Fall 2014

Feels like work has taken over my life lately... It took away most of my time, my mind, and more importantly, my sense of artistry.  Believe it or not, I have not taken any vacation time off since April when I went to China -- go figure!  I am soooo tired!!

Since I will be out of the country on vacation for 2 weeks starting this weekend, I sneaked out last weekend and took the one and only autumn picture of 2014.  Not sure if the leaves will still be here when I come back, but I am keeping my fingers crossed -- really, truly hope I could see more of the amazing fall colors...

You have no idea how much I regretted for not being able to spend more time at that sweet little pond, but I hope the colorful sentiment has been captured!

Woodward Lake, Michigan
September 27, 2014  

Chinese Moon Festival: 2014

It's Chinese Moon Festival today.  It's on August 15th each year based on the lunar calendar.  For some unforgivable reasons, I did not take any pictures of the "full" moon yesterday, and obviously, the name of the game today is work.  So, I don't have any full moon pictures for 2014 -:(((.

However, I found a picture taken last year when I was visiting Inner Mongolia in China.  It was a full moon on 10/18/2013, and the skies in the desert were unbelievably clear.  I remember being taken to this famous "dead tree forest" in the desert, where hundreds of acres of dead trees laying around silently with different sizes and shapes.  I was deeply touched by the deadly quiet surrounding and started to imagine the place from a hundred years ago when the trees were all alive... It was the golden season there in October, the trees, the leaves, the water, the soil, the grass, the birds, and everything -- so harmoniously composed, like a beautiful poem.

Now, a hundred years later, water disappeared, trees died, leaves gone, only the lonely tree trunks are still standing -- in the wind, in the rain, in the cold and in the heat...  The moon would rise and set every day and turn full every month -- this is the circle of life, circle of the world, and circle of the universe!

Picture 1 = Full Moon in Twilight (the reddish colors of the tree trunks and the sky looked totally unreal -- but that's the way it was)

Picture 2 = Same kind of trees today (胡杨林) -- 20 miles from the "dead trees forest" 

Inner Mongolia, China
October 18, 2013

Saturday Morning

I've told myself over and over again -- photography is largely not about technical skills, it's about being out there to see the world.  Even if it's the same part of the world, you are likely to see different things each time because nature is a wonder and the world has its endless beauty...

Downtown Chicago, IL

September 6, 2014

5:51 AM