03 January 2014
Lens:
1. The Path to Somewhere, iPhone 4s, December 2013; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2014
2. Paths to Somewhere, iPhone 4s, December 2013; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2014
Let me know which you prefer and why.
Pens:
Whether a destination is planned or happenstance, there is a starting line. Regardless of the time of day or night, there always can be a beginning. Even as we take that step, there can be multiple beginnings within one beginning.
Philosophically, beginnings are a continuous part of the human condition. A beginning is not necessarily something new, it can simple be a path we normally take. Or it can be that steppingstone that has us change directions and begin again.
In order to grow, we must take chances and risks, which ultimately involve beginnings. Sometimes these moments can be tipping points. Or they simple add a bit of color to our experiences. Each adds another layer to who we are and will become.
Beginnings are places, points of departures, time, timing, stages, staging. They are the source of our personal innovation or gentle sway.
They can redirect us. Or keep us exactly where we are headed. Or pivot us into the unknown.
This week on a road trip with my grandson, I took the image in the Lens section. I processed it in two ways. Each image is a beginning–a destination to be considered or marveled or pondered.
The first is the usual: the known or unknown in the distance, waiting to embrace our adventurous side or not. The second image is a bit surreal, because we can come to this beginning from two different directions.
No matter how tiny or mammoth each offers a lesson. Each beginning offers us a chance to interpret its meaning. We can use it or toss it deep into the memory box. Whatever we choose that experience is with us forever.
Note: As always I welcome any comments about this post or any part of my blog.
Lens and Pens by Sally 
A fresh beginning of so many great roads ahead!
Oh, do I agree.
The second one is fascinating, looks quite spooky, if you ask me. 🙂 I think I prefer the first one, I like the bend.
All the best for 2014, dear Sally,
et riktig godt nytt år! til deg og dine!
Best wishes from
The Fabulous Four,
Dina
Dina, joyous and peaceful days ahead for your family and you. Thanks so much.
Each moment is the beginning of the rest of your life… the past is just that. Both photos give me the feeling of beginning an adventure… venturing into the unknown. Perhaps the first is in real time and the second in dream time where so many things are surreal. (what app did you use to make the mirror image?)
Meghan, I used PhotoStudio. Thanks so much.
Oh, thanks Steve, yes, I’ll eventually get it.
The second image fascinates me. I love the symmetry in it.
I was happy with it, because it tells the story that I want to show. Thanks.
Both are interesting perspectives Sally, but I love the way the second looks like an arrow pointing you forward (to a new beginning of course!) Nicely done.
Tina, see you soon. Thanks so much.
I love number two. It reminds me of Robert Frost and the classic Road not Taken!
That’s a great connection. Wishing you joyous days ahead in the new year. Thanks.
I can’t decide which of the two photos I like more; both are compelling and mysterious. Where are the roads leading? Are there good things or not so good things ahead? Will the paths eventually lead to tomorrow?
Sometimes familiar scenes become more than we expected. Thanks so much.
I love the second one, two points converging or it’s the fork in the road if you are coming from the one road up to the convergence! Great post.
Angeline, my sincere thanks.
Both are wonderful Sally but second one looks more intriguing.
Indira, wishes to you for a joyous and peaceful year. Thanks.
These images remind me of the biological terms used in evolution; the linear vs. branching evolution. Either way, I can look at these images and see them as a pictorial diptych: they belong together to express both the linear and divergence phenomena pictorially.
I appreciate your introspection and observations. Thank you so much.
Love this Sally! Happy New Year !
My very best wishes to you for a joyous and peaceful year. Thanks.
Very tender, fresh, and delicate images, like the birth or begging of any venture
must be tended carefully until one is well underway.
Carol, that’s lovely. A happy and joyous year ahead for you. Thanks.
I love the eerie quality of the second one.
Thanks so much.
aloha LensAndPensBySally – these two images altho both starting from the same place are extremely different for me. in that sense i like each for very different reasons.
the first as you say is straight forward. the image draws me into the background and i can wonder on in thought about where that leads. i like that.
the second becomes strongly abstract for me. it i had not seen the first image it would take me a while to get to the idea of road. what immediately comes to my mind is the idea of stratification. the image feels flatter to me, more like a geological slice of the earth. or a stone. this flatness is like a wall yet a wall i can enter with contemplation in multiple ways. from there as with the first image i can wonder on in thought.
so it is not so much a preference of one over the other but which i’d like to explore in any given moment. because they both do very different things for me—both of which i like.
each image is of course a beginning for the viewer. a beginning each time we watch into it. each time it can lead us to a new place. very fun on that too.
aloha.
Rick, I always enjoy your observations. It’s fascinating that each time we view an image we come to it with a different sense of ourselves. Layers keep piling on top of each other, and helping us see in new and intriguing ways. Thanks for your thoughtful comments.
Both images are great but I really enjoy the second one. The surreal appearance really captures that feeling of embarking on a new direction – the outcomes are still uncertain and the way forward hasn’t fully revealed itself.
Suzanne, thanks so much.
Since Bill’s been watching episode after episode of “Supernatural” during our free month of Netflix, I like the second one because it feels ominous and supernatural. 🙂 When I see what you and others do with editing and filters, I realize again that’s an area I need to begin exploring.
janet
Janet, yes, I do believe that experimentation adds to the our own way of seeing the world. Thanks so much.
I also prefer #1, esp when seeing it from the top-down, rather than all at once (at least that’s how it came across for me). Regarding #2, if you look at the road ‘tip,’ maybe squint, then look just above it in the trees, you will see the illusion of a chandelier. Or maybe a lace doily or…? Pretty cool.
Thanks so much.
Individual reactions are so idiosyncratic and sometimes are also revelations about ourselves. Why for instance your beautiful pictures do not look like beginnings to me but paths of evasion ?
I’ve had many beginnings in my life and it was always the pleasure of leaving, getting away, that I liked best. I very much like changes and I have been criticized for that, but I think that adaptability is one of my best traits.
I prefer the second duplicate paths because I like surreal images in general.
Vera, thanks for your interpretation. See you soon.
So true, the path can be curved and uncertain. Your lens and pens lead us to think much further of the meaning of “beginning”…
Amy, I appreciate your comment. Thanks.
I think I prefer the second one (it’s hard to choose). It suggests a merging of life paths and, sure, heading off into the unknown. Nice write-up as well, Sally.
Happy, happy New Year and joyous days ahead for you. Thanks.
I prefer 1. The phrase you use that describes it perfectly for me is a ‘pivot into the unknown’. The sharp turn in the road marks that well, as does what I guess is a slow rise in the road followed by a falling away that conceals anything beyond. In the picture, as in life, we cannot see beyond the immediate future.
Thanks for you apt interpretation.