My Top 5 with John Anzivino
I selected theses five photos, all taken during the year 2024, not because they are particularly striking photographs, but because they fit a theme of serenity. Places where I found a few moments where I could be alone with my inner thoughts and find peace, and experience a calming environment.
The first photo was taken at Pinebrook Park North during October when the area was experiencing a severe drought. The water level in the Brodhead Creek was so low, this man was able to wade into the water and sit on a rock in the middle of the creek while praying with Muslim Pray Beads.
The second photo was taken at “The Cloisters,” a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY City. This day the museum was exceptionally void of visitors, and I found this hall to be a place I could sit and think in a darkened corner, while also viewing the sun-filled garden in the center of the building. Notice the bench in the lower right corner of the photo.
The third photo was taken locally at Memory Town in Mt. Pocono on a day when, again, there were no others visiting the area at the time I was there. I sat on the ground, in a cool area provided by the shade of a large tree off to the bottom left of this photo, and had plenty of time to engage in peaceful thoughts while enjoying a nice view of clam water, a beautiful sky and the green trees in the far away area. It had a most calming effect on me.
The fourth photo was taken at Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke, Virginia. We rented a house on a private part of the beach and this also provided a nice, solitary location to enjoy the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the calm waters of the lake. Walking along the small beach and larger green grass area, gave me time to get some walking exercise as well as an opportunity for quiet, thoughtful thinking.
The fifth, and final, photo in this series was also taken at the Virginia location mentioned above. I took this photo while sitting on the deck of the house we rented late at night while everyone in the house was sleeping. I simply could not ask for a more pleasant time and view to relax with my private thoughts and enjoy all that the nighttime view of this beautiful area had to offer.
These five photos I selected as my favorites because each of them provided me a unique opportunity to capture moments of relaxation, alone with my thoughts and feelings, and the photos enable me to recall those moments and the beauty of the environment in which they were taken.