An image from 2012 of an abstract statue created by my wonderful aunt, Mieke, brings back fond memories.
One of the fascinating things is how our memories are recorded in such varied ways. In going through my back-catalog in search of an image for this week, I came across a rather strong memory.
Here’s that image…
Keramieke
This image is from 2012, as I was going through a period of capturing something different every day. This lovely, abstract statue sits in our home, and was created by my wonderful aunt, Mieke. Mieke was a wonderful soul, who I always enjoyed visiting, as I stopped by her flat in Rotterdam. She was overflowing with creativity, and always had a slightly different perspective on many of the events that occurred around us. I think some of that perspective rubbed off on me, which is a rather good thing in my opinion.
Looking at this photo brings back lots of warm memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
A little brain teaser for all of you observant blog readers… from this photo, can you tell which city I’m visiting?
As I’m traveling for work for a week of face-to-face (F2F) meetings, I thought I’d share an image from Monday morning’s stroll to the office. I noticed something that was new to me, as it’s been a while I went to our corporate headquarters.
Here’s what I came across…
Acorn to the Max!
This rather sizable acorn was standing proud as a reminder of the city’s nickname. So for fun, I will leave it up to all of you to guess which city I am in! The winner gets bragging rights!
A look at the uniqueness of human creativity, particularly in art, which distinguishes us from other animals.
Regardless of taste, the creativity of art is a uniquely human expression of many of our thoughts, impressions and emotions. At least, I can’t think of another animal that has created language, painted chapel ceilings or achieved the myriad ways in which we are creative. Of course, that doesn’t mean that some animal might not surpass us in some future (or we finally encounter E.T.).
It’s not often that I photograph any of those human expressions, but here’s one of them…
Human Impact
I know that graffiti might be a controversial expression of art to some, but an expression it is. I found this work as my wife and I were taking one of our Cardigan Welsh Corgis for a walk along a rail trail. As the light was playing across it, I knew I had to capture it.
And, yes, I played a bit with this image, as it is an exposure bracketed set of images, which enabled me to push the color expression a bit more. The artist(s) definitely created something interesting on this rusty old bridge. Also, I marvel at how they suspended themselves to paint with a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve. I still appreciate this view; hope you enjoy it as well.
In 2011, Art in the Park celebrated diverse art installations in Elm Park, Worcester, Massachusetts. Among the featured works was Antoinette Prien Schultze’s “Temple of Roses,” a stunning glass and stainless steel sculpture.
Today, I am taking you back to the year 2011 and an event close to home. Art in the Park is a celebration of wonderful, inspiring art installations in Elm Park in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. Artists’ submissions for this event include a variety of installations with lots of different materials. It’s always fun to take in these amazing works and experience them under lots of different weather conditions.
Here’s an image I captured of one of the works of art…
Temple of Roses – Art by Antoinette Prien Schultze
In this image I capture a detail of the Temple of Roses work by Antoinette Prien Schultze. The glass and stainless steel temple shape sits on granite (out of view in my image). This inspired me to use a reflector behind the sculpture to create the sense of a strong solar disk behind the temple shape. For me this connected with the name of the artwork, Temple of Roses.
For more of Antoinette Prien Schultze’s outdoor sculptures please take a look at this page. I hope you enjoy!
Experimentation is key in photography, whether to create abstract images or push representation into different realms.
I have always felt that experimentation is a key part of my photographic journey, as it opens up the possibility of creating images beyond the direct observation of the physical and into that of our mind’s eye. Part of these discoveries go into the realm of abstract imagery.
I would like to share one of these images from about 8 years ago…
Forest Aberration
The technique to create this image is pretty straightforward in that I used a bit of linear movement with a 1/6 second exposure. As I wanted to preserve the directionality of the trees, I kept the motion along the same lines presented by those same trees. With a bit of experimentation the diagonal that is near the bottom of the image was preserved, allowing the lower right hand to almost create its own separate space in both color and shapes.
The juxtaposition of the yellows of the leaves and the blue, green and dark orange in the lower section provides a pleasing interplay, giving the eye an opportunity to discover more in the overall presentation.
On the technical details, I shot this with a Fujifilm X-T1, at f/10 to get the aperture to the 1/6 second mentioned earlier.
I enjoy puzzles and challenges in my photography. In this shot I try to elevate the paperclip.
I like puzzles and challenges. This is useful in my day job in high technology; I also like to explore various challenges in photography, one of which is lighting subjects in just the right manner. I have taken several courses over the years to hone my skills in this area, which has given me a set of tools for solving these puzzles.
During one of the courses on product photography, I figured that it would be a good challenge to create an interesting image out of an every day object…
Paperclips!
After going to Staples to buy a box of paperclips, I arranged them on a black surface to get a distribution of color. The challenge now was to light them in a way that would be both interesting and would keep the surface all black; I used a single flash for this set up to have the light rake across the paperclips.
The result was a pretty interesting image, especially when seen in a sizable print format.
For this Sunday, I thought I’d share another snap from our visit to New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, Massachusetts.
Jellyfish Afloat
The artful displays for the Night Lights event were everywhere and one of the indoor areas had us walking through an ocean of beauty, including this gorgeous creation.
What caught my eye is that most of the displays were made from everyday objects, including this one. Many recyclables were used to show how our simplest items can be turned into an imaginative display.
A brief walk through part of Reykjavik and impressions gathered.
Traveling across Iceland provides a wonderful opportunity to capture its great variety of landscape, which definitely is the star of any photography tour.
Despite all this wonder, it’s worthwhile to take a walk through Reykjavik, as it features great architecture, inspiring art and a connection to its history. On the final day of the photography trip, we took such a walk.
One of the locations that stood out for me is the Hólavallagarður cemetery. It is rather different from many other graveyards in both its layout and its landscaping…
Hólavallagarður Cemetery
As you can see in this image, there are many trees planted, which gives the light a filtered quality that lends a sense of mystery to the graveyard. Walking through the cemetery, one gets a sense of the overall mood and can’t help but feel a connection with the people who lived (and died) here.
Hólavallagarður cemetery was established in 1838, and, as such, is the new graveyard, replacing one that had been used since Viking times. Some of the headstones have been sculpted by well-known Icelandic artists, such as Einar Jónsson.
Lighting the Way for the Soul
Many details can be seen in the graveyard, such as lanterns and other small objects, which one can imagine were placed to assist the souls of the departed along their continuing journey. This graveyard has the feel of connecting one to past generations through its intimate details; it’s a great place for a quiet visit.
Walking along the streets of Reykjavik, one also finds a connection with modern life…
Street Art by Deih
This mural is done by the Spanish artist Deih, and brings a very strong sense of comic book art and wonder about the nature of the character. It’s stunning and intriguing!
In another post, I will spend some time to feature some of the architecture, including Harpa!
Here comes the twenty-third mystery location post of this year….
Last week may have been a little too easy…the Tate at the Albert Docks in Liverpool is a popular location and very recognizable! For this week’s offering, I’, going to something a bit more obscure…
Under gorgeous weather conditions, something odd appeared in my path…
What happened here?
Of course, the dogs have their own opinion of the art work 🙂
Welcome to the 158th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!
Fantastic use of technology this week! Your creative touch was firmly on display in the variety of technology that you brought to the table. It was a delight to read all of your posts! Of course, technology did rear its fickle head as well, as somehow more of your posts were caught in the spam filter than normal…
Regardless, I think I found all of them; if I missed one, please let me know and I will try to make amends. Please read each 0theres’ posts and have fun with them!
A bit of unusual technology…
Graffiti Anatomy
The technology layers in this images are many! From the photography to the creation of the art work, and what it represents, there is technology everywhere!
Sarah kicks things off this week with another wonderful photo in her post in By Sarah; the pressure has to be just right for the IPA!
Ann-Christine brings us to the intersection between technology and nature in a great post in To See the World in a Grain of Sand…; the bird should be careful!
In a very cool post in Don’t Hold Your Breath, we are exposed to high technology in the kitchen; liquid nitrogen to make dessert looks both interesting and delicious!
Bren’s photo in her post in RyanPhotography reminds us that Stewie is very interested in technology!
Na’ama brings us a rather interesting post in Na’ama Yehuda; the blessed bus has amazing technology!
Maria takes us to a marvel in technology in Kamerapromenader, which I have visited myself; the Falkirk Wheel is a wonderful combination of both old and new technology!
Another great post in Minding my Ps with Q shares appreciation of the technology of the internet and lovely buttercups!
In another enjoyable post in Photography Journal Blog, we find out what happens when rules are broken! Great result!
In a very interesting post in For the Love of…, we see the results of bad planning and see what could be done!
In another wonderful post in pensivity101 we learn that even a self-professed technophobe can use technology to good effect!
Ken brings some stunning technology in his post in Pictures without Film; the in-box is scary… also I wonder, if the other machine works!
In a great post in Life Amazing, we explore the various types of technology, which runs the gamut!
This week’s entry in Fleeting Muse expertly captures the various technologies at work in reading a blog!
Jase touches on some of the key aspects of technology in a great post in Proscenium, where eyes with a face are better than without 🙂
This week’s contribution in Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery goes back a bit in time to explore communications technology!
Yinglan brings us up close to the keyboard in her exploration of technology in This is Another Story!
In a very cool post in Another LQQK, Teressa brings us along the upgrade path of one of mankind’s ubiquitous devices: the phone!
Sandy hangs in the breeze in her post in Out of My Write Mind, as the wind carries her onto the path of power!
In another awesome post by Heart 2 Heart, we explore various protective technologies: the ever-watchful eye and the evil eye!
In a truly interesting post in iBall Round the World, we learn about the technology of monitors, which are amazing ships!
Debbie’s post in Travel with Intent goes to the pinnacle of high tech in Seoul, South Korea!
Brian features a set of birds that clearly enjoy living on the edge, in Bushboy’s World; powerful images!
In this week’s post in Land of Images we find that technology can carry us a long way; in this case 100,000 miles of it!
David’s contribution in David Meredith’s Photoblog features some truly tried and true technology that we still get to see at fairs!
Another excellent post this week in One letter UP – diary 2.0, as we go back to classic video technology that was featured at many a family movie night!
Debbie shares a wonderful post in ForgivingConnects, as she brings us the technology to make it through hard times…
Donna asks Siri whether or not she likes paper maps in her post in Wind Kisses; I agree that sometimes, paper maps are wonderful!
Khürt’s post in Island in the Net shares some of the technology that he uses in making the wonderful images that he shares with us!
Please let all of these great bloggers know your thoughts about their posts!
