expose the creek are the only places to get rocks in the current weather.  The water is too cold to go rummaging for perfect rocks (if there was such a thing) and contact must be kept to a minimum.

I call this extreme stacking because of the mixture of elements.  Freezing water, and lots of heavy, thick ice. Slips were easy to make.  another challenge with the freezing water and cold air is sensitivity.. fine balances require a certain sensitivity in the fingers, which is slightly dumb’d down in the cold.

For this balance I reached a point where I wasn’t completely sure, but had felt the balance point briefly.. I knew it was possible. Since the rocks usually accumulate a slimy coating under water in the winter, it was much harder to pinpoint the exact balance point… the rocks wanted to slip away. luckily when I thought I knew when to let go, I did and it stayed….   :)

I only got a few pictures of this one too…something about foundations on ice. but when it collapsed, it took out the whole wing of ice that it was standing on.  All the chunks disappeared as they were sucked under the remaining ice.

“I am the decisive element: my personal approach creates the climate – my daily mood makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make a life miserable or joyous: I can be a tool of torture, or an instrument of inspiration – I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. It is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de–escalated, and a person humanized or dehumanized.”

~ Haim Ginott

It’s been a rough week in the department of personal relationships. Well, only one in particular.  We all go through times when emotions run uncontrollably high, often causing us to act in ways that defy our rational mind.  This quote was an important read because my own ego sometimes clouds my judgment… especially if a battle involves another stubborn ego… many of us have an innate need to feel that we’ve “won” or to get the last laugh, or word, or whatever. But all this Ego chatter is simply NOISE.  I went out to make this balance under the weight of a heavy heart; unsure of what it’s all for.  uncertain of the future… but

For some reason, creating these things, photographing them, and reflecting on those moments of creation, is a very potent therapy. My intention with this balance was purely peace and unconditional love… that despite conflict with a friend, balance was still possible. I was determined to realize this balance as it carried a great deal of meaning to me and the current situation I found myself in…  Realization: there is way too much positive in my life right now for me to spend any time focusing on such a petty, ego-driven conflict, despite how justified I felt in my stance.  This balance effectively transformed a frowning heart into smiles. I felt as if I almost lost my fingers in the process due to the absolutely stinging cold water… but i couldn’t see it any other way…

In this photo I love the interaction of ice and stone.  extremely ephemeral… this arch lasted long enough to snap this single photo.. ONLY. I was lucky to say the least because my fingers were pissed.. :)

“Follow your highest excitement, every moment that you can, with zero expectation of the outcome. Flow always leads you where you need to be.”

~ Bashar

So this is the last repetitive date that we will all experience in our lifetimes… So what..?

It’s interesting to think about, but the repetition is based on nothing more than an arbitrary notation of the accepted (Gregorian) calendar. I feel much more in tune with my awareness of December 21st… due NOT to the hype as much as actually corresponding to celestial events. The Winter Solstice is quickly approaching. The darkest day of the year.  And possibly the most infamous point of recent anticipations.

If I’ve learned and developed one major lesson this past year, it’s been tapping into my own presence in the moment, and following that intuition.  Though a degree of uncertainty, if and when the moment is seized, all things come alive in ways that would not be otherwise.

I’ve begun working on a culmination of small video clips from glimpses recorded over the year.. not necessarily just rock balance clips, but also beautiful “moments of silence” that have appeared while following this journey through balance… Profound moments that have left strong impressions on my ever evolving consciousness…  It’s hard to get up and leave once an editing project like this is undertaken…

however…

On a late afternoon whim I grabbed all my camera equipment and hurried down to the creek… unsure of enough remaining light.. but slightly  yearning for the drone of steady creek flow… balancing in the creek this time of year requires a little bit different approach due to the freezing water and cold air.  Too much aimless searching for rocks will lead to burning numb hands.  Advice? keep it simple. Elegance can be achieved with even the simplest of rocks. It is actually kind of nice to have this time/temperature limitation, which has a tendency to force a flow into my balancing.. Choosing among too many rocks can sometimes lead to stand-stills or hesitant decisions.

Despite uncertainty, I was able to witness and capture some nice images as the sun retreated…. Even in humble moments such as these, I am blessed to be witness.. :)

“Talent hits a target no one else can hit;
Genius hits a target no one else can see.”

~ Arthur Schopenhauer

Twilight balance.

Another brilliantly warm sunset glow as the sun continues projecting its light off of the visible clouds while itself disappears behind the mountains.  The result is an intense shift in light and mood; surreal in its affection. And the affect grows more intense as I move further UP creek under the growing loom of the mountains.

I had to use the more extreme white balance settings on my camera just to make the colors look normal. Multiple times per week, people from all over the front range in Colorado post photos of radiant sunset colors on Facebook.  Possibly my favorite times of day to shoot photos of rocks are sunrise and sunset. Especially in the colder months.  It takes more determination to work in the cold, but in exchange are some of the quieter, more peaceful experiences.

This balance took some high discipline and endurance to realize. For size comparison, I was barely able to lift the top rock with one arm. All the big ones below required both arms.. Not to mention freezing water.  I invested in a pair of waste high waders for these cold months. They work for being waterproof, but no temperature barrier really so my feet will still freeze after extended non-movement.  This balance was slightly frustrating in the sense of cold water and precision.  Part of me wanted to give up as the light began to fade.  But I KNEW it was possible. I could see the balance points and I had come so close to realizing it many times. Couldn’t use gloves for this one. Extreme sensitivity required, which was already slightly depressed by the cold water all over the rocks…  But DAMN it felt good to finally get it after working for so long… And the best part was that the sunset glow began moments later and lasted for about 20 minutes.  I worried that it would fall as I hobbled out of the creek to get my camera.  But I had a deep down feeling that it wanted to be recorded with twilight in all of their collective genius. :)