Blessed by Bodhi Smith

Dec 10, 2021

"blessed" is my brand new impression and blog...
 
"i'm blessed with having you in my heart now...and i'm right there in your heart, if you ever need me, you will find me there" ― bodhinku, blessed
 
"may the sun bring you new energy by day, may the moon softly restore you by night. may the rain wash away your worries, may the breeze blow new strength into your being. may you walk gently through the world and know it's beauty all the days of your life" ― native american blessing
 
"blessed is he who listens, with the ear of his heart" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"we should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count" ― neil a. maxwell
 
"i couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you. that every long lost dream, led me to where you are. others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars pointing me on my way into your loving arms. this much i know is true: that god blessed the broken road that led me straight to you" ― rascal flatts, bless the broken road 
 
"the most significant gifts are the ones most easily overlooked. small, everyday blessings: trees, birds, stars, health, music, laughter, memories, books, family, friends, second chances, warm fireplaces, snowflakes, and all the footprints scattered throughout our days" ― sue monk kidd, the secret life of bees
 
"breathe in, breathe out. all the blessings of the universe that we may overlook are contained in the entirety of a breath" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha   
 
"may god give you: for every storm, a rainbow. for every tear, a smile. for every care, a promise, and a blessing in each trial. for every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share. for every sigh, a sweet song. and an answer for each prayer" ― paulo coelho, hippie
 
"each day is a blessed miracle, a blessing unexplored and the more you immerse yourself in light, the less you will feel the darkness...transcend your fears and follow yourself into the void instead of letting yourself get eaten up by entropy and decay. freedom is being yourself without permission. be soft and leave a lasting impression on everybody you meet" ― osho, the responsibility of being oneself
 
"beholden for those who saved me
appreciative for all who love me
thankful for every breath i take
contented with all that i have
grateful to live my life
beloved by her
i'm blessed" ― bodhinku, blessed
 
"when you feel hurt, confused, lonely, or sad, breathe into your pain, feel it, be with it, then breathe out an image of clarity, light, and a blessing. this alone will start to change your life" ― charlotte kasl, if the buddha dated
 
"i hope everyone has a blessed holiday season, full of great memories, full of smiles, and especially full of love, oodles of love" ― bodhinku, blessed
 
this song, from a couple years ago in 2019, is a beautiful love song with a message that because of his beloved, a man is blessed beyond belief...this song perfectly reflects the new happiness in my world recently discovered, and my own feelings of being blessed....and with the fact this song is named the same as my impression, plus with its beautiful and loving lyrics, it is the perfect accompaniment to connect music with the meaning of my impression and blog today: "blessed" by thomas rhett ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"the lights are down, but you're shining like you always do. everyday i'm reminded of the miracle of you. you're too good for coincidence, and too perfect for an accident. and i'm not sure where heaven is, but every night i get a glimpse, and i know i'm blessed...watching you spin in that dress, making my heart beat out my chest. i can't count the times i've heard people say i'm lucky. but lucky ain't the word, no, i'm blessed. and all i ain't got is my breath. you stole it the first time we met. you're more than i deserve. people say i'm lucky, but lucky ain't the word, oh, i'm blessed...i keep checking you for halos. swear, you're an angel in disguise. you blow my mind from every angle, and  i can see heaven in your eyes. you're too good for coincidence, and too perfect for an accident. and i'm not sure where heaven is, but every night i get a glimpse and i know i'm blessed. watching you spin in that dress, making my heart beat out my chest. i can't count the times i've heard people say i'm lucky. but lucky ain't the word, no, i'm blessed. and all i ain't got is my breath, you stole it the first time we met...you're more than i deserve. people say i'm lucky, but lucky ain't the word, oh, i'm blessed...baby, you're the kind of girl that i always prayed for. and i swear by my dying breath, that i will be faithful. oh baby, because i'm on my knees. woah, you make me believe baby, i'm blessed. watching you spin in that dress, making my heart beat out my chest. i can't count the times i've heard people say i'm lucky. but lucky ain't the word, oh, i'm blessed. and all i ain't got is my breath, you stole it the first time we met. you're more than i deserve. people say i'm lucky, but lucky ain't the word, no, i'm blessed" ― thomas rhett, blessed 
 
"my path to love was twisted and dark at times, hurtful and belittling. all so difficult to understand those painful hardships i had to persevere and pass though. so hard to see the meaning of the path, that is until i can finally look back on it, look back once i've found what i was always hoping for: being truly blessed and finding love in her arms" ― bodhinku, blessed
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MEANING
"what in the world do you do when you feel happy and content with everything in your life? you simply smile, full of gratitude to be so blessed" ― bodhinku, blessed
 
"blessed" is defined by merriam-webster as:
1. enjoying the bliss of heaven with happiness
2. bringing pleasure, contentment, or good fortune
3. very welcome, pleasant, or appreciated
 
many of us are blessed to be alive after a life-threatening disease, accident, or medical condition. blessed to be alive and healthy, blessed to get to wake up to another day... 
 
and we are blessed by others being in our lives too, blessed to have love and happiness. blessed to have our parents still alive, and our children and fur babies healthy and full of life. we are blessed to have each moment we have to life. blessed to be given another breath, and then another after that. blessed to see breathless beauty surrounding us everyday as well as blessed to travel and witness astounding sights around this exquisite world...thank you, my universe, for giving me almost everything!
 
"you were blessed with 84,600 seconds today, have you used one of them to say thank you?" ― bodhinku, blessed
 
understand that not everyone is as blessed. the holidays are difficult for so many people. so please remember, not everyone feels "the joy that christmas brings" or "thankfulness on thanksgiving"...way too many of us miss loved ones lost recently, or truly feel lost without their absence this time of year. their loss in our lives goes deep as we miss their love and presence in our life, especially when we see so many other people with happy families are getting together, and celebrating the holidays with one another. thankfully i am so blessed this year, i will not be alone. for me, i'm blessed with besos to share this season with, but i will always really really miss the dude (december 3, 2003 to may 9, 2018)
 
i'm blessed to have the hope of her, and my doggie besos, and all my friends, and parents, and blessed to be able to take lovely photographs to share with others, blessed to see in person the scenes i capture in my image, and blessed to have people support my artwork financially and spiritually... 
 
what in the world do you do when you feel happy and content with everything in your life? you simply smile, full of gratitude to be so blessed...
 
i hope everyone has a blessed holiday season, full of great memories, full of smiles, and especially full of love, oodles of love...
 
"i'm blessed with having you in my heart now...and i'm right there in your heart, if you ever need me, you will find me there" ― bodhinku, blessed
 
this beautiful tune went all the way to #1 on the music charts for weeks in 2004...and this song is like a story of my life and how my path to love was twisted and dark at times, hurtful and belittling. all so difficult to understand those painful hardships i've had to persevere and pass though. so hard to see the meaning of the path, that is until i can finally look back on it, look back once i've found what i was always hoping for: being truly blessed and finally finding love in her arms, but as i write this, i'm still trying to find her, or have her find me..: "bless the broken road" by rascal flatts ... (just click on any of words in the powder blue links to listen to the song)...  

"i set out on a narrow way many years ago, hoping i would find true love along the broken road. but i got lost a time or two, wiped my brow, and kept pushing through. i couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you. that every long lost dream, led me to where you are. others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars pointing me on my way into your loving arms. this much i know is true: that god blessed the broken road that led me straight to you. yes, he did...i think about the years i spent just passing through. i'd like to have the time i lost and give it back to you. but you just smile and take my hand, you've been there, you understand. it's all part of a grander plan that is coming true. every long lost dream led me to where you are. others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars pointing me on my way into your loving arms. this much i know is true: that god blessed the broken road that led me straight to you...yeah, and now i'm just a-rolling home into my lover's arms. this much i know is true: that god blessed the broken road that led me straight to you. that god blessed the broken road that led me straight to you" ― rascal flatts, bless the broken road 
 
"i was truly blessed to experience such a winter wonderland, truly blessed to be able to witness this magnificent marvel of mother nature before it disappeared. blessed to be able to create a permanent recording of it with my camera to share with others to see" ― bodhinku, blessed 
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STORY BEHIND THIS IMPRESSION
"with all the hassles of the winter storm closures: roads, trails, hotel, eateries, and cities, it was still soooo very worth it...i was blessed to get the opportunity to capture so many unique and wonderful impressions in the snow" ― bodhinku, blessed 
 
this is the picturesque multnomah falls in the columbia river gorge near portland, oregon just after a huge snow and ice storm blasted the pacific northwest in february of 2021...
 
i flew up to the pacific northwest last february during my winter break from teaching in the classroom, and came face to face with the coldest and nastiest winter storm to hit washington and oregon in decades. snow two feet deep literally blanketed and strangled seattle. and ice literally shut down portland and all of the freeways. it was a mess, ugly and difficult to maneuver. but with rare snow like this in places never usually seen, it created the best set of photo opportunities of my entire lifetime to date.
 
just getting from san diego to seattle was a major hassle and strain on the nerves, with all of the airlines cancelling flights. then once arriving in seattle, thankful for having caught the last flight on alaska air of the night at close to midnight, getting to the hotel turned into a massive chore...
 
took the airport shuttle bus over to the airport car rental facility, but my rental agency was closed and i was left abandoned (i was told by the car rental agency that someone would be there waiting for me no matter what). so back over to the airport on another shuttle i had to go since i had no vehicle...
 
once back at the airport, taxis/ubers where at a premium with all the deep snow, many cars were out of service since they had no clearance (like a toyota prius) and were unable to drive on the roads, but still many people on the arriving flights were trying to get from the airport to downtown or to their homes... 
 
ended up hopping in a car with another man who was going north of seattle, and we ended up splitting the extra high uber rates...
 
so finally made it to the hotel room, got some sleep, and then it was crazy finding transportation back to the rental car agency at the airport in the morning, because the roads had such deep snow on them, and nobody was prepared for any of it to be so bad. most businesses simply closed for the day...but was able to find a dude out of luck that had been a driver for uber and offered to take me back down to the airport for $50...
 
then i get to the enterprise rental car agency, who i deal with almost exclusively, and who has always taken exceptional care of me, often giving me nice upgrades por gratis...but because of the new high and obvious demand for high clearance vehicles due to the snowfall, they had rented my 4x4 suv i had reserved in my reservation, stating i was a no-show the previous night, even though over the phone they guaranteed the night before they would honor my reservation even if my plane arrived late, and they would have an agent there for me (which my plane landed way late, and enterprise left me abandoned)...
 
after some heated words with the manager, i was treated to a very nice upgrade of a gmc yukon (extra long) 4x4...which i hear rents for $380/day, and i got it for $48/day...
 
the whole trip would be filled with many more exploits and frustrations due to the snowfall and ice, with road closures, blocked roads, trail closures, whole city closures, hotel sell-outs, eating place closures, and dangerously deep snow combined with freezing rain that looked like 2 inch lamination on the car windows...but it was all totally worth it in my honest opinion...
 
during this trip i was truly blessed...the front ("take the time") and back ("spiritual") covers of my new upcoming book #8 were captured, and one of those pictures ("take the time") won the best in show award at the 2021 fallbrook artist guild show this past summer...and i have been sitting on this gem you see here today waiting for the winter to approach again before releasing it...

never in my life have i ever seen these falls so blue as they were on this late afternoon about half an hour before the sunset...the water was this blue, it has to do with all the new snow and ice that's present changing the way the light wavelengths are absorbed and thus seen by our eyes...

this blue color is caused by the absorption of both red and yellow light (leaving light at the blue end of the visible light spectrum). the absorption spectrum of ice is similar to that of water, except that hydrogen bonding causes all peaks to shift to lower energy - making the color bluer. this effect is augmented by scattering within snow, which causes the light to travel an indirect path, providing more opportunity for absorption.

from the surface, snow and ice present a uniformly white face. this is because almost all of the visible light striking the snow or ice surface is reflected back, without any preference for a single color within the visible spectrum.

the situation is different for light that is not reflected, but penetrates or is transmitted into the snowy/icy water. as this light travels into the water, the ice grains scatter a large amount of light. if the light is to travel over any distance it must survive many such scattering events. in other words, it must keep scattering and not be absorbed. we usually see the light coming back from the near surface layers (less than 1 cm) after it has been scattered or bounced off other icy grains only a few times, and it still appears white. for deeper layers, most of the light is absorbed and not reflected, so only most blue makes it through...

in simplest of terms, think of the ice/snow layer or water depth as a filter. if it is only a centimeter thick, all the light makes it through; if it is a meter thick, mostly blue light makes it through. this is similar to the way coffee often appears light when poured, but much darker when it is in a cup...

because of the frozen wall of ice behind the falls and the darker rocks, there is little light making it through, and in the case of these falls surrounded by snow and ice, only mostly blue light made it through creating the soft blue color you see here...

and again it would seem, i was blessed to have taken this image when i did. because only a few minutes after capturing this impression, the large v-shaped chunk of ice at the very top-right of the falls separated and fell to the bottom. and this collapse caused the flow of water to dramatically increase, and with all the extra volume of water, it changed the waterfall to muddied brown. and even after the dingy colors flushed themselves away, all the blue tint disappeared totally...
 
i was truly blessed to experience such a winter wonderland, truly blessed to be able to witness this magnificent marvel of mother nature before it disappeared. blessed to be able to create a permanent recording of it with my camera to share with others to see...
 
i hope you love this scene which i have created, hope it brings you cheer this holiday season...happy holidays!
 
"the water of life is blue, spiritual, and free. it's liquid breath. it exists in its purity, refreshing the body and soul with its wisdom of cleansing peace...let it flow into you and through you" ― bodhinku, spiritual
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HISTORY
"live life unbound and never let anyone or anything hold you back or control you...just let go of your restraints; express yourself, be free-spirited and let your amazing true colors flow freely...once you do this, you'll be guided by all that is natural and real from your heart and soul, you will abide by your inner truth and your spirit will soar..." ― bodhinku, spiritual
 
the word multnomah being the name given to the indigenous inhabitants of this area before the europeans ever settled in this area of oregon... legend has it that this waterfall got its name because it was created by the great spirit in honor of chief multnomah's daughter...
 
the story maintains that the tribes along the columbia river had been celebrating the marriage of chief multnomah's daughter to a neighboring tribe. the happiness didn't last long, however, before the area experienced an illness that affected all of the tribes along the river. the tribal medicine man claimed the great spirit had told him all of the tribe would die unless the spirit received a sacrifice; but not just any sacrifice, the chief's daughter's life...
 
the chief wouldn't allow it, but when the daughter saw the sickness affect her loved ones, she willingly left in the middle of the night to go to the top of a sheer cliff overlooking the columbia river. she threw herself off the cliff. when the chief found his daughter's body, he prayed to the great spirit for a sign that her spirit was well. water began pouring from the cliff and became known as multnomah falls...   
 
when you're weary, feeling small
when tears are in your eyes, i'll dry them all
i'm on your side, when times get rough
and friends just can't be found
like a bridge over troubled water
i will lay me down
like a bridge over troubled water
i will lay me down  

when you're down and out
when you're on the street
when evening falls so hard
i will comfort you
i'll take your part, when darkness comes
and pain is all around
like a bridge over troubled water
i will lay me down
like a bridge over troubled water
i will lay me down

sail on silver girl
sail on by
your time has come to shine
all your dreams are on their way
see how they shine
oh, if you need a friend
i'm sailing right behind
like a bridge over troubled water
i will ease your mind
like a bridge over troubled water
i will ease your mind ― paul simon, bridge over troubled water
 
"how does a part of the world leave the world? how can wetness leave water? do not try to put out a fire, by throwing on more fire. do not wash a wound with blood...no matter how fast you run, your shadow more than keeps up. sometimes it's in front. only full overhead sun diminishes your shadow. but that shadow has been serving you. what hurts you blesses you. darkness is your candle. your boundaries are your quest" ― jalaluddin rumi, bridge to the soul  
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MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
"every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. the goal is to find it" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha
  
"my imperfections and failures are as much a blessing as my successes and my talents" ― mohandas mahatma gandhi    
 
"i'm simple. i'm looking for giggles and belly laughs, ​blessed ​saturday adventures to nowhere except your eyes, cuddling on the couch watching romance movies, endless conversation, deep soul sex, and penetrating, lingering kisses that last for days on our lips. that sounds like perfection to me" ― c. ara campbell
 
"the one thing i know for sure is that feelings are rarely mutual, so when they are, drop everything, forget belongings and expectations, forget the games, the two days between texts, the hard to gets because this is it, this is what the entire world is after and you’ve stumbled upon it by chance, by accident​, you are blessed​...so take a deep breath, take a step forward, now run, collide like planets in the system of a dying sun, embrace each other with both arms and let all the rules, the opinions and common sense crash down around you. because this is love kid, and it’s all yours. believe me, you're in for one hell of a ride, after all...this is the one thing i know for sure" ― beau taplin, the wild heart  
 
"just living is not always living. look at your life. can you call it blessed? can you call it a gift? a present of existence? would you want this life to be given to you again and again?" ― osho, the secret of secrets  
 
"what is gain to the ego is loss to the soul. what is a blessing to the ego is a curse to the soul. what seems to be of tremendous importance to the ego is just sheer stupidity to the innermost core of your being" ― osho, book of wisdom
 
"challenge everything for the truth. only those who challenge everything for the truth are the blessed ones" ― osho, the book of nothing
 
"every blessing ignored becomes a curse" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist   
 
"joy is sometimes a blessing, but it is often a conquest. our magic moment help us to change and sends us off in search of our dreams. yes, we are going to suffer, we will have difficult times, and we will experience many disappointments—but all of this is transitory it leaves no permanent mark. and one day we will look back with faith at the journey we have taken" ― paulo coelho, by the river piedra i sat down and wept    
 
"be blessed. and just as you are transforming your own life, may you transform the lives of those around you. when they ask, do not forget to give. when they knock at your door, be sure to open it. when they lose something and come to you, do whatever you can to help them find what they have lost" ― paulo coelho, aleph
 
"may you find grace as you surrender to life. may you find happiness, as you stop seeking it. may you come to trust these laws and inherit the wisdom of the earth. may you reconnect with the heart of nature and feel the blessings of spirit" ― dan millman, way of the peaceful warrior
 
"only a small few can hold the gate open when profound love enters. A blessed and courageous few" ― jeff brown, soulshaping
 
"be kind and do good for any one and that will be reflected. the ripples of the kind heart are the highest blessings of the universe" ― amit ray, world peace  
 
"when we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed" ― maya angelou
 
"sometimes i need
only to stand
wherever i am
to be blessed" ― mary oliver 
 
"i existed on my own terms. i was different my entire life. some called me divergent, wild, crazy, unpredictable and unconformed—an apostate to the rules of the majority. i called myself god’s creation and found purpose in the madness. when that day came, i didn’t allow other people to dictate how i should feel or act. i learned there was no shame in imperfection because history had shown being different had the power to change perspectives and eventually the world. this is when i realized that flaws had responsibility. this was the day that i learned i was truly blessed" ― shannon l. alder
 
"live your truth. express your love. share your enthusiasm. take action towards your dreams. walk your talk. dance and sing to your music. embrace your blessings. make today worth remembering" ― steve maraboli, unapologetically you   
 
"everyone you meet is a part of your journey, but not all of them are meant to stay in your life. some people are just passing through to bring you gifts; either they're blessings or lessons" ― roy t. bennett, the light in the heart     

"the madness of love is the greatest of heaven's blessings" ― plato, phaedrus   
 
"love is a flower that grows in any soil, works its sweet miracles undaunted by autumn frost or winter snow, blooming fair and fragrant all the year, and blessing those who give and those who receive" ― louisa may alcott, little men
 
"i am larger, better than i thought; i did not know i held so much goodness. all seems beautiful to me. whoever denies me, it shall not trouble me; whoever accepts me, he or she shall be blessed, and shall bless me" ― walt whitman, leaves of grass  
 
"how blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams" ― bram stoker, dracula
 
"when we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place" ― c.s. lewis, the chronicles of narnia   
 
this quote has the word "blessed" in it, but really does not fit entirely with my blog today...still, it is one of my top five favorite movie quotes of all time, comes from samuel l. jackson's character jules winnfield in tarantino's pulp fiction (1994)...
“ezekiel 25:17...the path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. and i will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. and you will know i am the lord when i lay my vengeance upon you"...i've been sayin' that shit for years. and if you ever heard it, it meant your ass. i never really questioned what it meant. i thought it was just a cold-blooded thing to say to a motherfucker before you popped a cap in his ass. but i saw some shit this morning, made me think twice. now i'm thinking: it could mean you're the evil man, and i'm the righteous man. and mister .45 here, he's the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. or it could be you're the righteous man and i'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil and selfish. i'd like that. but that shit ain't the truth. the truth is you're the weak, and i'm the tyranny of evil men. but i'm tryin, ringo. i'm tryin real hard to be the shepherd" ― quentin tarantino, pulp fiction
 
"stop asking god to bless what you're doing. find out what god's been doing. it's already blessed" ― bono, on the move
 
"it's a blessed thing to love and feel loved in return" ― e.a. bucchianeri, brushstrokes of a gadfly
 
"true happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for they who are as so, want nothing. the greatest blessings of humankind are within us and within our reach. a wise one is content with their lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what they have not" ― lucius annaeus seneca
 
"but listen to me: for one moment, quit being sad. hear blessings dropping their blossoms
 
"o heart! what a blessing to have reached the circle of lovers" ― jalaluddin rumi, whispers of the beloved
 
"when love comes suddenly and taps on your window, run and let it in but first shut the door of your reason. to reason, love can only say, the way is barred, you can't pass through. but to the lover, it offers a hundred blessings. before the mind decides to take a step, love has reached the seventh heaven. before the mind can figure how, love has climbed the holy mountain. i must stop this talk now and let love speak from its nest of silence" ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
 
"i want to be where your bare foot walks, because maybe before you step, you'll look at the ground. i want that blessing" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved
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ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"many of us are blessed to be alive after a life-threatening disease, accident, or medical condition. blessed to be alive and healthy, blessed to get to wake up to another day" ― bodhinku, blessed
 
this impression was captured about half an hour before sunset at 5:05pm in the columbia river gorge at multnomah falls, about 30 miles east of portland, oregon on february 14, 2021...
 
this is a 1:1.5 panoramic composition created by using the photomerge function in adobe photoshop cc to stitch together 3 separate semi-long exposure compositions all taken in succession of each other on a uniform vertical plane while panning up (in a horizontal orientation), each shot has the same exact camera settings (f/11 at 24mm for 1 second, iso-64)...
 
in my photography, i always use filters to create longer exposure effects, saturate colors naturally, and balance the light in my composition in-camera. and this composition is no exception...i often use as many as four filters at time, and i always use at least one filter...for this exposure, to get the effects and balance i was looking for, i used two progreyusa filters in the capture of this composition...  
 
the two filters i chose for this impression were a 1.6nd progrey aurora filter to slow down the dwindling pre-sunset light 6 stops and permit the long exposure time of 1sec which creates the smoothing effects of the water, plus naturally extra saturate in camera all the blue and green colors in the composition....combined in tandem with a 0.9gnd progrey aurora filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it...in this case, to stop down the light in the sky at the top of the composition an extra three stops and help to permit more of the details in the shadows on face rock and trees to come out in contrast with the bright white snow...to hold the filters and secure them to my nikon d850 mounted with a nikon nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 i used the progrey g-120z magnetic holder...
 
with this being a series of semi-long exposures put together, i needed the great set of filters and filter holder from progreyusa to help beautifully block down the light 6 stops. and as with all longer exposure panoramic comps, an excellent panhead and a stable and sturdy tripod are absolute necessities...i used my induro phq3 series 5-way panhead mounted on the induro stealth carbon fiber tripod...these are necessary in order to keep the 3 separate exposed images in perfect line on the same plane with each other, and in sharp focus in the places i wanted sharpness (the rocks/bridge/trees) and permit for accurate motion blur for anything moving in the image (water)...
 
i wish to openly thank my sponsors who have always supported me through both the good and bad times...for truly this long exposure impression would not be possible without the use of my induro phq3 series 5-way panhead mounted on the induro stealth carbon fiber tripod in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use with every photo i take...
 
"if nothing else...if i open my eyes, if i hope, if i cry, if i think, if i sigh, if i giggle, if i dance, if i love, if i breathe, then i have lived a full days worth of life...nothing is wasted, nothing" ― bodhinku, if nothing else
 
"i do not want you to just be into my photography, instead, i'd much rather you take a journey into my pictures, and feel the impression i have created, feel it with all your senses" ― bodhinku, into my photography
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty. stop the world. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. hush. relax. seize this moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the colors of light whisper as they envelope you. see the melody and harmony that float about unnoticed. taste the solitude of all this wonderment. smell the beautiful silence. now discover your peaceful serenity. then, reach out and touch your faith with all your senses. this is my world. awaken!" ― bodhinku, my world
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary" ― bodhinku, my diary  
 
i leave you today wishing that bright joy 
and spiritual peace bless and fill your life...
imploring you to make every moment count, 
no matter what, always and forever, 
for that is the only thing that truly matters...    
 
and above all else,
i hope this message and impression find you well.
 
namaste,
bodhi
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