St Mary Falls

[Matt Tilghman]

This is why I love photography.

I love nature.  Hiking, trekking, just being in it and soaking it in... it gives me such peace of mind, and is deeply mentally cleansing for me.  It's the driving force behind some of my fondest memories.  But over time the memories fade, just like anything else.  Photography, for me, helps preserve the memories.  I'm not talking about a photograph simply preserving a beautiful instant, which it does, but rather how it helps reawaken entire experiences.

I found this photograph a few days ago.  It was taken in 2009, on a trip me and cousin took to Glacier National Park.  On this day, we started the day with a sunrise hike up to Avalanche Lake, and ended the day with a dusk hike through Logan Pass to Hidden Lake.  They were two of the most memorable hikes from that trip.  But there was a third hike we did that day, in between the other two, that I had completely forgotten about until finding this photo.  In the middle of the day, we hiked to St Mary Falls and Virginia Falls.  Even though the hike was less memorable than the other two, this photograph reminded me not only the sights we saw, but also the conversations we had, like whining about how hungry we were, and the blisters our soggy shoes were giving us.  It made me really happy, just to be able to re-experience a day well spent.

St Mary Falls

[JohnBrew]

Beautiful place, beautiful picture.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Beautiful place, beautiful picture.

and a terrific description of why one photographs.

[fike]

Nice photo. Nice reflection.  The value we place on a photo is predicated not only on its standalone aesthetic but also on its context within a story. That story can be one we have in our mind, or it can be in the form of a caption or essay accompanying the image. This is something I think is missing in much of our modern photography--the interpretation of the image.  It is something I try to do on my blog, so I enjoyed seeing your short reflection/essay.

Whenever someone says of their photography, "It stands on its own and needs no explanation," I always get a bit irritated.  Maybe it can stand alone, but it might be much better if I got a little bit of context.  I understand the desire for photos to exist outside the confines of language and explanation, but I don't particularly care for it.  I will always appreciate something better when I understand it.

You have a decent photo that is made better by your reflection.  Reminds me of this:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/07/30/thomas_edison_and_henry_ford_photo_album_from_their_1918_car_camping_trip.html

[Matt Tilghman]

Thanks John, Eric, and Fike!

[Colorado David]

I love this photo.  One of the highest compliments I can pay is that it draws me in.  It's not just a pretty picture. I am drawn in to the photo.  My eyes follow the falls, I wonder what it's like above the upper falls at the top of the photo, and I wonder what it would be like to stand on the rock outcrop across the lower falls.  It makes me want to experience the sound and feel the spray.

[Paulo Bizarro]

Very nice.

[francois]

It's a very nice photo. I like the framing and the way water "travels". Colors are also vibrant… FWIW, I went there just once and it was raining with thick fog... Your photo helps me see what I missed.

[SunnyUK]

It's lovely, and it makes me want to be there, smell the air and feel the water sprays on my skin. I'm smiling just from looking at it

[aricronald]

I am really very impressed by seeing this awesome photography. You have captured this photograph by using proper exposure and really I like it's texture and clarity very much. No words are sufficient to explain the beauty of that image.

[sdwilsonsct]

Yes, I keep coming back to this one. Very nicely done.

[Matt Tilghman]

Thank you all so much!  Some pretty high compliments, I feel very flattered But mostly am happy just to have struck a chord