lens artists: beginning with b

This week lens-artists are invited to have fun while show casing subjects that begin with the letter B. First, I – blushing – must admit scrabble, cross word puzzles, and worldly bring to the surface a life long struggle with words beginning with the introduction of spelling in elementary school. So .. after a bit of wandering through a search for words that begin with the letter b … book, blossoms, baseballs, boats, bananas … why not bananas? Hum … boring. Well … thanks to a photo mis-focus … blurry bananas?

Can blurry be a photo subject? If not, may I be forgiven for the following blurry images as it was heaps of fun to walk about the park … multi-tasking by counting steps, improving circadian rhythm, healing by connecting with trees, and engaging in a photo project of blurry images.

A landscape…

A red horse in the playground

An interesting collection of abstract images encouraged by Wandering Dawgs.

Enjoy.

lens-artists: focus on the subject

As I was strolling around the neighborhood garden, I was drawn to these 3 blossoms which would have been ideal for last week’s challenge: Rule of Thirds.

This image was created using selective focus and negative space.

Thank you Patti for this compositional challenge … the invitation to review compositional guidelines and then to walk with eyes wide open with a lens-artists’ companion “to focus” … heaps of fun!

community garden plot number 10

The community garden plot, number 10. It was unique in that it did not have rows of seeds identified by their individual packets, succulents in their geometric beauty, or organized rows of blossoms. His plot … “intentional neglect” … the phrased he used while on a photo walk through London’s cemeteries.

Community plot number 10 … today, a row of rocks intentionally placed on the boarder … parallel to seedlings … messaging life, beginning new.

Yet … these rocks carefully defining the border of plot number 10 by a person unknown invites a remembering of stones carefully placed upon graves … silent messages of individual memory, presence, permanence, and respect.

lens-artists: choose a color

My eyes love the wet on wet water color blending of yellow ochre, red violet, and tea green.

Ochre, a warm and earthy color, lies between yellow and brown on the color wheel. This clay-like hue suggests natural pigments and rustic tones, with shades like yellow ochre and brownish-yellow. It’s great for adding a grounded, timeless feel to designs, perfect for evoking a natural, inviting atmosphere.

But…yellow ochre seems to reach out and touch my soul…especially during the autumn.

Red-violet is a vibrant, bold shade blending red and violet. Located between red and purple on the color wheel, it exudes energy and creativity.

Tea Green is a light pastel shade of Green. It has high lightness and low saturation and is a pastel color. Tea Green is a warm color.

Unlike other bright or deep colors, ochre combines easily with a wide range of hues. It goes very well with neutral tones such as white, beige or light grey, but can also dialogue with more intense colors such as navy blue, olive green, or even accents of burgundy red for a bolder effect.

Hum…no mention of red violet or tea green…

Thank you Ritva for this lens-artists challenge.

lens-artists: texture

Texture is the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or substance

Texture in photography is a visual representation of how something feels, whether it is rough or smooth or soft or prickly. The cues we use to determine texture as we look at a subject (or scene) are variations in color, shadow, line, shape, and depth.

Water is fluid, soft, and yielding

Can we actually “sense” water as it touches our skin?

It turns out, the answer is no — at least not technically because our bodies don’t have sensors specifically for detecting liquids. Rather, we rely on a conglomeration of other sensors to inform us when we’re wet. 

To identify liquids, we tap into visual stimuli and tactile sensations. For example, you see the smooth flow of water rushing over your hands in the sink and feel the sensation of droplets hitting your face during a shower. But the most important cue that humans use to sense water through the skin is temperature.

I think I now know why wet socks are extremely uncomfortable. Is it the combined sense of sock texture and water temperature? Have you ever wondered if laundered clothes left in the dryer are still damp or are they just cold to the touch?

Thank you Anne for this invitation to “show how us your images where texture plays an integral part.”

lens-artists: pick a favorite quote and illustrate it

Every life is a point of view directed upon the universe. Strictly speaking, what one life sees no other can. Every individual, . . . is an organ, for which there can be no substitute, constructed for the apprehension of truth . . . Without the development, the perpetual change and the inexhaustible series of adventures which constitute life, the universe, or absolutely valid truth, would remain unknown . . . Reality happens to be like a landscape, possessed of an infinite number of perspectives, all equally veracious and authentic. The sole false perspective is that which claims to be the only one there is. ~José Ortega y Gasset

One of the magical things about photography is the transformation that takes place when you photograph something.  Something that inherently has very little going for it, in terms of interest you take in it, can become infinitely more interesting when rendered as a photograph. ~ Grant Mudford

…our ordinary vision is limited, and…our conventional consensus of reality is not the only version of reality.

The complex multidimensionality of the modern world no doubt contributes to the constructive habit of the mind that, in its attempt to provide meaning, continually rearranges the world to fit individual needs. The failure to recognize the constructive nature of the mind can be a major obstacle to artistry and creativity. Conversely, understanding the constructive nature of the mind and reality can lead the way to Great Understanding in the art of photography and in the art of living. ~Philippe L Gross & S.I. Shapiro, Tao of Photography

It is interesting how there are quotes that – like old friends – wander throughout life with us offering bits of wisdom here and there. Leya for this Lens-Artists invitation.

the waiting room – the hot murdering sun

“Show me, then. Convince me. Roll back the rock. Return … . All of her. Gift her back to me, all sewn up and pretty and dark-eyed again. That’s all I ask. Is that too much? No more whining from me, no more weeping, no more complaints. A heavenly stitch, that’s all I ask. And bring back … too, for …, for me, for …, for …, for …, for … for all of us. And while you’re at it, bring back … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and … and every other one under this hot murdering sun. Is that too much to ask for? Is it?”*

become aware of the suffering within war

*cited: Colum McCann, Apeirogon

lens-artists: looking back

On The Water…

This week Wandering Dawgs looks back into lens-artists’ history to July 3, 2012 – John’s challenge #151: On the Water – and invites photographers to “show anything on the water.”

The magical moment of seeing a wasp dance on water was one of the images posted for John’s On the Water challenge.

Being on water are moments of energy …

and quiet reflection

Thank you Beth for your invitation to review and reflect on past moments of time “on the water.”