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seclusion retreat – 6th day

secluded house–
even here, crowd-sick
spring mountain

~Issa (cited: www.haiku.guy)

Rewatching:

The Story of Ming Lan (English Subtitles)

The Story of Ming Lan, based on the novel written by Guan Xin Ze Luan, follows the concubine-born 6th child of the Sheng household from her childhood into adulthood. Ming Lan first meets Gu Ting Ye, the 2nd son of the Gu Family, as his rival in a game of Touhu, but when she encounters him again in a time of need he goes to great lengths to help her. This dynamic plays out on a grander scale when they meet again as adults. Both Ming Lan and Ting Ye are unfavored children who suffer as a result of internal scheming in their households. Ming Lan adapts by learning to hide her talents, spirit, and intelligence, while Ting Ye, long painted as a scoundrel, decides to live recklessly. Yet they each have a rare gift of foresight. Through cunning schemes and daring endeavors, they both rise in position and work to obtain justice from those that have wronged them. Together they shape the new Emperor’s regime and work to sow and harvest a bright future

Editing photographs

Continuing with 30 day project, same lens camera wide open, that was included in an educational Thorsten von Overgaard Photography webinar.

Nikon D750 f/1.8 1/4000s 35mm 200 ISO

Exercising and meditating

How are you taking care of yourself during this time of the COVID-19 virus in which we are all encouraged to socially isolate and by doing so we are also caring for others?

Solitude… Frederick Leighton

What ya doin’

Social isolation

4th day. All follow up medical appointments rescheduled.

Finished reading

Romain Gary’s The Life Before Us – Translated by Ralph Manheim.

“She explained about the place, it was what they call a dubbing studio. …it was wonderful to watch, because everything went into reverse. The dead came to life and backed into their old place in society. Somebody pressed a button and everything went the opposite direction. Cars went into reverse, dogs ran backwards, houses that had burned to the ground picked themselves up and put themselves together again before your eyes. …It was a magic world, I’ve never seen anything sweeter in all my stinking life. For a second I even saw Madame Rosa young and fresh and steady on her pins, and when I turned her back still further, she was prettier. It brought the tears to my eyes.

And then I had a real event. I can’t say I went back and saw my mother, but I saw myself sitting on the floor, and in front of me there were two legs with boots up to waist and leather mini-skirt, and I tried like mad to raise my eyes and see her face, I knew she was my mother, but it was too late, memories can’t raise their eyes. …” (pg. 77)

Editing photographs

of a socially isolated walk through Fossil Park inspired by photographers Christian Fletcher and Tony Hewitt as well as a 30 day project, same lens camera wide open, that was included in an educational Thorsten von Overgaard Photography webinar.

The image below was inspired by how Fletcher and Hewitt invited me to open myself to the beauty of Northwestern Colorado’s landscape by seeing compositional elements: leading lines, repetition, points of interest, complementary colors, and vanishing points.

fossil park

Nikon D750 f/1.8 1/4000s 35mm 200 ISO

A Journey in Composition, an ebook written by photographers Christian Fletcher and Tony Hewitt, outlines their travel across the western United States. The ebook covers fundamental aspects of composition, including color and interpreted composition techniques while paying homage to the techniques of the old masters – Stephen Shore and William Eggleston.

How are you taking care of yourself during this time of the COVID-19 virus in which we are all encouraged to socially isolate and by doing so we are also caring for others? Here is a very short video  showing how our individual action of staying home is what we can best do to alleviate global suffering.

lens artists photo challenge: chaos

Chaos – eternal, immense, uncreated – from which all is born; nether darkness nor light, nor damp nor dry, not hot nor cold, but all things mingled, eternally one and limitless.

winterwalk
Nikon D750 f/1.8 1/4000s 35mm 200 ISO

Chaos was the beginning.  Within her void slumbered, in undifferentiated fusion, all the elements, the potential, the seed of a person.  Yet, some say that Chaos was born from Mist and that Mist was the first to exist.  

Mist is symbolic of things indeterminate, or the fusing together of the elements of air and water, and the inevitable absorbing of the outlines of each aspect and each particular phase of the evolution process. 

It is also said that Chaos existed from the beginning together with Nyx, the goddess of Night, mother of Erebus, god of darkness, and Tartarus, the underworld.  

Or is Chaos the soul’s state of potentiality – eternal, vast, uncreated, where all is intermingled, folding and unfolding, evolving and enveloping – prior to the birth to the unconscious?  

winterwalk
Nikon D750 f/1.8 1/4000s 35mm 200 ISO

stillness–
in the depths of the lake
billowing clouds

~Issa (cited: www.haikuguy.com)*

*David G. Lanoue (a translator of Japanese haiku, a teacher of English and world literature, a writer of haiku and “haiku novels) writes that this haiku serves as a substitute for experience–or, perhaps, a clear window into experience–allowing the reader, in contemplation, to see that same lake, those same clouds, and to feel the serenity and stillness of the moment. 

The above images are drawn from a 30 day photo assignment (same lens – camera wide open) and are submitted in response to Leya’s lens-artists photo challenge: chaos.

May you know serenity and stillness …

30 day assignment: same lens…camera wide open (3)

winterwalk

Nikon D750… f/1.8 1/800s 35mm 200 ISO

“FRIDAY MORNING, 9 O’CLOCK. People complain about how dark it is in the mornings. But this is often the best time of my day, when the dawn peers grey and silent into my pale windows. Then my bright little table lamp becomes a blazing spotlight and floods over the big black shadow of my desk. … This morning I am wonderfully peaceful. Just like a storm that spent itself. I have noticed that this always happens following days of intense inner striving after clarity, birth pangs with sentences and thoughts that refuse to be born and make tremendous demands on you. Then suddenly it drops away, all of it, and a benevolent tiredness enters the brain, then everything feels calm again …”

cited: Trans: Arno Pomerans, An Interrupted Life The Diaries of Etty Hillesum, pg 69.

same lens…camera wide open

light figure on dark ground

iPhone 7… f/1.8 1/9s 3.99mm

The previous art of seeing posts were inspired by an Udemy photography class taught by Adam Marelli, The Art of Seeing Photography, (10 light figure on dark ground and 10 dark figure on light ground).

With the completion of this project, I am now challenging myself to a 30 day project, same lens camera wide open, that was inspired by an educational Thorsten von Overgaard Photography webinar.

same lens, camera wide open
35 prime lens – aperture setting f/1.8

Nikon D750… f/1.8 1/4000s 35mm 200 ISO

Even though the 35 prime lens offers a sharper image, I generally prefer telephoto lenses with image stabilization as a means to ease anxiety, especially with street photography. So with the intention to draw upon past photo learning projects, I will step out of my comfort zone with my Nikon (35 prime lens, aperture set at f/1.8, and a neutral density filter) for the next 30 days…

lens-artists photo challenge: reflections

window reflections

Sony RX100 f/1.8 1/640 8.8mm 80 ISO

Miriam (The Showers of Blessings) a Lens-Artists guest host defines reflection/mirror photography as using “… reflective surfaces to create an artistic echo of a scene. This type of photography can add an interesting spin to locations that are hot spots for photographers such as oceans, lakes, puddles, and even rain drops.”