:: Share 'N' Voice :: Beyond the Viewfinder

This flower was found in Campo de Fiori in Rome, Italy

From the magnificent sights to the aroma of the flowers and fallen leaves, from the harmonies that sound from high on the trees to the caress of the waves upon the shores, nature is awe-inspiring! It's beauty never ceases to amaze me.

In our hurried lives, we sometimes fail to look at the beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis.  It is there for all of us to witness, we just need to take the time to see nature's small miracles. I love going on "camera adventures" and seeing how many ways nature presents itself to me. Sometimes I capture something I feel is amazing. Yet, there are times when what I see in the viewfinder is beyond words and the picture cannot clearly express the true beauty that was seen. When I find something I want to take a photo of, I do not really care what I need to do to capture that perfect image. I'm the type of person who will lay on the ground, climb out on a small cliff, or any other awkward position to capture the perfect image. 

A little bug taking time to check out these beautiful flowers.

I had the opportunity to go to Italy last May. Talk about a camera adventure. I was often the one running to catch up with our group because I was taking photos of everything that inspired me. The whole trip put me on sensory overload, but Italy's beauty is nearly indescribable. While traveling across Italy, I wrote a blog post that talked about the beauty that could be seen outside our bus windows. "Who knew there were so many shades of green. The trees and shrubs that cover these hillsides are such a dark green,  dotted with the occasional shade of yellowish-green. The horizon is filled with one tree covered mountain after another.  Workers can be seen working in the fields, be it planting or making hay." No camera could capture that view well enough. It truly was a moment where you had to be there to witness the beauty.

It saddens me to think of these beautiful views are so easily affected by our actions against the environment.  People throw their cigarette butts everywhere. We don't recycle nearly enough and those items not only fill our landfills, but also litter our daily environment. Our marine life is dealing with oil spills, polluted water, a diminishing water supply, exotic species that are destroying our fish, and many more issues. Our waterways are also being polluted by the farmers who over irrigate their fields where they used fertilizers and pesticides. If we don't start making some serious changes we will not be able to enjoy these magnificent sights.

The two flowers pictures that are in this post were taken in Italy, as were the following five photos. Picture locations include the Forum, Villa Borghese, Banfi Winery, along the Tiber River and finally the fire hydrant picture was taken in Venice. If you look carefully, on the sidewalk next to the hydrant is a nasty cigarette butt. Those things pollute our landscapes. The other photos were taken in the Grand Marias area. I love to not only walk along the shore, but also get lost in the woods where you never know what you'll find.

Please enjoy the beauty that I found in my viewfinder.