Phoneography and Non-SLR Photo Challenge: Nature (and More Afternoon Refractions, Series II)

03 November 2014

Lens:

1. Afternoon Refraction, Copyright © 2014 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

2. Afternoon Refraction, Copyright © 2014 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

3. Afternoon Refraction, Copyright © 2014 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

4. Afternoon Refraction, Copyright © 2014 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

5. Afternoon Refraction, Copyright © 2014 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

Let me know which you prefer and why.

Pens:

Fascinated, entranced, beguiled—that’s my reaction to the daily sighting of wispy refractions upon an interior wall. The flickering shapes of light appear, and act as an afternoon anchor.

It’s a sensation on multiple levels. Its quiet metamorphosis builds its effects minute by minute. I glance away and return not knowing what will transpire: what will be its next contours, lines, shadings. Its lure is boundless and ephemeral.

At first I surmise that the light has moved from outside through the window, and then through a clear stain-glass panel. But that’s not correct. The light has simply moved through the window and onto the wall–same place each day, repeatedly morphing into abstractions.

Waves of light seem to slow and quicken, quicken and slow. Timing is characterized by the wavelengths’ behavior and play. Patterns jump and become passive, but not for long.

The refraction’s appearance was a surprise, and I attribute it to the lowering of the sun’s angle in autumn. This visual gift has given me ample reason to sit and ponder this daily performance. Mother Nature’s light shows are especially mesmerizing and seductive.

While my free daily entertainment continues, I am compelled to watch refracted light move through other sources. Limitless experiments can be made. Shine a flashlight through a pile of marbles to achieve color refractions. Fill a glass bottle with liquid and  prepare for a different reaction.

As each medium is altered, the speed of the light is changed. Wonderfully, the only equipment is your Smartphone or camera, one form of light, an object for the light to penetrate, and a surface to view.

Each simmering refraction is like a chameleon that rearranges to suit its outside and inside influences. I’m caught in the unpredictability. Each day it refreshes, and offers a whimsical and thought-provoking luster to the afternoon. I hope that it stays a long time.

The photographs in the Lens section show the pace of the refraction’s images. One-by-one the appearance gave its blessing to new design elements. No magic, just Mother Nature’s brush strokes that create their own reality.

Tip of the Week: I’d like to introduce you to Rob Turney, who is an Australian visual artist and photographer. While photography is his medium, light, refraction and long exposure are his tools. He practices light painting techniques that result in non-representational photographs. He says, “I have a passion for contemporary art and am inspired by the beauty of light in all its various forms. Light is not something that can be physically held, but can only be experienced visually. Much of my work highlights this abstract nature of light, which can only be experienced through our own visual interaction and interpretations.” His photographs inspire as well as show light’s transitory nature. View his work at Rob Turney Visuals: click here.

Refractograph, Rob Turney, Australian photographer

View other entries for this week’s challenge:

http://priorhouse.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/burger-bach-and-a-walk/

http://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/phoneography-and-non-slr-digital-devices-photo-challenge-nature-hanging-in-there/

http://completelydisappear.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/a-pink-rose/

http://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2014/11/02/10794/

http://streetsofsfphotos.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/spirals-in-nature-3-photos/

http://angelinem.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/phoneography-challengenature-at-the-end-of-day/

http://patchworkponderings.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/travel-theme-autumn-phoneography-nature/

http://uniqueartchic.com/2014/11/03/sunshine-fall/

http://decocraftsdigicrafts.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/phoneography-natures-beauty/

http://angleandviews.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/natures-color-palette/

http://austindetails.me/2014/11/03/iphone-photos-burst-mode/

http://forestwoodfolkart.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/phoneography-and-non-slr-photo-challenge-nature-lysoen/

http://nwframeofmind.com/2014/11/03/iphoneography-monday-11-3-14/

http://allkindsaeverything.wordpress.com/2014/11/05/phoneography-and-non-slr-challenge-nature-7/

http://sciencealcove.com/2014/11/832/

Note:

If you’d like to join the Photo Challenge, please click here for details. If you have any questions, please contact me. Below is a reminder of the monthly schedule with themes for upcoming Photo Challenges:

1st Monday: Nature.

2nd Monday: Macro.

3rd Monday: Black and White.

4th Monday Challenger’s Choice (Pick One: Abstraction, Animals, Architecture, Food Photography, Night Photography, Objects, Portraiture, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel).

5th Monday: Editing and Processing with Various Apps Using Themes from the Fourth Week.