Tree Blooming in July – Black and White Throwback 2021

“Our lives at times seem a study in contrast… love & hate, birth & death, right & wrong… everything seen in absolutes of black & white. Too often we are not aware that it is the shades of grey that add depth & meaning to the starkness of those extremes.” – Ansel Adams

One of my goals this past year is to reflect on everything that has happened. I used to just maybe reflect a little bit on the year, but I would simply move quickly to the next year. I think was missing important lessons from the previous year in order to be a better person. 2020 taught me to be more reflective. I think it’s because so much changed that year. Many things that we were very involved were gone. Now I am taking advantage of the next few days before the end of 2021 to think about the lessons learned last year. Thinking about photography I have learned a lot about how to take better photos. I discovered that light determines the quality of the photo more than anything. However, if the lighting is bad that doesn’t mean that I can’t take great photos. It means that I can take different photos.

One thing I almost always bring with me on my bike rides is my camera. I have learned you never know what amazing things you will see. This one spot I have driven by dozens of times since moving to Charlotte. In fact this spot is on the way to my barbers and near my grandmothers house. This tree started blooming a few days before came up to, and now it is completely covered in blooms. This is only one of many moments that I have captured while riding my bike in the last year. One lesson that I have learned in the last year is that I don’t need to be busy all the time. Sometimes it is more important to slow down than it is to speed up. These bike rides have allowed me to see and appreciate more of my city in the last year than anything. Taking these photos allows me to remember just how beautiful this city is, and I can look back on it later.

Here is my previous post about this location.