Swept Away ~ Telephoto Tuesday!

"Handmade"

I've been swept away by a sinus cold. And you must know, I really am a big baby when it comes to being sick... just ask my husband Richard. Many trips to the store for everything from popsicles, to soup, Kleenex, and lozenges.

So today I'm taking it really easy. No work today, just sleep. If I could use the brooms in the image above to sweep away this miserable cold, I certainly would. These were hanging on the front door of a shop in St.Jacobs, Ontario. They're made by hand and I dare any manufactured broom to last as long as these pretty things.

And it was funny, because if I recall correctly, my photog buddy Kelly raised her camera to photograph these at almost the same instant I did. And it wouldn't be the first time, would it Kelly?

No. No it wouldn't. Heh heh heh...

Back to my soup and my pj's I go... get some wonderful pics for me today gang! And don't stand too close to the screen... I'd hate for you to catch my cold eh. Have a good one, thanks for the ramble!

Invitation to Imagine ~ Exploration Thursday!

"The Dreamer's Forrest"

I have been waiting to post this image for about a week now, and will be delighted to know what your reaction is. It's been quite sometime since I've been able to stretch my abstract skills while out on a countryside photo jaunt, and I was anxious to process this image most out of my last outing's results.

I know most people find it difficult to interpret how they feel about abstract art or photography. Most see a bunch of shapes or colors or concepts that require some mysterious code to unlock their importance. But really, an abstract piece is simply a photographer's invitation to unleash your imagination for a bit, and allow yourself to step away from the practical. And it's inspired (at least for me) by something very real that caught my eye and seemed magical somehow. And then I simply strive to share my interpretation of that object or scene with all of you. Take a moment and decide what you might be looking at in the image above, before we continue.

What I love about abstract images is that the underlying significance of the whole piece can simply be how light was reflecting off a tree, or how a close-up of a leaf out of context can look like a miniature landscape, or how a piece of rust can look prehistoric in a macro lens. It just begs you to put aside how you label what you see, and look for new possibilities. I find that exciting. For it seems like the imagination is rarely called upon during the daily grind, and  even the imagination can get rusty from lack of use.

The image above (which you know you can click on to enlarge) was the result of noticing the calm water along the shore before the St.Jacobs dam rushed along the river bed... and I began to look for interesting subjects in the shade since the sun was mighty strong that afternoon. I zoomed in on the reflection of a Poplar tree several feet away, rising up through a tangle of brambles and over the water. With my circular polarizer on the zoom, I was able to cut the reflection enough to see the form and color of the tree. I thought it looked like what a scene in a dream would look like if someone could step into it for a moment. You can see the odd ripple, and some blur, and it requires the viewer to determine if it was in the lens or if I processed it to look specifically like a reflection to begin with.

It's just a reflection. I did some minor brightening to allow the dark details to be a bit more visible. That was it.

It's a call to use your imagination folks. Don't make abstracts so complicated you can't enjoy them. It takes creativity to first capture it, and then the viewers ingenuity to really see and absorb.

Thanks for the interpretive ramble! Have a super day gang!

The Respectful Photographer ~ Telephoto Tuesday!

"Working the Fields"

Was out last week in Mennonite country. The color around St.Jacobs and Elmira is just starting to riot, and the warm temps make it easy to get out and wander back roads for great scenes. If you're ever in the region, take the opportunity to explore beyond the main drag of town.

The images today were taken with my telephoto from the side of the road, and was the perfect tool from my kit to be a considerate photographer. Mennonites are a quiet, humble group to say the least, and are generally okay with you getting photographs as long as you are respectful and refrain from being intrusive. We stayed out of this gentleman's way and simply followed his progress through his fields from a distance. He'd spotted us on the road and smirked from behind his sunglasses at one point, and then went on his way slowly, enjoying the sun and his team.

What I realised very early on in my pursuit of photography, is that even though I have a right to photograph beautiful scenes and public spaces, I still need to conduct myself in a way that shows that photographers are simply eager to share what they see, not eager to exploit what they see. All too often I've been out with other photographers and noticed someone pushing the personal space or privacy boundaries. Making everyone, including other photographers, uncomfortable. And for the most part, if you ask first anyways, most folks will allow you a second to take your photo and be on your way.

"Heading Home"

It was a good reminder for me, to be aware of making people more comfortable with photography, as opposed to creating a reputation that cause the public to be wary of it. After all, it's the public that we want to love the resulting images to begin with. Time to treat them with some respect if we don't already.

Thanks for the ramble folks, enjoy the autumn weather!