Spiritual by Bodhi Smith

Mar 05, 2021

"spiritual" a brand new impression and blog from me...
     
"with pure blue waters, this free-flowing stream and its spirited falls speak directly to me. they tell a spiritual lesson, if only i pay attention and listen to them...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
 
"if spirit is the seed, dance is the water of its evolution" ― shah asad rizvi
 
"dreams, dreams. i walk them; i live them. i delude myself with them. it's a wonder i can spot reality anymore" ― richelle mead, spirit bound
 
"keep close to nature's heart, yourself; and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. wash your spirit clean" ― john muir
 
"i'm a free spirit who never had the balls to be free until now" ― cheryl strayed, wild: from lost to found on the pacific crest trail
 
"write it on your heart, that every day is the best day in the year. one is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety...finish each day and be done with it. you have done what you could. some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. tomorrow is a new day. you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense...this new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays" ― ralph waldo emerson 
 
"life is the work of the spirit trying to have a human experience" ― holly lynn payne
 
"you fill up my senses, like a night in a forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain, like a sleepy blue ocean...you fill up my senses, come fill me again" ― john denver, annie's song 
 
"sometimes we need to just sense something beautiful to refresh our spirits. an exquisite fragrance, a breathtaking view, the bite of something tasty, a catchy tune, a tingling touch, a friendly face, an endearing word, a peaceful calm..." ― bodhinku, spiritual
 
"what is agony of the spirit? to grow older without seizing hold of the water of life" ― jalaluddin rumi, a year with rumi
 
"beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the spirit" ― khalil gibran, the prophet  
 
my god, watch this video about spirit, centered around a horse in the disney animation called, "spirit"...and listen to the words sung by john denver...how can you not fall in love with hope and warming happiness?... "spirit" by john denver ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....
 
"his spirit joined and so was formed ten thousand years ago between the swan and hercules where even dark clouds glow. to live with grace, to ride the swell, to yet be strong of will. to love the wind, to learn it's song and empty space to fill. apollo taught me to rhyme. orpheus taught me to play. andromeda cast down her sign, and vega lights my way. smoke rings in a galaxy, an endless flight through time. lyra gave her harp to him, and left him free to climb. a winter's journey from the moon to reach the summer sun, to rise again, to sing for you a song that's yet unsung...apollo taught me to rhyme, orpheus taught me to play, andromeda cast down her sign and vega lights my way. his spirit joined and so was formed, ten thousand years ago between the swan and hercules where even dark clouds glow. to live with grace, to ride the swell, to yet be strong of will. to love the wind, to learn her song, and empty space to fill" ― john denver, spirit
 
"you are the rushing mountain stream in which my spirit flows, you are the love inside love flowing from my heart throughout my body, you are the pure water of life nourishing my soul" ― bodhinku, spiritual
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MEANING
"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
 
this is another impression whose meaning is really all about the hope of "her." the beautiful lady of my dreams. the one that i want to live a fairytale with for the rest of our lives together, to become purely spiritual as one...written for her to read is every single quote of love in this and so many of the past months of blogs, i hope she sees and reads my words, i hope she is ready for me, i hope she finally comes out of my visions and dreams and she finds me as i find her one day, and we get lost and found in each others eyes for always...
 
"spiritual" is defined as: "relating to or affecting the human spirit as opposed to material or physical things"...and the meaning from this image is quite spiritual to me, as you will see as you read on here further...
 
after hiking down steep slopes through snow covered forest hills in the rain, deep down into a gorge to get to this enchanting place, i stood in awe and wonder. i was surrounded by my favorite colors, engulfed in the sound of roaring water, lost in the wonderful scents of the forest, just taking in all the beauty with all my senses. all was so profoundly spiritual to me...
 
i was soaked from the hike down, from the falling rain, from falling occasionally in the slick snow, and from having to walk through a couple waterfalls...but it did not matter and i did not notice or pay it any heed. i even forgot i was a photographer, as i just stood there and took everything in, not bothering to even consider taking out my camera gear yet...
 
i just stood there and witnessed what nature was showing me, mesmerized and lost (in a good way), just standing there and listening to what nature was trying to tell me...all the while, angelic music swirling around my head with john denver's words filling up my mind: "you fill up my senses, come fill me again..."
 
there's always messages in the beauty of nature...
 
pictured here with its pure blue waters, this free-flowing stream and its spirited falls speak directly into my soul. they tell a spiritual lesson, if only i pay attention and listen to them... 
 
"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
 
one common trait in us humans is our spirituality and the belief our spirits live on in an afterlife...that is all fine and great for later, but what about now? 
 
thoughts of the afterlife are all peachy, but to live life fully now, we need to become just like the stream. we must look to our inward flow and trust what our own spiritual soul tells us...
 
we must see through all the people and things trying to control us...
 
my god, how useless it is running around in circles on the hamster wheel, endlessly trying to make as much money as possible so we can buy as many material things as possible, things we really do not need, things disposable when the newest next best thing comes around to replace them all...we cannot let the things we own, end up owning us...plus we desperately cannot also fall into the popularity traps of social media trying to be noticed, or listen to the relentless blather of political rhetoric to guide us to a better life...
 
"the things you own end up owning you. it's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything" ― chuck palahniuk, fight club
 
"they subjugate the meek, but it's the rhetoric of failure...where does the answer lie? living from day to day. if it's something we can't buy, there must be another way...we are spirits in the material world..." ― the police, spirits in the material world
 
we must be spirits in this world, we need to live freely, just as water flows in a wild stream and down a cascade, it's free-spirited to flow and fall wherever and whenever it needs...
 
get off the computer and leave your phone in your pocket. seek the reality around you. go out into nature and see it with your own eyes, not with the eyes of a lcd screen... 
 
go out into nature, push your limits, discover beauty you have never seen, beauty that does not need to be shared, except with those you love and want to surround yourself amidst...
 
i implore you to live not in the cyberworld of a computer screen, a world that will only imprison your mind...instead live in nature. live in beauty. be alive in the true reality right before your own eyes and all your senses!
 
i know where my spirit lies. it lies with nature. in the blue waters of a cascading stream. in the leaves of a japanese maple tree. in the reflection of the stars in a pool of water. in the puffy pink clouds at sunrise. in the warmth of the sun as it touches the ocean at sunset. in the snow atop a high sierra peak. in the bird's song outside my window...let these fill up my senses, let them come fill me again...
 
"we need to be like the wild stream and just flow free, on our own accord, to where we know in our hearts that we need to go, and where we need to be spiritually" ― bodhinku, spiritual 
 
i alluded to this tune with a quote above...and this song is my absolute favorite john denver song (and truly my favorite love song of all time because of its meaning to me)...with its lyrics it just fits so perfectly with the meaning of this impression/blog and all the feelings i was experiencing, all the emotions filling me up as i stood there and was lucky enough to capture this beautiful scene... "annie's song" by john denver ... i sound old, but they just do not make beautiful and sweet love songs like this anymore...(just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...  

"you fill up my senses like a night in a forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain, like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean...you fill up my senses, come fill me again...come let me love you. let me give my life to you. let me drown in your laughter. let me die in your arms. let me lay down beside you. let me always be with you...come let me love you, come love me again...you fill up my senses like a night in a forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain, like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean...you fill up my senses, come fill me again" ― john denver, annie's song 
 
"like the spirited stream before us, we are becoming wild and free, existing openly in our own sublime color, spiritual and loving, peaceful and flowing, living only in our own eloquence, unkempt by time and human constraints" ― bodhinku, spiritual 
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STORY BEHIND THIS IMPRESSION
"one common trait in us humans is our spirituality and the belief our spirits live on in an afterlife...that is all fine and great for later, but what about now? we must be spirits in this world, we need to live freely, just as water flows in a wild stream and down a cascade, it's free-spirited to flow and fall wherever and whenever it needs..." ― bodhinku, spiritual   
 
pictured here is a set of colorful and peaceful secluded falls, off the beaten path in a gorge wanting no commercial access or extra foot traffic to their edge. a beautiful pristine place pleading to be kept secret and anonymous....wanting no desire for multitudes of cloned instagram wanna-be seekers hoping for their one-post rendition into spotlight fame...
 
i hope its remote wilderness keeps others from destroying the spiritual loveliness of this place...
 
just after a huge snowstorm, i hiked down to these falls...it's a truly challenging hike that starts from a position high above, and continues through extremely dangerous and unforgiving conditions straight down in the snow, mud, and rain, to meet with the weather elements and challenges of the river's edge below with walking under waterfalls, standing in the rain, mist, super slick moss covered rocks and avoiding the streams rapid moving currents...and then having to hike straight back up later though the waterfalls, over slipper rocks, up through the steep forest terrain in deep and slippery snow in the same weather elements, soaked to the bone and tired, just wanting to get out and back to our vehicle that was warm and dry before it all got dark out...
 
it was so totally worth the effort, the time, the weather, and the stupendous experience of doing it all and pushing past comfort levels and questioning your own ability into the unknown of a new place for the first time...and mother nature was nothing less than spectacular to share this experience with...
 
everything i felt is summed up by the term, "spiritual" and i will never forget my enchanting experience, my overflowing exuberance, and my profound love of this place...and my eternal hopes of visiting it again, hopefully still in this same unspoiled state of existence in the future...
 
"after hiking down steep slopes through snow covered forest hills in the rain, deep down into a gorge to get to this enchanting place, i stood in awe and wonder. i was surrounded by my favorite colors, engulfed in the sound of roaring water, lost in the wonderful scents of the forest, just taking in all the beauty with all my senses. all was so profoundly spiritual" ― bodhinku, spiritual
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MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
this is a classic song from a famous alternative group, the police, released in the early 1980's...the lyrics comment on the issues of spirituality vs. materialism...it is melodic and beautifully rhythmic in its message about the nature of human existence and the failure of all humanly earthly institutions to try to make things better...this song fits in wonderfully with my message to escape the world of "civilization" and get out into nature, live a spiritual life rather than a life guided erroneously by misconceptions and institutions only trying to take your time and money and trick you into living a life of consumerism... "spirits in the material world" by the police ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection) ... and if you like to here this tune as an excellent reggae song, give this link a click (i really dig this version of course) "spirits in the material world" by pato baton and sting (reggae version) 

"there is no political solution to our troubled evolution. have no faith in constitution. there is no bloody revolution...we are spirits in the material world, are spirits in the material world (are spirits in the material world, are spirits in the material world)...our so called leaders speak with words they try to jail ya. they subjugate the meek, but it's the rhetoric of failure...we are spirits in the material world, are spirits in the material world (are spirits in the material world, are spirits in the material world)...where does the answer lie? living from day to day. if it's something we can't buy, there must be another way...we are spirits in the material world. are spirits in the material world, are spirits in the material world, are spirits in the material world, are spirits in the material world..." ― the police, spirits in the material world
 
"he lets all things come and go effortlessly, without desire. he never expects results; thus he is never disappointed. he is never disappointed; thus his spirit never grows old" ― lao tzu, tao te ching  
 
"the wise attend to the inner truth of things and are not fooled by outward appearances. they ignore matter and seek the spirit" ― lao tzu, tao te ching  
 
"great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds" ― albert einstein
 
"no man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit" ― ansel adams
 
"if only we try to live righteously, we shall fare well, even though we are bound to encounter genuine sadness and real disappointments and shall probably commit real mistakes and do things that are wrong, but it is certainly better to be ardent in spirit, even though one makes more mistakes, than narrow-minded and overly-cautious" ― vincent van gogh 
  
"honor your spirit to live life to your deepest desires...chase your dreams like your life depends on it...your dreams are waiting for you, at the edge of all the uncertainty and clinging to the comfortable. there will never be a better time than right now to run full tilt in the direction of exactly what you want. stop letting the world dictate what you should do and who you should be. this is a call to take responsibility for the creation of the world we want to live and to not let the naysayers stand in our way anymore...start moving in the direction of what you want spiritually. go slowly if need be, but start right now. follow your dreams. move away from what isn’t feeding the soul. maybe that’s a relationship, a job, materialism, or an old belief. honor this moment by not putting up with what isn’t nourishing you. speak your truth...i want you to honor those dreams like the living, breathing destiny that they are inside your spirit. because the truth is, if you don’t bring it to life, no one will" ― c. ara campbell (with additions by bodhinku)
 
​"p​erhaps you are not yet where you feel you should be​...​but from one dreamer to another, a careful word of advice: ​y​ou could reach every last one of your goals and still find yourself unfulfilled at the finishing line.​..t​he true essence of life exists in the ​​in​-​between. ​it is in the striving​,​ that your excellence is exposed to the world. ​i​t is in the setbacks​,​ that the strength of your spirit is learned. ​i​n the unfinished dream lies the full and burning heart of life.​..i​t is only a spell of the mind, an artful deception, that you might find fulfillment in fortune, fame, perfection or power. but, ​real fulfilling l​ife is ​not ​lived here​. the real fulfillment exists​ ​i​n the distance you still have left to travel. ​that is where the true magic happens​" ― beau taplin (with some additions by bodhinku), the ascent
 
"joyful, joyful, joyful,
as only dogs know how to be happy
with only the autonomy
of their shameless spirit" ― pablo neruda, 100 love sonnets
 
"i feel in every girl there is a spirit,
a wild pixie,
that if let go,
would run and dance in grassy fields
until the end of the world" ― atticus, love her wild
 
"it's what you have always wanted to accomplish. everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. at that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. they are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their dream... it's a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. it prepares your spirit and you will, because there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. it's your mission on earth." ― paulo coelho, the alchemist    
 
"the most fundamental message of gautama the buddha is not god, is not soul... it is freedom: freedom absolute, total, unconditional. he does not want to give you an ideology, because every ideology creates its own slavery. he does not want to give you a religion, because religion binds you" ― osho, book of wisdom
 
"the ego is your enemy, not your friend. the ego weakens your spirit. it is the ego that gives you wounds and hurts you. it is the ego that makes you violent, angry, jealous, competitive. it is the ego that is continuously comparing and feeling miserable" ― osho, the responsibility of being oneself
 
"life begins where fear ends" ― osho, fear
 
"we do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit" ― e. e. cummings, 100 selected poems
 
"i thank you god for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of the water and sky, and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes" ― e. e. cummings, 100 selected poems
 
"it's better to make a mistake with the full force of your being than to timidly avoid mistakes with a trembling spirit. responsibility means recognizing both pleasure and price, action and consequence, then making a choice" ― dan millman, way of the peaceful warrior
 
"1. be impeccable with your word...speak with integrity. say only what you mean. avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love....
2. don't take anything personally...nothing others do is because of you. what others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. when you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering....
3. don't make assumptions...find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. with just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life...
4. always do your best...your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret." ― don miguel ruiz, the four agreements
 
"let go of the people who dull your shine, poison your spirit, and bring you drama. cancel your subscription to their issues" ― steve maraboli, unapologetically you
 
"beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the spirit" ― khalil gibran, the prophet  
 
"the river that washes clean your spirit is flowing inside you. every time you go inward and take a dip into the river of nothingness, a new version of you emerges out of it" ― shunya  
 
"we must know with absolute certainty that essentially we are spirit" ― rabindranath tagore 
 
"it does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. it is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters" ― amit ray, world peace 
 
"caution not spirit, let it roam wild; for in that natural state, dance embraces divine frequency" ― shah asad rizvi   
 
"a woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. she goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself" ― maya angelou
 
"i have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where i am going. and i have trained myself to love it. because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. and as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. but the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. you may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry your spirit" ― c. joybell c. 
 
"a good friend possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends" ― friedrich nietzsche, twilight of the idols 
 
"the separation of spirit from matter was a mystery and the union of spirit with matter was a mystery also" ― oscar wilde, the picture of dorian gray
 
"in secret we met
in silence i grieve,
that thy heart could forget,
thy spirit deceive
if i should meet thee
after long years,
how should i greet thee?
with silence and tears" ― lord george byron
 
"is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? pythagoras was misunderstood, and socrates, and jesus, and luther, and copernicus, and galileo, and newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. to be great is to be misunderstood" ― ralph waldo emerson, self reliance
 
"you call yourself a free spirit, a wild thing, and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. well baby, you're already in that cage. you built it yourself. and it's bounded in the west by the ocean, and in the east by the sunrise. it's wherever you go. because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself" ― truman capote, breakfast at tiffany's
 
"the mind can calculate, but the spirit yearns, and the heart knows what the heart knows" ― stephen king, needful things
 
"you buy furniture. you tell yourself, this is the last sofa i will ever need in my life. buy the sofa, then for a couple years you're satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you've got your sofa issue handled. then the right set of dishes. then the perfect bed. the drapes. the rug. then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you...the more things you own, the more they own you" ― chuck palahniuk, fight club 
 
"cultivate an attitude of happiness. cultivate a spirit of optimism. walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine" ― gordon b. hinckley
 
another wonderful accompaniment to connect music with the meaning of my impression and blog today: "colors of the spirit" by journey ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....
 
"we are one, we are one...distant rhythm in a troubled sky. angry clouds divide the sun. feels like thunder and so do i. bloody silence has begun. flying like a wounded dove. tomorrow comes undone. surrender don't come easily. we try to get over, over. falling together, together...many colors of the spirit. many lives below the sun. we are colors of the spirit. we are many, we are one...ask the question, what's goin' on? why raging children run? where's the father's legacy? where's the harvest of the son? close your eyes and tell me what you see. i see the same thing, same thing...many colors of the spirit. many lives below the sun. we are colors of the spirit. we are many, we are one...no, surrender don't come easily. we try to get over, over many colors of the spirit. many lives below the sun. we are colors of the spirit. we are many, we are one...we are many, we are one" ― journey, colors of the spirits
 
"spirit sees nothing to criticize" ― jalaluddin rumi, the soul of rumi
 
"stop the words now. open the window in the center of your chest, and let the spirits fly in and out" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"the hard rain and wind are ways the cloud has to take care of us. be patient. respond to every call that excites your spirit. ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you backwards" ― jalaluddin rumi, bridge to the soul 
 
"there is some kiss we want with our whole lives, the touch of spirit on the body" ― jalaluddin rumi, whispers of the beloved   
 
"spirit is so mixed with the visible world that giver, gift, and beneficiary are one thing. you are the grace raining down; the grace is you. creation is a clear blue, fast-moving stream, where qualities reflect. generations rush by, while the stars stay still without a splash" ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
 
"keep you spirit up in the branches of a tree and do not peek out too far" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved

"for beloved cross every pass
worldly affairs slow their pace
a flowing brook amidst the grass
flowing tears his face shall trace
his ego is shattered glass
self-estranged, himself deface
sense the divine in spirit and mass
if he is truly seeking grace" ― jalaluddin rumi, hush don't say anything to god 
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ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"i know where my spirit lies. it lies with nature. in the blue waters of a cascading stream. in the leaves of a japanese maple tree. in the reflection of the stars in a pool of water. in the puffy pink clouds at sunrise. in the warmth of the sun as it touches the ocean at sunset. in the snow atop a high sierra peak. in the bird's song outside my window...let these fill up my senses, let them come fill me again... " ― bodhinku, spiritual
 
this impression was captured on february 19th, 2021 at 4:44pm close to the sun setting for the day...this 1:1 square composition was created by using the photomerge function in adobe photoshop cc to stitch together 3 separate horizontal exposures all taken in succession of each other on a uniform vertical plane while panning up (in a landscape orientation), each shot has the same exact camera settings (f/11 at 24mm for 1/4 second, iso-64)...
 
btw...using a shutter speed of only 1/4th second for an exposure is actually pretty fast shutter speed for me...as a long exposure specialist, seldom, if ever do i dip bellow the 1 second threshold for any shot...i did shoot a few images at 11, 33, 55 and 111 seconds using a 10 stop nd filter (at different apertures to accommodate the light and time factors). however with the rapid moving stream and subsequent white water being thrown about in the cascade, the longer exposures washed out the blue too much, making the stream look too much like a river of frothy white foamy mist, taking away much of the beauty in the scene that captivated me from the moment i laid eyes upon it, which was the powder blue water...so i opted to shoot a less exposed composition here (quite rare for me), which gives more texture and details in the rapids and brings out the blue colors in the water as i saw with my own eyes...
 
however, 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 one progreyusa filter in the capture of this composition...  
 
the filter i chose for this impression was a 1.6 nd progrey aurora filter to slow down flowing water 6 stops in the available natural light and permit a longer exposure time of 1/4 sec which creates the smoothing effects of water, plus naturally extra saturate in camera all the blue colors in the water and green colors of the foliage in the composition...
 
to hold the filter and secure it to my nikon d810 mounted with a nikon nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 i used the progrey g-120z magnetic holder...
 
with this being a series of 3 exposures put together, i needed the great filter 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 my dolica 70" carbon fiber tripod...these are necessary in order to keep the 3 separate exposed images in perfect line on the same vertical plane with each other, and in sharp focus in the places i wanted sharpness (the rocks) 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 faithful induro phq3 series 5-way panhead mounted on my dolica tripod 70" 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 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
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty. stop the world. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. 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 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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