Beyond Layers Day 31 : Living Fully or Frantically

I'm a little behind with my Beyond Layers assignments and I'm posting them out-of-order as inspiration strikes.    This week, Kim encouraged us to slow down and pretend we are shooting with film instead of the infinite digital.  She said, "Make every click count ... Really SEE what you about to create.  Be intentional before clicking.  Be fully present."  Good advice.

These 2 Thistle pics are remarkably simple with minimal processing.  A simple crop.  No added layers other than the text in one, and a small spot healing in the other.  I took these on a bike ride out to Ames Point one evening.  It was the Golden Hour before the sun set.  I set the camera to Macro, lined up the thistles, and took only 2 shots.  They both came out beautifully with the back lighting.  I love how the dark water blurred out and the booka (sp?) magically appeared.  

Here's the second shot.  There was enough room on that wide leaf to add some text.

I completely see the value of being intentional in setting up the scene.  This was a valuable lesson!