Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Challenger’s Choice (2015 and Self-Evaluation)

28 December 2015

Lens:

1. Autumn Foliage Sanctuary; Copyright © 2015 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved

2. Whitney Sculpture Rooftop; Copyright © 2015 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved

2. Afternoon Refraction, ; Copyright © 2015 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved

4. Paperweight; Copyright © 2015 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

5. “Queen of the Night Tulip; Copyright © 2015 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

6. Pansy; Copyright © 2015 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

7. Gerber Daisy; Copyright © 2014 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

8. Budding Magnolia; Copyright © 2015 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

9. Freedom Tower, Lower Manhattan; Copyright © 2015 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved

10. Nightscape, New York City; Copyright © 2015 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved/Lens and Pens by Sally

Let me know which of these photographs (in no particular order) from 2015 is your favorite. Click onto each image to enlarge. If you decide to leave a comment, please do it from the Homepage.

Pens:

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment”. – Buddha

There is an overwhelming need to push inward, the tail of 2015 is responsible and standing in repose, knowing farewell is imminent. That presence seats my emotional thoughts. Words avoid my tongue, and stay inward where they jostle for permanence and recognition. They prompt action, encouraging a review of my images from the last year; it’s a worthy journey.

I’m the critic’s critic of my own work; I have a VERY difficult time knowing when to curtail the process. Self-evaluation is serious stuff. I decide to view the entire year’s posts, selecting images that meet my standard. It’s a tough exercise.

Not much seems to be what I thought it was. Still, I choose ten photographs that for various aesthetics and other reasons meet some criteria—criteria that mixes this and that and much intuition. But it’s mostly subjectivity about my own photographs and their storytelling.

The present secludes the past and prepares for the future. Most importantly, the present presides over where I am and need to be. No wonder the images of almost yesteryear need to have another glance, and then rest in the past.

I angle my view of the collection in the Lens section, and see the link between architecture, nature, black-and-white photography, and urban culture. But it’s really about the juxtaposition of nature to human nature. That’s my personal philosophical viewpoint; that’s where I reside, places where I find peace and solace but also provocation.

I am forever moving along a continuum toward discovery where a crossover between the creativity process, reality and vision blur and occur. It’s an ongoing journey and one that I fully embrace. It’s my effort to find my voice and at times infuse that voice.

Photography uses its visual language to appeal to our sense of humanity, place and time. Its aesthetics are crucial, but the story must burst out of the frame and grab the viewer.

Please tell me which of those photographs you enjoy the most. Truly, I learn from your eye and interpretation, and I will continue to do so. I value your opinion.

See you in 2016. See you as hope cascades through my spirit, longing for a better day, every day.

Tip of the Week:

My ongoing love affair with street photography continues to hold its grasp upon me. As I viewed The New York Times’ annual “The Year in Pictures,” it seemed an apt series to share with you. Many of them are taken in the streets around the world, and show why this form of photography is necessary to archive the human condition. This year has been a treasure trove of stories that will not be forgotten and many will straddle 2016 and beyond. Click here to view this year’s most poignant and startling images that show visually the stories of 2015.

“Equal Dignity,” The New York Times, 27 June 2015

View other entries for this week’s challenge:

https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-challengers-choice-street-art-in-the-subway/

https://chasinglifeandfindingdreams.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/acorns-of-2015/

https://patchworkponderings.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-head-in-the-clouds/

https://angelinem.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-yesterday-is-gone/

https://decocraftsdigicrafts.wordpress.com/2015/12/29/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-a-recap-of-2015/

http://nwframeofmind.com/2015/12/29/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-challengers-choice-shades-of-finn

http://roamingurbangypsy.com/2015/12/28/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-challengers-choicecan-do-street-art-in-the-subway/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-looking-back-on-the-year 

https://inthezone2001.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/2015inreview/

https://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/my-iphotography-year-in-review/

Note:

As always I welcome comments about this post or any part of my blog. My photographs for the mobile photography challenge are taken with an iPhone 6.

If you’d like to join this Mobile Photography Challenge, please click here for details and history of the challenge. If you have any questions, please contact me. Below is a reminder of the monthly schedule with themes for upcoming 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, Panorama, Portraiture, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel).

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

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