Nature Photography | Duoimagery-John and Bethany Detweiler

The Happy Wanderer

On February 22, 2013 / Hikes / Leave a comment

“I love to go a- wandering along the mountain track, and as I go, I love to sing, my knapsack on my back.

Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.”

Once a week my Mom and I go hiking. I love it so much. Experiencing nature is such a huge part of who I am.

This week we went to Kings Mountain National Military Park and climbed Brown’s Peak. It was beautiful and had a very wild feeling to the area.

The view from the top was actually a delightful surprise. It’s hard to get views in the NC/SC mountains, because there are so many trees – and let’s just be honest, because you don’t get up very high even on the top of the peaks. But this view was very lovely and you could hardly see any buildings in the distance!

Here’s my lovely trail lunch, consisting of an avocado with the largest pit I’ve ever seen, a handful of succulent dates and homemade gluten free, egg free, oil free, dairy free granola bars! Okay, the chocolate chips had a little dairy in them.

My lovely mom at the summit!

‘I love to wander by the stream that dances in the sun, so joyously it calls to me, “Come, join my happy song!” ‘

Working on my bridge pose. Looks more like a table right now.. haha!

“I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev’ry green wood tree.”

“High overhead the skylarks wing, they never rest at home, but just like, me they love to sing, as o’er the world we roam!”

“Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God’s clear blue sky!

Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.”

Peace and love,

Bethany

Since fall crept into the mountains…

On October 22, 2012 / Beauty, Giving Back, High Dynamic Range Photography, Nature, Outdoors / Leave a comment

My family drove up to Linville Gorge Wilderness to breath in the beauty of Fall. We could not have timed it more perfectly on purpose bursting onto the scene as the leaves were at the peak of their spectacular beauty. We climbed up the Hawksbill trail and broke out of the trees onto a sea, rippling and flowing with vibrant reds, yellows, oranges and so forth. If you stood on the top and did a complete 360, you would lose your breath at the magnitude of color lying beneath you. (PS. John did a 360 panorama from the top, let’s see if we can get him to do a blogpost. )
Of all the many, many things I miss about the Rocky Mountains, there’s nothing quite like an Appalachian Fall…

To purchase the photos as artwork click HERE.

BEACH! Part 2

On August 1, 2012 / Beauty, Giving Back, High Dynamic Range Photography, Nature, Outdoors, Travel / 2 Comments

Part 2 of the beach trip was a little delayed, I’m sorry. I had a few (pleasant) unexpected things come up and didn’t have time to get these photos up on the blog to you as soon as I had wanted to! But here they finally are.

There’s something about sunrise that has a touch of magic in it. The color, the light, slowing appearing out of no where and chasing away the darkness.. creating a masterpiece over the water..

It makes your soul burst.. it makes you dance. It makes you worship the Painter.

Of course we had to get a TOMS picture in.. For every pair of TOMS shoes you buy, they give a brand new pair to a child in need.

Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise!

On April 3, 2012 / Beauty, Giving Back, High Dynamic Range Photography, Nature, Outdoors / Leave a comment

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.
Martin Luther

-beth
To purchase this image in high resolution click HERE. 100% of profits go to help people in need.

Raindrops on Roses – er- Spiderwebs…

On March 23, 2012 / Beauty, Giving Back, Inspiration, Nature, Outdoors / 2 Comments

It rained during the night. And I woke up to a world covered in mist and raindrops. It was foggy and cool and you could feel the moisture in the air. And then I saw all these shimmering jewels in the grass. I ran over and there were all these little tiny spiderwebs covered in shining raindrops. It took my breath away.

I love rain. It’s refreshing. I love how the world smells after a rain. In fact, that is my favorite smell in the world. I love walking in the rain. I think it reminds me of God. Like little kisses falling down from heaven onto me. Little gems of beauty. The cleansing, the fresh air, the nourished earth – it all reminds me of what God does in my soul.
-beth

To purchase these photos in high resolution click HERE. 100% of profits will go to help people in need.

To Live is the Rarest Thing in the World…

On March 19, 2012 / Beauty, books, Flowers, Giving Back, High Dynamic Range Photography, Inspiration, Nature, Outdoors / 2 Comments

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist. That’s all. -Oscar Wilde

Do you truly live, or do you just exist? I think it’s good to ask ourselves this question, and ask it regularly. I happen to be reading “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper and John and I are going through “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren. The combination of those two books have made me think a lot. How am I living? Am I plodding through, consumed with what’s in front of me, with all the things that I’m not even going to be able to take with me after I die? Or am I passionately pursuing what God created me to do..? My purpose?

Yesterday my pastor said this, “There’s only two things you can take with you when you die. Your relationship with God, and your relationships with people.” And yet considering where I spend my time, how high do these two things rate on my list of importance? Higher than they used to, for sure. But are they #1 and #2? It’s easy to think so. But when I take a step back and look at how I ration my little bit of time allotted to me in this life, I’m not sure that they are #1 and #2 in my life. I don’t do this to discourage myself. But to change. To rearrange my time. To put purpose behind what I do.. behind who I am.

And so I am determined, to put my focus in the right place. First on my Savior, Jesus, secondly on the people around me. Friends and family, but also on the ones I don’t know; The people I meet at the grocery store, the people I welcome to church on Sundays. And I’m determined to branch out beyond that. To meet people that don’t generally (ever?) cross my path. To help at the soup kitchen, food pantry or somewhere like that. Because, that’s really all that matters, right? To let Christ live through me and touch those around me? When I think of how He lived, how He spent his time (because I honestly think how you spend your time shows exactly where your heart is and what is important to you) He divided it between time alone with God, time with his disciples, and the rest of the time was with people who had no “claim” on his attention. I want to be just like Him.

John Piper was saying in his book how we find our deepest satisfaction and joy when our passion is in doing what God created us specifically to do. That letting Him live His life through us, we will be the most happy that we ever could be. I think that’s why happiness escapes so many people. Including me. I’m a happy person. But I can say that I’ve struggled intensely at times to find true happiness. And I think it’s because our focus is backward. We go on an epic quest to figure out what makes us happy, what can I do to make ME happy, what are the things that make ME feel alive? Instead of asking God what makes HIM happy, what are the things that make HIS soul fed? If we start from that direction, we slip into the background, and it doesn’t matter so much anymore what makes us happy. And then comes the crazy part. When we don’t care anymore about what we want, and get totally consumed in what God wants, in living His life, then we are happier than anything in the world could make us. It’s a mystery.

There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. Psalm 43:4a
-beth
To purchase these photos in high resolution click HERE. 100% of the profits go to help people in need.

GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED!

On March 9, 2012 / Flowers, Give-Away's, Nature / 2 Comments

thank you to everyone who entered in our giveaway! i wish you all could win! i plugged everyone into Random.org and the winner is…

BrennaRae!

Congratulations! you will be receiving the above photo on an 8 x 12 canvas!

to everyone else, if you really wanted the photo, you can purchase it HERE. 100% of the profits go to help people in need.
-beth

new beginnings

On March 6, 2012 / Beauty, Flowers, Giving Back, Inspiration, Nature / 1 Comment

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
- Seneca

don’t be sad when things come to an end. when one door is shut. for there is always a new beginning, always another door.
-beth

to purchase these photos click HERE. 100% of profits go to help people in need.

life bursting forth.

On March 2, 2012 / Beauty, Flowers, Nature, Project 365 / 2 Comments

one of the best things about spring is how the greens push their way out of the dirt and burst into vibrant life. i look forward to it every year and this year was no exception. so when i saw that it was happening, i was so excited to create some photos of it.. and it just so happened that the pink blossoms are starting to fall off the tree right above. beautiful.

damp earth and new life.. color and sunshine.. spring is a beautiful thing. here’s the catch.. it’s still winter! i think north carolina has it’s seasons mixed up. but i’ll just enjoy it as it comes. yesterday i sat out by the pool for awhile drinking passion iced tea and feeling the sunshine and it made me very excited about when i can splash into the water! i felt the water and almost hollered, it’s still freezing. maybe not just yet… =}

“..he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.” 2 Samuel 23:4

maybe that’s one reason we love spring so much. because it’s somewhere we can see and feel traces of God. dawning upon us like light.. refreshing us like the rain. making us beautiful.
soak it up. enjoy every flower. feel the sun on your face. listen to the rain. and be in love with the one who is making it all beautiful..

-beth
[Ps. the photo at the top of the post is also my photo of the day from yesterday.]

to purchase these photos in high resolution click HERE. 100% of profits go to help people in need.

the end of your comfort zone.

On February 29, 2012 / Giving Back, Inspiration, Nature / 2 Comments

-beth
to purchase this photo in high resolution click HERE. 100% of profits go to help people in need.

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