Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Nature (and Seasonal Change)

02 January 2017

Lens:

1. Autumn Leaves Photomontage; Copyright © 2016 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved

2. Autumn Leaves Photomontage; Copyright © 2016 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved

Pens:

Greetings to you and 2017… in my personal world that inhabits the USA we embrace hope that the New Year will be built on memories that serve the health and well-being of each individual and the planet, even as the signs point otherwise. And as always I turn to Mother Nature to shore my spirit.

Year after year autumn leaves create their legacy. Since trees play a crucial role in the health of our planet, their leaves are far more than a boost of color and design in the landscape. Each leaf serves a purpose for the leaf of its Mother tree and the air that we breathe.

The history of my property’s bounty is layered in foliage, gathered, composed and spread during spring and autumn’s fanciful appearance. This ritual is a part of the care and maintenance of my wildlife habitats.

An aspect of autumn’s allure is the drifting of leaves and their symbolism of birth, life, death and birth again. In late summer when the first leaves descend I am a sleuth scouring every nook and pathway for the lofty and unusual to dry, and then savor its continual contribution. This seasonal gift of golden nourishment brings new life to the soil and therefore to my plantings.

The forest floor is an apt example of this phenomenon: how the earth gives and takes, and then turns these feats into treats for the planet’s well being. When I take my daily walk through and by the woods, I become privy to the wild year-round metamorphosis.

But now the winter paints the landscape. Colors alter, naked trees abound, the forest floor becomes softer with leafy coverage, the earth is solid downward at least two inches, and sunlight spreads from a lower vantage point skyward. This season’s dormancy never entirely signals diminished aesthetics, just new ones to admire and appreciate.

Each season provides its own sweet songs of visual language—visual language that dons a different patina and asks us to notice, notice, notice. In winter with leafless trees sounds become exaggerated, shadows become more prevalent, hiding places for all creatures most be changed and re-arranged.

As early wintry days play with our senses, we begin our own version of hibernation. We work to employ its quiet magic. Then the radiance of spring, summer and autumn appears. Longer days of light bring exuberance in so many forms—forms that shower hearts and souls with a world that offers splendor in the midst of unknown reality.

I wish you a memorable year ahead, one with your dreams fulfilled, or at least they are on the path to being realized. I thank you for being part of my world; you have brought moments of pure joy, and I thank you for your readership. Truly, it is a pleasure to be part of your universe.

Tip of the Week:

I’ve been intrigued by the influence of Pantone colors from my first sighting, discovering it through publications of printed materials to advertise and market educational programs. That was many, many, many moons ago.

Here is a description of the company’s history from its website (pantone.com): “The Pantone Color Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another. Pantone, as it is today, was founded in 1962, when the company—at the time a small business which manufactured colour cards for cosmetics companies—was bought by Lawrence Herbert, who had been an employee since 1956. He immediately changed its direction, developing the first colour matching system in 1963.”

Pantone’s Color of the Year is described as:  “A symbolic color selection; a color snapshot of what we see taking place in our global culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude.”

The New Year introduces the company’s color for 2017: Greenery. It’s selection represents: ” A refreshing and revitalizing shade, Greenery is symbolic of new beginnings. Greenery is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew. Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate. Greenery is nature’s neutral. The more submerged people are in modern life, the greater their innate craving to immerse themselves in the physical beauty and inherent unity of the natural world. This shift is reflected by the proliferation of all things expressive of Greenery in daily lives through urban planning, architecture, lifestyle and design choices globally… A life-affirming shade, Greenery is also emblematic of the pursuit of personal passions and vitality.”

I’m thrilled that this perky hue is to be in the forefront this year. It will be a reminder of Mother nature and our spinning planet. It also will be a blatant and subliminal reminder of our duty to care, honor and help sustain our precious Earth.

“Greenery,” Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2017

View other entries for this week’s challenge:

https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2017/01/02/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-nature-shall-we-gather-at-the-river/

https://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2017/01/02/mobile-photo-challenge-nature-and-more-2/

https://priorhouse.wordpress.com/2017/01/02/mobile-photo-challenge-nature/

https://netdancer.com/2017/01/02/

https://nowathome.wordpress.com/2017/01/02/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-nature-ocean

https://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2017/01/02/a-bright-start-2017-sally-ds-nature-photo-challenge

https://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2017/01/01/sunday-trees-3/

https://helpalongthepath.com/2017/01/02/consistency/

https://ohmsweetohm.me/2017/01/03

https://chasinglifeandfindingdreams.wordpress.com/2017/01/04/new-year-better-you/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2017/01/05/weathered-but-not-broken/

https://artalsolife.com/2017/01/04/vision-problems/

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 would like to buy a print of any of my photographs or have any questions, please view the Contact Information found on the masthead. Thank you.

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, Photomontage, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel).

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

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