Posts Tagged ‘photos’
The Sunflower in the Garden
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged garden, nature, Photography, photos, pictures, Somerville, sunflowers on July 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Rainbow Ripples
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged colors, digital alteration, Photography, photos, pictures, reflection, refraction, sunlight, water on July 2, 2011| 1 Comment »
So one day sunlight came through a window and shone through a glass of water that I had left on a table. A scientist friend of mine explained that what I captured were caustics and that the ripples in the water were acting like lenses refracting the light around. I think I understand most of that. Mostly I appreciated the simple beauty of the lines on the paper and the opportunity to play around with the images later on the computer.
Green Day
Posted in Branches, Nature Notes, tagged green, life cycle, nature, Photography, photos, pictures, plants on July 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
A single plant. Several stages of development. An unexpected find in a local park while out for a stroll.
Silhouettes
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged nature, Photography, photos, pictures, shadows, silhouettes on June 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I have a good friend who is working on assignment out west near the Grand Canyon. Occasionally, she will call in to describe the wildlife that she is seeing at dusk and dawn and all hours in between. This morning she left a message about five large elk silhouetted against the evening sky. Later, as I went through my image archives, I found myself being particularly drawn to those subjects cast in shadow. Here are a few that jumped out at me.
A Poppies Update
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged color, flowers, indoor garden, orange, photograph, photos, pictures, poppies on June 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Jaded
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged animal carvings, friendship, jade, Japan, nostalgia, Photography, photos, pictures on June 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »
A dear friend used to work in Japan. On occasion she would send me small treasures, like these small pieces of jade.
I found them as I cleaned out an old jewelry box this weekend. The friend and I haven’t spoken in many years. Just different life journeys. I am thinking that I will turn one of these images into a postcard or even a notecard and send to her with words of thanks. A good summer project. 😉
Sacrificing Thyme
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged caterpillar, green, insects, Photography, photos, pictures, thyme on June 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I don’t know if the little guy was there when I purchased the lemon thyme, perhaps as an egg or a teeny tiny larva. All I know is that recently I’ve been worried about the lemon thyme. Was I watering it too much? Was it getting too much sun? After returning home today, I started watering things and as I watered the thyme I noticed a rolled up leaf. To myself I said, “Hmmm. I didn’t know thyme leaves grew like that.” I leaned to look closer and this is what I saw:
Probably tomorrow morning as I head off to work, I’ll take him outside to let him fend for himself. But if you know what this is, please let me know.
Ode to the Color Kittens
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged colors, golden books, humor, imagination, Photography, photos, pictures, The Color Kittens on June 22, 2011| 1 Comment »
Recently I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with a little friend who loves the book, The Color Kittens. Since with the great authority of a three-year old she has been able to get me and others to read this book aloud again and again, I have been wonderfully reminded how to simply appreciate color in my photography. Not always get caught up in “perfect” captures of clarity, but focus on capturing expressions of color instead.
So, after my most recent reading of Hush’s and Brush’s adventures with different pails of paint, I found myself in Steve’s kitchen staring at a jewel-toned nasturtium blossom curling above a bowl of fruit. Many objects before me but really all I could see was orange. Beautiful orange. Snap. I thought I was done with my camera, but then further poking in cabinets and cupboards and the refrigerator revealed habaneros and some old mac’n’cheese. Snap. Snap.
After a while, no more orange, but red … delicious red was everywhere.
And then the sunlight shifted, and I found myself drawn toward a bit of purple and green … and then green and brown.
And so the day went until, like the Color Kittens, I grew tired. I don’t remember if I dreamed that night, as they did, “of a rose red tree that turned all white” on the count of three, but the next day I did stumble upon the following. Coincidence? 😉
Brown is Beautiful
Posted in Inspiration, tagged beauty, brown, culture, life, opinion, Photography, photos, pictures, race, skin, Titouan Lamazou on June 21, 2011| 1 Comment »
It might be the grandest of understatements to say that it is hard to discuss race and ethnicity in the United States. It does not matter that we have an African American president. It does not matter that there are African, Latino, Asian and Native American politicians at all levels from city clerks to state governors. It does not matter that some of the highest paid athletes, musicians and actors in this country have some tint to their skin. Huck Finn by Mark Twain is still banned in many American schools, except for a sanitized version that removes the word “nigger.”
A good friend of mine called a few months ago to tell me that she was giving up her subscription to a popular runner’s magazine. Now this friend is a marathon runner. It is hard to describe how important running is to her spirits. Why was she giving up this treat to herself? Because while the articles were fine she was tired of never seeing anyone in it that looked like her. My friend is a beautiful dark-skinned African American woman. After talking with her I paid more attention to the magazines surrounding me in the checkout line of the grocery store, and certainly in the bookstores. I challenge you to take a closer look when you go to these places. What do you see on the covers? Beautiful women for sure … and beautiful women who all look the same week after week.
It’s easy to say the right words: We are all equal. I treat everyone the same. There is equal opportunity. There will be no discrimination of anyone based on skin color, gender, etc. It is easy to say those words. And then there is what we do and there is what our children see. And right now there are too many children who do not see themselves reflected in the every day world around them. Obama is President but most children are not interacting with the President every day. Their sense of self — their sense of beauty — is being shaped by what they see revered on tv, in the movies, and yes, in magazines. People far more eloquent than I have written on this subject, and I hope they continue to do so. As for what sparked this morning’s post … Chancing upon the following images by French artist Titouan Lamazou, and wondering sadly why images of such beautiful women are so rarely found outside of an art gallery.
By the way, the photograhs in this post are of my skin. Nothing racy, just a shoulder. A brown shoulder. 😉
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* Shoulder Series Images by SFH
* Lamazou images can be found at Nouvelle Images and his website here.
Words + Images 