15 February 2016
Lens:
Let me know which you prefer. Click on image to enlarge, which takes you to another page. If you decide to leave a comment, please return to this page.
Pens:
The morning was a blue-moon event. The entire landscape was painted with pockets of clouds that gave new meaning to foggy, creamy and deliciously provocative. The intersection of air currents, temps, heavy rain and snow created a moisture-laden environment.
In my hometown usually fog is closer to the horizon, being shy to rise into the trees or skyward. Truly, during that morning’s sightings memorable forms tentatively held shapes that surprised and stunned me. This profusion was salt and peppered along my journey, and my astonishment overflowed into euphoric emotions and visual ecstasy.
It was as if the land and its surroundings were being swallowed by the intersection of weather-related elements. Areas of the landscape were overtaken by this phenomenon that provided a conundrum. My impulse was to jump out of the car to grab visual memories. But each place that succumbed to swaths of fog were located where it was inaccessible. It was frustration personified.
The effects were grandiose, and all I could do was marvel. As I continued toward my destination, one pocket disappearing to reveal yet another, I found a spot to stop in a small park.
I moved closer to the tree line in the distance, where soft ribbons of fog could not compete with what I had seen over the last half hour’s road trip. The elements were shifting and the fog with them. The rain had become timid, so I stood and enjoyed the serenity of the scene with its near abstract formations. Within seconds there was a radical transformation from ethereal and mystical to low-clinging mist. It was transformative in ways that only nature can produce.
In the Lens section are two images that show the scene at the park. The first image has the view with a denser fog, and the second–only minutes later–shows a simple patina of mist.
That dense fog of a winter’s afternoon, filled with haze and soft glaze across the distance, was a clear voice from Mother Nature about her ability to bring engaging and yet ephemeral visions into our lives. But we must see them, envelope their unique qualities and remember who is truly in charge of nature’s palette.
Tip of the Week:
“[w]e know that people are formed by the light and air, by their inherited traits, and their actions. We can tell from appearance the work someone does or does not do; we can read in his face whether he is happy or troubled. ~~ August Sander
When I read about Emblems of the Passing World: Poems after Photographs of August Sander by Adam Kirsch (2015), I immediately ordered it. This book brings together the work of a photographer and a writer. Kirsch is a noted critic and poet who was inspired by the works of the father of Modern Photography. August Sander (1876-1964) specialized in documentary and portrait photography. He is well-known for an ambitious project that documented the German people from pre-World War I to World War II. Sander was able to capture the character and personality of his subjects with a searing outcome. Adam Kirsch has presented his response to forty-six of Sander’s black-and-white portraits–portraits that are created with a directness, insight, and sensitivity. Kirsch’s poems do not distract from Sander’s artistry. It’s a curious little tome that pays tribute to Sander’s contribution to the German society at a significant time in history, and also brings attention to his classic approach to photography. Click here to see some of Sander’s work. We can learn much from studying his portraiture with its tender and realistic depictions.
From Emblems of the Passing World: Poems after Photographs of August Sander, Adam Kirsch’s poem, “Bricklayer,” 2015, and August Sander’s photograph, “Bricklayer, 1928.”
“Before the architect can contemplate
Strategic harmonies of line and mass,
Before the engineer can calculate
The densities required to bear the stress,
Must come the laborer, who bears them up
As surely as the stack of twenty bricks
He wears as nonchalantly as a cap
Piled on a board across his back and neck;
Reduced to nothing but a quantity
Of muscle power, his defiant staring
Announces the heroic certainty
That he can bear a life of only bearing.”
View other entries for this week’s challenge:
https://angelinem.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-peace-out/
https://lumar1298.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/garden-photography-monochrome/
http://ohmsweetohm.me/2016/02/15/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-black-and-white-nature/
https://amaltaas.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-black-and-white-4
https://badfish2.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/how-your-life-imitates-art-finally-a-short-read/
https://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/mobile-photographybw-and-flow-of-the-day
https://chasinglifeandfindingdreams.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/mystery-of-black-and-white
https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/the-medium-and-the-message/
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.
I’m for the second Sally – more real life to me.
Tina, thanks so much. Hope that you are enjoying the march to Spring.
Both shots are interesting in their own way; I slightly prefer the first for the enigmatic qualities it offers, but both draw me in and intrigue. As always too I find so much in your Pens section. Thank you for the introduction to Sanders’ work and to Kirsh’s poems.
My pleasure, and thank you for your response to my work.
I prefer the second image, Sally. The first looks a bit unnatural to me, despite being natural. The second gives me more reality.
Christine, thanks so much.
It occurred to me that a few of the young people depicted in Sander’s photographs could still be alive. If so, I wonder if any of them know that Sander’s portraits became so well known.
Steve, I suspect that they do or did. Sander’s notoriety for his project became widely known in Europe and beyond. A note about his work during the war: About 1,800 negatives survived; in 1944 his studio was bombed by the Nazis, and 40,000 negatives were destroyed.
Like them both…ALOT but I love the surreal nature of the first one.
Edith, lovely to hear from you. Thank you for your comment.
I am going with the ethereal, mysterious feel of the dense fog. Love your pens section even more! 🙂
Madhu, lovely to hear from you. You’ve brought sunshine to me on a grey and windy morning. Thanks so much.
Sally, It disturbs me no end to not be able to take the shot! I like the second I think…I like the sky and clarity in it more. The other is kind of cool in a vague sort of way! Hey, I linked up with your B&W theme (I hope sepia is OK, let me know if not?). I don’t see anyone leaving their links here, so I won’t.
Happy Photo Challenge, delighted to have you join once again. And yes, your monochromatic images are part of this week’s theme. Alas, the shot that slips away must be memorialized in our trove of life’s frustrating moments. Thanks so much.
FINALLY!!! I’ve been using my phone for photos more than talking! You’d think I’d be able to come up with something for your challenge…
Indeed, it’s a very strange phenomenon, capturing our world with a phone.
I’m just amazed at the quality of photos!
Humans have the ability to create such extraordinary and ingenious inventions. Then we get to play with the possibilities.
I like both for their own beauty.
Maria, thanks so much.
I can’t make up my mind this week on which one I like the best. The first is a bit mysterious, while the second is a hint of what is to come—or perhaps what just passed. Good job on both accounts, Sally.
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Allan, you’ve brought a huge smile across my evening. Thanks.
I would agree! The first is a little ethereal, enigmatic even….
Sue, thanks so much for your comment and visit.
They both play into whatever mood you are in when you view them. I like the universal quality of that.
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Allan, thank you for your thoughtful response to my images.
I liked the second one dear. Perhaps being a bit sharper is easy on my eyes.
Indira, I appreciate your comment. Thanks.
These two photo are like beautiful B&W brush painting, beautiful and poetic. I like the second one especially! 🙂
Amy, I appreciate your comment. Enjoy the day and your week ahead. Thanks.
You did envelop the moments, the visual memories; you clearly heard Her voices, Sally. Both photos and accounts are in absolute accordance. I like the first as it displays how the elements intersected and designated their boundaries. But,the “Event Horizon” of the second is a thing of beauty, a joy forever …
Doda, I’m humbled by your response to my photographs. Thanks so much.
Your pens part is so influential and the quality of your photos is of very high standards. Both enable the viewer to acquire a deeper perspective on the Art of photography.
I extend my appreciation to you for your comment. Enjoy today and always.
I hate it, Sally, when I’m driving along, see a beautiful scene, and I am completely unable to pull over anywhere to try and capture it. Very frustrating indeed! I like your photos. My initial reaction to the first was that it felt sort of alienesque (is that even a word?)! I prefer the second one showing more detail. I hope you have a lovely Valentine’s Day and will have a fabulous week ahead! 🙂
Linda, congratulations, your first V’s Day in the new house. Thanks for your comment.
I love the first panorama best – more mysterious somehow. More of a dreamy quality to it.
Raewyn, I appreciate your comment.
I really like the first one more with its more mysterious aspects. So many stories could be made from this photo. Lovely.
Angeline, thank you so much.
My favorite is #2. I love the spooky feel of the landscape and it’s “line drawing” feel.
Thanks dear for your response to the image.
They are both lovely but I think the mood of the first one is slightly more enigmatic and therefore intriguing. Beautiful work!
Lori, it was a fascinating winter’s day with the confluence of elements. Hope that you are staying warm, and the ducks are cozy together. See you soon. Thanks.
Hi Sally. I am fascinated by Sander’s work and Kirsch’s poetry inspired by Sander’s photographs. My next novel is set in Boston and Detroit during the 1940’s and I’ve done a lot of reading about the rise of fascism–both in Europe and the USA. What an intriguing and frankly frightening era! As for your photos, I’m partial to the second one, which brings the landscape into sharper focus. But both are great “mood” shots!
Patti, Sander’s work stirs the senses and thoughts of a horrific time in world history. I’m interested in learning more about your novel. I appreciate your comment.
You’re very welcome, Sally! I’ll keep you posted on the novel, which is coming to life…on its own terms and its own schedule!
That’s usually how it is. Cheers.
This is tough because I like the mystery of the first one, and yet love the details of the sky and fog in the second. So tie! What a magical scene to see in person I am sure. I am curious about your link. I’ve always thought portrait photographer was compelling, and difficult. I will have to check it out for sure.
Nato, yes, I am always mesmerized by a telling portrait. It’s a truly tough genre of photography. Sander was a master. In his later years he turned to architecture and nature. Ket me know what you think of his work. I appreciate your response to my images.
I’ve done some portrait photography. Some has been great when you really connect with the person. But, others miss the mark indeed. Good for the customer, but not powerful and amazing. THAT would be goal. I’ve pondered about starting some portrait/feature story projects. For now though, it is just a thought. Thanks for the always-great info!
My pleasure, enjoy your week.
I just looked at the link. What powerful images! Everyone looks so serious. Yet, those looks are very telling, more telling than a fake smile. What an artist to get the character of a person so well, or at least what we perceive is the character anyway.
Indeed, I absolutely agree. He was able to find the source of their inner life and show it to us.
That is my goal when I shoot photographs of people, but it doesn’t always happen. Shooting people is much more difficult than any photography I do. Wait, trying to get a good picture of my hyper dog is pretty hard too!
See you soon.
Sally, I completely understand this feeling, “euphoric emotions and visual ecstasy”, and have shared it with you many, many times, as well as the frustration of not being able to pull over to get a shot I simply must have! Which of your photos do I prefer this week? It’s close, but I’m going with the second one. I like the combination of slightly sharper trees and background contrasting with the fog. I do like the ethereal feel of the first, though.
Happy President’s Day (even though I hate that they put the two birthdays together.)
janet
Janet, yes, that longing to capture a scene, and allowing oneself simply to enjoy the moment can be a conundrum. The strangest part is that even during the time when “that” shot is achieved, it never seems to render the original sensation of awe and wonder. Thanks for your comment. Enjoy the upcoming week.