It is easy for me to be delighted and entranced by simple things in nature, like this dandelion seed head that I spotted last week in my neighborhood. I remember the joy of blowing on these balls of fluff when I was a child and watching the little seeds sail through the air.
Yesterday the Governor of Virginia, the state in which I live, issued an executive order directing us all to stay at home except for a limited number of excepted essential tasks, including things like getting groceries and seeking medical care. One of the exceptions is “Engaging in outdoor activity, including exercise, provided individuals comply with social distancing requirements.” I am not yet sure if my forays into the wild with my camera would still be permitted as “engaging in outdoor.” If not, the content of my blog postings might change a little, but I plan to continue to post.
Whatever the case, I think this is a good time for us to be mindful of and thankful for the simple delights that can be found all around us.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I hope you’ll be able to keep getting out and about, albeit in a more limited fashion. Here, some of the parks have closed, and Galveston has closed its beaches, but that’s due solely to groups of people who refused to abide by social distancing restrictions. Galveston was being inundated by hordes of Houstonian daytrippers who were partying like spring breakers, so they really had no choice. It sounds like your restrictions are modeled after the same federal guidelines as ours, so I think you’ll be “good to go.”
Here, the refuges and such are open, apart from visitor centers, restrooms, and so on. I met one of my favorite game wardens on the road the other day, and his only advice was that I should have fun and enjoy the day. I certainly took that as a word of permission.
I think many of us outdoor photographers are going through the same thing. Just going ‘out’ seems to hold a certain social stigma right now. But for those of us who are connected with nature like we are, I feel it’s a good thing and we are rarely in close proximity to others. Like you, I hope to continue my trips into the outdoors as long as it is permitted and I can do so safely. Keep well.
Even before the emergence of the corona virus crisis, I would select locations to visit deliberately to avoid others. A lot of the places that I like to visit are closed, but there are some that are still open. I am hoping to be able to have a clearer picture soon of what is permitted and prohibited under the executive order in my state. Stay healthy and safe.
Nice Mike! If you want to try something different for dandelions try image stacking in Photoshop. You shoot a series of focus points going from top to a few layers below with the aperture wide open. Your 180mm macro would be great for this. Then load the layers in a Photoshop file and let Photoshop blend the sharpest areas for your final layered image. This way you get more detail in a dandelion with a smooth background. Search my blog for dandelions to see what I mean. Stay safe out there!
I may have to try that. Do you use a tripod to keep the camera steady as you are changing focus points? When I am shooting that close, it is sometimes difficult enough to keep the subject centered. I think that you have done enough focus stacking that it must be second nature to think of it–I’ver seen you use it for landscape and even bird shots. The few times I have used the stacking built into Photoshop have always been for panos.
Similar here in California. All parking lots of state and county parks are closed. That, of course, makes it difficult to get into them. But nothing prevents us from going out and taking walks so long as we stay away from other people. Of course, we are socially distance when we are in our cars and it just so happens that many of my favorite spots for photography don’t have parking lots anyway. So I will just carry on. Photography is a solitary activity anyway. I think you may find the same. The dandelion, by the way, is beautiful. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Thanks for your comments, Michael. I am definitely interested in hearing what other photographers. I’m gradually moving to a position that is very similar to yours and may carry on with photography in some of the more remote locations I like to visit. Yesterday I was at a large park whose parking lots are closed. It took almost two hours to hike in from the periphery to get to the spot where I wanted to go. It was a bit grueling, but doable. It seems like hiking is still permitted, so I think that hiking with a camera should be legal at the moment.
Providing one maintains social distancing, I don’t see any problem. Fortunately, many of our trails just start on the side of the road. There is no parking lot. Just a wide shoulder where you can pull off to the side. A little common sense goes a long way. My biggest problem is going to the grocery store.
Looking at this lovely photo of an intact Dandelion seed head that is just waiting to be blown away reminds me of a story about Benjamin that took place last year. Returning from one of our “Adventurings” as we walked up the road to my house we came upon my neighbor in her front yard. She was instructing her gardener to get rid of the multitude of Dandelions that were rapidly changing to seeded heads. “Wow” said Benjamin, “That’s a whole lotsa wishes!” The gardener laughed and said to my neighbor : “You see weeds, the boy sees wishes.” She broke one off and handed it to Benjamin saying : “Please make a wish that they go away.” Taking the Dandelion he happily blew it away. She then asked if he had made the wish for her. Benjamin smiled and said : “Yes, but now it won’t come true cause you’re not supposed to tell your wish.” Dandelions are either loved or detested…Benjamin and I love them from flowers to seeds. By the way, the wish did not in fact come true! Thank-you, Mr. Mike!
Just adding another point-of-view here not discussed above – but it’s something to think about. What has been made clear to us in New Zealand is that the authorities don’t want us out in our cars except for things that are essential (groceries, medical reason). One of the reasons is to avoid situations where assistance may be needed from other people thereby bringing them into contact with you (e.g. for roadside assistance if something goes wrong). The same reason is behind our authorities wanting us to walk locally to our neighbourhood and not go hiking further away where we might need to call on others for help. The thinking is not solely based around social distancing.
Thanks, Liz, for bringing in another perspective to this discussion that I had not really thought about. There are so many factors that come into play in trying to protect ourselves and others.
I’m glad you shared about your lack of certainty because it got a discussion going. I’m really shocked at the comments here because it appears that Americans just haven’t got to grips with the issues so I’ve decided I’ll write a blog about it. There’s a lot at stake and we’re living in truly scary times.
I’ll be very interested to read your insights, Liz. One of the biggest problems here in the USA here is the sheer size of the country–it would be hard to agree on a single uniform restrictive policy and it might not make sense to do so. Much of the responsibility for local policies has been devolved down to the state governors and there has been great variation in the resulting policies. There are huge problems too with the lack of social protection and guaranteed medical care in our system. Staying at home seems to make sense, except for the fact that so many have to go to work, either because they are deemed essential or because they need that paycheck.
Love the lotsa wishes you put in my mail daily!!
“Lotsa wishes”–I love that comment so much.
Hope you can keep going Mike… We have had the same restrictions here in Australia for a while. But even if your outings get limited you will find different subjects that can pique your interest. Stay safe.
I hope you can continue to explore the world around you. Mike. I enjoy the beautiful photos you share with us. Stay safe and healthy.
I’m sure what you do will be considered legitimate. You’re walking/hiking. You just happen to be lugging some camera equipment with you (weight-lifting?), and you stop from time to time… hoping for continued excursions. We are off to SCSP now.
Thanks for the encouragement, Nina. As long as I keep far away from people, I think I will be following the rules. Have a good hike…it’s a cool and somewhat gloomy day.
I am actually loving the sudden variety in your nature images. 🙂 I love this one! (And either you’ve stayed busy or I’m more behind on my reading than I thought because I have quite a bit more to explore here!)