“Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow” Aesop. Over 2600 years since Aseop wrote down his proverbs and we seem to be grasping at more shadows than ever. Enjoying things that are real rather than fantasy becomes harder as the illusions become ever more sophisticated in the electronic age. I realise there is more than a touch of hypocrisy in posting this quote up when over 80k people are following my shadow across the internet. I guess I hope that some imagery can lead people to extrospection and more engagement with the world around them rather than less. As someone who suffers from excessive amounts of introspection; it’s hard for me to be sure about this. I had just managed to park my car and catch literally the last few seconds of smoky alpenglow on Mount Hood when I took this shot handheld with a 400mm lens. Hood sits at 3,429 m (11,249 ft) altitude and forms part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc. Mount Hood National Forest, Northern Oregon. USA.
“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. “ - Henry David Thoreau Last light at Vernon lake. Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
A misty sunrise over Mt Everest, also known as Chomolungma or Sagarmatha, towering above at a massive 8,848 metres (29,029 ft). The summit of Mt Everest has less then 33% of the oxygen available at sea level. I hiked up Kala Pattar 5,644.5 m (18,519 ft) in the dark with a head torch three mornings in a row in an attempt to get this shot. At 5500m you have exactly 50% of the Oxygen available at sea level. The highest mountain on earth, Mt Everest is in the Mahalangur Range of the Himalayas and sits on the international border between China (Tibet Autonomous Region) and Nepal. Photo taken on Fiji Velvia slide film.
