A beautiful setting while seated in a tree stand. The month is October and the leaves had only started changing. The temperature was still tolerably warm, and the mosquitoes were thick. The farm field was full of soy beans, however far from harvesting. Sounds in the area were filled with song birds which were often left unheard over the song of the sandhill cranes and geese as they prepared for a migration. Occasionally, a gunshot could be heard from the neighboring properties, but all-in-all, this was an awesome evening. To top it off, the view was phenomenal as the sun set; its beams illuminating the leaves of nearby plantlife, streaming through the branches and touching the earth for the final few moments of that day. Yes! This is exactly where I wanted to be at this specific time.

Photography has grown to be a huge part of everything I do. It's no longer a hobby that I set some time aside for each day. Instead, I carry my camera from location to location and attempt to capture some part of the event I am participating in. Through these pictures, I am taken back to these places. Every element that was experienced from sight to sound to smells to feelings are remembered in such a vivid manner that I imagine I am there, right now, in that place. Like a song can take a person back to a time in their youth, triggering memories long forgotten only to realize that the block was temporary, these photos will always take me back. 

Today, the day I took this photo, I was sitting in a tree stand alongside a bean field, waiting for an elusive whitetail deer to make a presence. Whether it was nearby or far away, I am thankful for any encounter I can witness. The beans are a great lure, no matter the frustration of the farmer that put them there. On this particular day, in October of 2014, I did not see any deer, but I did get to enjoy the sounds, the weather, the smells of this evening,...and yes, this delightful sight. Because I took this one picture that night, my memory is triggered, and I am there, right now, able to explain the entire setting to you.

Have a great day!!