Daily Practice 12/365

I feel a special affinity with modern architecture, which strikes me as being an extension of sculpture. I was waiting for a meeting to take place in a new building at work, and while I waited I took the opportunity to explore the forms, angles and relationships between different aspects of the building. For me, this image is all about the space inbetween. I titled this image:

"He saw the gap between them as utterly unbridgeable, and it filled him with sadness."

Daily Practice 11/365

Today was a busy day without an opportunity to photograph until after dinner. I was thinking of the Wallace Stevens poem "Study of Two Pears" and set up a still life with pears from the dining room. I decided to shoot hand-held with a slit lens and a pinhole lens, concentrating on the curves of the pears. When I started to look at the images, several struck me in a more sensuous way than I had expected. I picked this image, and titled it:

"He could still recall the feel of his hand between her legs, her curves bulging at the base, passion flowering over her skin"

Daily Practice 10/365

One of the amazing things about where I live is the constantly changing winter sky. Today I was on a grocery run when I noticed that the clouds were constantly changing patterns above the Olympic Mountains to the south. I dropped the groceries off at home and then made my way to several favourite spots along the water. There were many dramatic views of the clouds over mist-skirted mountains across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In the end, I found this image of cloud and light patterns over the Olympics to be the most compelling of the day's practice. Playing with the idea of Olympus and Greek mythology, I arrived at the title:

"He thought of Zeus ruling with impunity from Mount Olympus, and wondered what that would feel like."

Devil's Playground

Devil's Mark

His Eminence

 

Devil's Anvil

 

Devil's Chisels

 

The Drowning Pool

 

Devil's Broadcast

 

Devil's Music

 

Devil's Temptation

I shot this series of images while on a walk at a local park. The site used to be a cement works a long time ago, but the forest has mostly reclaimed the site. It's somewhat intriguing to come across these last remnants of the old works, and as the moss and taggers go about their business of remediating the site a slight sense of unease creeps in. As I started taking images, I began to imagine the site as being the devil's playground, and looked for elements that fit that theme.

Daily Practice 9/365

I took a walk in the rainforest on a favourite trail. At this time of year, the trees are covered with moss of the most vivid green, and the wind blows down these little offerings that litter the trail. Who the offerings are for, or what they are meant to signify, is not clear. But there is something peaceful and reassuring about them. The trail comes out an an inlet, across the water the fir trees were shrouded in fog. Yet it was this image of a fallen offering that somehow spoke more to me than any other.

I titled this image:

"He stumbled upon an offering to the gods, not knowing by whom or for what purpose"

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"