Photo-of-the-Week #78 - Mt. Rainier in the Early Summer - June 2012

Majestic Mt. Rainier outside Seattle, Washington. I love nature and all the beauty and majesty of this planet. While I certainly have an understanding of the scientific basis for much of what creates and sustains the beauty of the planet, I still feel so small and awestruck by it all. As you have probably figured out by now, I am not a National Geographic type or quality photographer. I guess I'm what you call and "Opportunist Photographer." I see a photo op and I attempt to capture it.

I have received from very complimentary comments and emails about some of my photos from those who follow the blog. I'm appreciative of receiving these compliments. I'm also pleased to know that something that caught my eye and I was able to capture with one of my photographic devices pleased your eye as well. I have thousands of photos, but like most professional photographers (and I don't claim to be a professional), I have to sort through them to find the "one" shot that truly captures what I was seeing and feeling. I have other friends who are much more focused on what they shoot. They look for THE shot, then frame and focus and take great care to get that "one" shot every time they go on a photo expedition. Perhaps their photos are better then mine, but I'm happy to capture something that moves me at that instant.

I shot this photo of Mt. Rainier about ten minutes from my son's place in Seattle. I was driving along this lake and there was the shot. I quickly found a place to pull off the road and walked to the edge of the lake and viola - here's the shot. No! It's not the only shot from this vantage point. I took several, but this is the "one." It represents everything I was seeing and feeling at that precise moment. You may describe it any way you like. My description is that it is "breathtaking." One day I'll post another shot of Mt. Rainier that I took when the pilot of an Air Alaska flight I was on provided a National Geographic, fly by, "Kodak Moment."