12 January 2012
Lens:
These five photographs are my salute to the everyday, the ordinary objects nestling in my home. Each seems to suited to a black-and-white format.
Mustard Seeds, January 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012
Scissor Handles, January 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012
Legos, January 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012
1924 Corona Four Typewriter, January 2012; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2012
Please let me know which one of my images is your favorite. Also, I’d like to know which is your favorite everyday object to photograph.
Pens:
The birth of photography was a simultaneous event: in France by Louis Jaques Mandé Daguerre and in England by William Henry Fox Talbot. As the use of these outrageously fantastic innovations continued, artists captured their surroundings or invented them. Events such as World War I and II reshaped the way photographer documented human history.
The ordinary has been a photographic subject throughout the history of this art. Think what: William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877) did for the door, Edward Weston (1886-1958) did for the egg slicer and pepper, André Kertész (1894-1985) did for the fork, Tina Modotti (1896-1942) did for telephone wires, Thomas Demand (1964- ) is doing as he creates and reconstructs 3-D models of the ordinary. Lastly, ponder the iPhone users who routinely are shooting everyday objects. That idea floats through the neurons and just cannot let go.
The Open Door, 1844, William Henry Fox Talbot
Fork, 1928, André Kertész
Egg Slicer, 1930, Edward Weston
Telephone Wires, Mexico, 1925, Tina Modotti
C-Print, 1995, Thomas Demand
In a mere twenty-seven years (2039) the bicentennial of photography’s emergence will be broadly feted. In that quarter of a century much will change technologically, and its hard to forecast the medium’s possibilities. But certainly the ordinary, the everyday, the ubiquitous still will be seen as a visual curiosity for interpretation and reinterpretation.
Lens and Pens by Sally 
I love the Legos picture the best- I didn’t even recogize them at first, and that was the best part!
It’s fun to experiment and see objects in a whole new way. Thanks for visiting, Sally
Love the black and white! And, especially the scissors
Thanks, I’m beginning to have a greater and greater appreciation for the monochromatic, especially the B & W, Sally
Ever since I became aware of microscopes as a kid I’ve been intrigued by the way an everyday object can lose its familiar identity when you zoom in close enough. Your scissor handles are an example; without the caption I’d have had no idea what they are. I think you’re right that “certainly the ordinary, the everyday, the ubiquitous still will be seen as a visual curiosity for interpretation and reinterpretation.”
I can’t say that there’s any particular object I enjoy photographing in that way. When I get very close to my usual subject, plants, I often find things I didn’t expect, and those surprises often become the subjects of photographs.
Steve Schwartzman
http://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com
As you so aptly point out, one of the advantages of our love of the moment,which we capture through the lens, is seeing up close and personal. My macro has given me a whole new insight into nature and human nature. Thanks for your comments, Sally
Happy macros to us! I’d be lot without mine. Pushing that thought further: just the other day I was wondering what sort of equipment I’d need to take pictures through a microscope.
Oh, I’ve been thinking about that concept for a long time. Did you ever look at Nikon Small World? I’m in awe of the work captured with equipment that goes deep into the layers of an image, Sally
Thanks for the tip about Nikon Small World. I’ll have to see what equipment Nikon has and, more important, how affordable it is.
(I guess you understood that I meant to write that I’d be loSt without my macro lens.)
Yep, I also would be “lost” without mine. My regret was getting an 85 mm instead of the 105 mm, but I do have a few external magnifying lenses to add. Let me know what you learn, Sally
Great post, Sally. And love these macros of normal things. I love photographing normal things, but then I don’t get to travel much, so it’s what I see most also. 🙂 As to what I like most, I don’t know. I just love noticing shapes, and lines, etc. so just things that appeal that sensitivity in me. Love this post. And it will be interesting to see what comes in the way of changes (Nikon D4 🙂 ).
Thanks Katie, you definitely have a fabulous array of landscape and colors to study in Santa Fe. There is much to be excavated by really seeing in our immediate environment. We’re constantly challenged by the frame within the frame. Congratulations, you got a new camera. I have a Nikon D50, which I’ve been using for years–and would love to take the leap to another Nikon (I do love my camera.). Let me know how you like your new companion. Happy exploring, Sally
I like the photo of the typewriter the most. It reminds me of my childhood, how life was so simple back then.
I’m glad to bring a bit of nostalgia to your day. Thanks, Sally
Hmm, it’s a tough call (they are all great in unique ways) but I reckon the Lego one is my favourite – I like the ambiguity involved.
Everyday object? Well, I like going out on the streets, so whatever I find there is my favourite object to photograph. But, I do have a thing for doors.
Great post, Sally!
Thanks so much–and I am captivated by your doors. It’s so very interesting what captivates our attention, our seeing. I do so appreciate your comments, Sally