Squirrel Creek Creations: Feature of the Day #50: Scenic Surroundings

A Stunning Lightning Display Lights up an Oklahoma Sky

Greetings!
Today's feature goes to Scenic Surroundings, aka Mike Krzywonski and his unbelievable photography.
Krzywonski has been capturing nature's grandest moments since the early 90s when he first acquired a film camera. His first subjects were waves and sunset, but his portfolio has expanded greatly since then. His lens captures stormy skies and gorgeous sunsets, monsterous waves and urban landscapes, and so much in between it would be nearly impossible to cover it all here. This feature will focus mainly on his nature photography, with examples of a variety of his work at the end. Krzywonski does not like to change or enhance his images of the sky, but lets it speak for itself in all its wonder and dazzling colors.

Incredible Tornado Touches Down in Campo, CO

Tornado Touchdown in Campo, CO

A Hawaiian based photographer, Krzywonski's annual highlights include taking a trip to Tornado Alley to capture nature's raw fury unleashed across the plains. Through these trips, Krzywonski is able to take breathtaking images of stormy skies, tornadoes and lightning that are so intense they're almost unreal. Atmospheric effects are crisp and powerful, bringing to light the beauty within the terror of a storm. Krzywonski has a real gift for capturing clouds and the light that reflects off them, whether it's man-made or natural. For example, in his image Oklahoma Sky Lightning (above), an intense release of lightning is crawling through and out of the cloud. The strange, almost haunting purple tint produced by the pure bolt of energy highlights the contours of the cloud. From sky to ground, the image holds itself together with twisting, snapping, intensity that triggers deep elemental fears within our minds. Yet the physical distance of the storm created by the open spaces of the Great Plains, allows the viewer to experience without becoming a part of it. Just like the comfort of watching a fiercesome beast through the safety of a cage, so too does Krzywonski provide the viewer with something dangerous yet tamed.
This is what Krzywonski has to say about what nature means to him:

Looking Out of a Sea Cave at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii

Waimea Bay Sea Cave

Not only do I enjoy the beauty and power of the natural world, but it reinforces my belief in the Creator. The Bible says, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made..." (Rom. 1:20). This means that one of the ways God has revealed Himself to mankind is through His creation.
Krzywonski captures the wonder of all of creation through the use of stunning clarity, dynamic movement, immense landscapes, and by being in the path of nature itself in its most raw form. I normally only have 3-4 examples of the featured artist's work, but felt that 3-4 wouldn't do his endlessly impressive work justice. Please take a moment to look through the small selection I picked out below, and make sure to stop by his Etsy store to see over 200 more examples of his work.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ScenicSurroundings
You can also view his entire collection on these two sites:
www.myHawaiiscapes.com
www.Spectacular-Skies.com

Be Creative today!

~Squirrel Creek Creations

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