A Fresh Perspective
Photography is more than just a vehicle for capturing the world around me; it provides me with a palette and a set of brushes, with which I paint not only what I see, but also look to express the emotions that are evoked by the scene in front of me in that moment.
Growing up in the Netherlands exposed me to a wide cross-section of visual arts that laid the foundation of my photographic view of all that surrounds me. Early influences were the Dutch Masters of the 17th century, to whom I was introduced by my grandfather during museum explorations; favorites among them are the scenes of quotidian life depicted by Jan Steen and Frans Hals and the vivid landscapes of Jacob van Ruisdael.
My classical high school education was supplemented by the Boijmans Van Beuningen museum, where I spent many a lunch hour exploring its great collection. Here I was introduced to surrealism with a particular love for the approach taken by Salvador Dali; Dali also rekindled my appreciation for the work of Hieronymus Bosch, who often showed the folly of us mortals.
Universal Connections
My approach to any photographic subject is to look for understanding first; in this I look to establish either a connection between the viewer and the subject or capture the connection of the subject with its surroundings. The captured image then aims to portray this connection from a perspective that is part of my personal interpretation.
This interpretation is often a form of externalized introspection, which may alternately display the connection of isolated beings and items with their environment or highlight the whimsy of the profound world, in which we find ourselves. The universe is full of connections, many of which are waiting to be discovered; part of my journey as a photographer is to document these connections.
Any assignment, be it an event, a product shoot or a portrait session is always approached through communication with the client; this is where the first connection is established. Ideas are exchanged and a collaborative plan of action forms, ultimately resulting in a set of images that aim to exceed the expectations of each client.
And, lest we forget, it is important to have fun while practicing the serious business of photography!
With today’s dog star, I’m going purely for cuteness without any guilt or reservation, as it is a photo of our little Dorothea Lange when she was only about 10 months old…
My wife and I took her for a stroll through Moore State Park, located in Paxton, MA which has wonderful trails and allows dogs in the park. Little Dora really enjoyed the walk and was very good, as she proved in this image…
I’m so cute!
Even at 10 months old, she knew how to go for cuteness and throw head tilts when being photographed 🙂 After all, how can she get in trouble when she looks at you in that fashion? Yes, it has saved her many times!!
Hope you enjoy this image.
Technical Details
This image was captured with an iPhone 5S using the standard Camera app.
Welcome to week 157 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge! Yes, this post means that this challenge has been running for 3 years now! Thanks to all the amazing support from the blogosphere!!
Of course, you blew me away with the response to last week’s theme, which I thought might have had special meaning to many of us. This week, I want to make the theme about the most important thing that I can think of in our endeavors here and in many other aspects of life: Connections! Making connections with one another and learning more about the world and the great people, with whom we share it.
Your challenge is to capture any type of connections that you would like to share, as they come in many guises and at many levels. This is a great opportunity to let your creative energies flow freely and see where they take you. I can hardly wait to see what connections you will feature in your posts!!
Here’s a literal set of connections…
Floral Connections
These wonderful, bright yellow flowers are all connected to their supporting branches, striving to reach every bit of light that they can! This image comes from a visit to the Botanic Garden of the Technical University in Delft, Netherlands. This is a wonderful place to explore and enjoy the beauty of Nature, reconnecting to all that is special…
The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:
Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!
Let’s all make new connections and enjoy this week!
Welcome to the 156th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!
I’m truly overwhelmed by the number of responses to this week’s theme of Worship! The fire affected all of us and touched us in a way that we will not soon forget. The same fire also inspires us to look at our places of worship, why we worship and the very meaning that it has in our lives and souls. Your posts were absolutely stunning and touched me in many ways.
I hope that all of you will take the time to read each post, as I have, and will enjoy them as I have. Thank you all for the great posts and your inspiration!
Here’s another ancient place of worship…
Lochbuie Stones
This wonderful stone circle stands on the Isle of Mull. While exploring this site, I could feel the power that rests within it, and couldn’t help but think about the people that were here when it was just built; they went to great lengths to create something that would cement their connection to the supernatural…
The following were this week’s participants in the challenge with links to their posts:
Maria starts things off with a wonderful set of photos in KameraPromenader; the chapel in Sao Miguel in the Azores is stunning!
Nicole brings us a gorgeous set of photos of the Notre Dame in her postt in Une Photo, Un Poéme; spectacular!
Sarah takes us to a Byodo-In temple in Oahu in her post in By Sarah; the site looks amazing!
In another great post in Nut House Central, Kammie features wonderful photos of places that connect to worship.
Brian shares wonderful memories of the Notre Dame in his post in Bushboy’s World.
In a stunning post in Don’t Hold Your Breath, we visit the remaines of the town of Dhanushkodi, which was the victim of a super-cyclone in 1964.
In this week’s post in Land of Images we are treated to a beautiful photo of St. Mary’s.
With a great post in his blog In My Mind’s Eye, Ed shares his memories of a number of places of worship.
As we continue to explore the amazing world and universe, in which we find ourselves, I find myself continually drawn into the simple aspects of the natural world that surrounds us. And when I say simple, I’m referring to the commonplace items, such as leaves, which show shape and variety seemingly without bounds.
Form, shadow and light
On this beautiful Summer’s day, it was pure joy to look at the interplay of light and shadows among these variegated leaves. These leaves already have stunning form and structure, which would also be a wonderful subject for a macro study (maybe later). The bright light of the day just made them look that much more imposing.
When I see scenes of this kind, I very much enjoy approaching them from an angle that is low to the ground, as it allows the featured artists to be even bigger stars. Looking up to…
Here comes the eleventh mystery location post of this year….
This one is from one of my trips over the years, when I got a bit of time to explore the surrounding country. As you can imagine, I was struck by the vivid colors and found the fog that was hanging just above the town a nice bit of contrast.
Where is this?
Colorful, yet foggy!
It’s not hard to figure out the country…but can you also figure out the town, where I took this photo?
Ann-Christine was correct in recognizing the Icelandic writing on the building, which is part of the Herring Era Museum in Siglufjörður, Iceland. This is on the northern part of the island, not too far from Akureyri.
I’m so cute!
Form, shadow and light
