Daily Practice 8/365

I was thinking about solitude today - actually craving it after the first week back at work. I cut out a bit early this afternoon, with thoughts of finding a warm spot in the house to read. But first there was the question of my daily photography practice. The American artist Jennifer Bartlett once arranged to spend a year in France and rented a house. Expecting beautiful views and landscapes, she found the house to have a rather ordinary garden. Rather than being disappointed, Ms. Bartlett proceeded to create an extensive series of paintings and drawings of this "ordinary" garden over the course of the year. When I arrived home, I grabbed a pinhole digital camera and stepped outside into the back yard. Experimenting with camera motion and long exposures gave me an image that seemed to express the healing qualities of solitude.

I titled this image:

"He needed solitude to quiet the neuronal storm that descended from time to time"

Daily Practice 7/365

I took the "long route" to work this morning, driving along the coast, with the idea that I would stop along the way if something looked interesting. Even though I've seen the winter sun low over the Strait of Juan de Fuca many times, it always feels fresh and restorative to me. And today reminded me of the bright yellow suns we draw as children.

I title this image:

"His mind conjured a yellow crayon sun with healing rays reflected on a calming sea"

Daily Practice 6/365

I was waiting to pick up a prescription, wandering in the village when I caught site of these subjects. My first thought was to go back to my car to get my camera, then I remembered that I'm always carrying my phone, which can be used. Not nearly as capable as most of my cameras, but in some ways a better tool for sharpening composition skills. The day was gloomy and it made the subjects seem sinister. Thinking of that, I titled this image:

"He saw harbingers of doom everywhere, in the bird of death and the sinister smiling man"

Daily Practice 5/365

I find the blur and framing of this image impart a sense of someone watching or being watched. I like the idea that a blurred image of iconic places can be an access point to childhood memories. With that in mind, I titled this piece:

"He remembered hiding behind grandfather's house, scared of the monster that might emerge"

Daily Practice 4/365

Wet, cold and miserable - not exactly perfect conditions for outdoor photography. I decided on using the Hipstamatic program on my iPhone, and stopped on the way home from work to look for a composition along the water. I picked this image because introspection has been on my mind today, and I was struck by the arrangement of the little islets in the water. This image is titled:

"In his deep introspection, he saw each issue as an islet in the ocean of confusion"

Daily Practice 3/365

I loaded my Holga with 50 ASA film to specifically experiment with multiple exposures on a tripod. I was hoping to get some good images of ghostly people at a local dog walking area, but the results were a little underwhelming, and I will need to rethink how to get the effects I want. I stopped at a duck pond in the park, and did this multiple exposure on a reflection of the trees. I'm struck by the waving, floating lines extending between the two darker masses.

I titled this image: "His thoughts were fragile tendrils floating between the dark masses of the underworld "

Daily Practice 2/365

The weather was wet, wet, wet earlier in the day, and then the sky cleared and the sun came out. I live near the Strait of Juan de Fuca across from the Olympic Peninsula and the sky can be quite dramatic over the water, with the mountains peeking through a veil of clouds. I followed along the coast, finally stopping at a lookout up above the Strait. Of the various images I had to choose from, I picked this image because I felt as if this cloud formation was a metaphor for past and future. I also like the historical reference to Stieglitz's "Equivalents".

Keeping in mind why I had selected this image, I've titled it:

"He felt as if his life was being redefined, the past separating from the future"