Daily Practice 339/365

Title: "The path beyond"

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I went for a walk in the woods, without thought or destination. Every turn in the path presented a new mystery to unravel, a sense of traveling back in time to an earlier, darker place. Unfamiliar, but comforting; the path goes on and on.

The Allure of Black and White

Gonzales Observatory

Songhees Bench

  

 Songhees Fence

  Windows

  

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Black and white images are wonderful for emphasizing line, shape and tones, revealing the underlying geometry and artistry of the world around us. I started the day with a short trip to the top of a local point, high above the ocean. There's a weather observatory there; making this study of the stairs in some ways trained my eye to look for black and white images on a later walk along the inner harbour. I like making images of shadows because of their indirect reference to objects around us: we don't see the object directly, but we can easily visualize it without the distortions incorporated into the shadow. The final image is the exact opposite: indirect evidence of windows from the pool of light they reflected into a deep shadow. I particularly like the ambiguity of that final image: it can certainly be read literally, but is also open to more imaginative interpretations, while the other three images are too specifically defined to have that option.

Daily Practice 338/365

Title: "Light falling on love entwined"

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A crisp, still morning; the golden light writing warm stories on ancient bark. Whispered imaginings tickling my ears.

Jewels of Light

Title: "An offering from the sea"

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I love the interface between the ocean and the land, every changing with the tides. There are always little gifts or offerings left behind on shore, signs of a constant courtship between the two.

Daily Practice 337/365

Title: "Living between the lines"

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A small band of hope along the distant horizon, on a cold gray day.

Daily Practice 336/365

Title: "The fury"

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I'm not great at travel photography - the pictures I take the first time I'm in a new place, usually of the landscape, seem trite and uninspired. I'm always disappointed in the gulf that lies between what I see in those images, and the feelings of awe and excitement about being in a new place that I experienced first hand. I've lived in this current place the longest I've every lived anywhere in my life, almost for half of my life. I feel as if some of my landscape images of my locale are starting to express what I want; that it's taken many years to slowly learn the rhythms of this place, to gain some understanding and to begin to establish a dialogue and relationship with my surroundings. The images express a great deal about what I've learned from listening to this place. And they express a great deal about me.

Daily Practice 335/365

Title: "Endless love"

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It's not the day after, but the day after that when the hangover from overworking hits. I slept long and woke feeling groggy and exhausted. I made my way down to a favourite spot, where there are always interesting images waiting to be made. I see the sea, lovingly caressing these rocks each time I visit. It is very reassuring.