It's All in the Eye...

It's funny how forgiving the eye is in some cases and not in others when an image is out of focus...

Every one of these images has some aspect of it that is out of focus and yet some are easier for the eye to work with and overcome, while others remain "troublesome".

Just another random thought.

What’s a Nice Girl Like You…?

It’s Alphabe-Thursday time again over at Mrs. Jenny’s. This week we’ll be studying the incomparable letter I. Seems perfectly innocent, no? Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t; who's to say?

My subject this week: the Incongruity of Ink.

So, what’s a 50-something devout Mormon grandmother doing in a tattoo shop? Taking photos and talking to the friendly folks there…that’s what! I decided that getting outside my own skin and exploring a subject I normally wouldn’t cover would be good for me.

Meet Josh…tattoo artist…and very friendly and outgoing young man. I don’t know much about him. I’m sure that his life style and mine are pretty different. But what I do know is that when I called and told him what I was doing and asked if I could come photograph him at work, he very cheerily said “definitely. Yes. Come whenever you like.” 

I think the tattoo on his neck pretty much says it all.

Too often we judge people by what they look like, the work they do, where they live, what they wear, the tattoos, piercings, hair and other adornments they choose, etc. I’m as guilty as anyone.

I’m not suggesting that anyone go out and get tatted up…I personally think it’s a mistake. The reality is that people ARE judged by appearances, and getting a tattoo could be a life altering decision.  While it might seem like fun at the time, it’s a hard thing to undo if somewhere down the road one changes one’s mind…really hard. Nonetheless, it's still about individual choice.

All that said, tattoos are art…some good, some not so. I respect the talents of those who truly are artists. And I respect the right of those who wish their bodies to be the canvas to do so.

As for me, though, I’m happy to stick with simply photographing it. I think it would be incongruous (and perhaps inconceivable and inappropriate) for me to have a family portrait with the hubby, kids, grandkids, dogs and the rabbit inked on my chest, back, arm or any other body part, don’t you?




Check out what interesting, informative, imaginative, innovative and individualistic things the other Alphabetarians have to say about the letter I by clicking HERE.

Torn

There is so much beauty all around me that sometimes I don't quite know what to do with it. Part of me wants to share it just as it is for those of you who don't see it every day. When I try to recreate it in two dimensions, though, it always seems to fall short and I feel like I'm not really doing it justice. You get images in which you can see that the hills are getting redder and redder with each new day...

...or that in this harvest season, the leaves ripen and change colors little by little just like a piece of fruit. 

The wild plants, just like the farmers' crops, bear fruit. 

The colors of fall are more than gold and orange, yellow and rust... 

...they include shades of blue...

There is work to do in the fall...work of the harvest... but I'm not entirely sure what these workers are doing...if you know, please educate me.  

Then there's the other side of me that loves the abstract, the broad stroke of a brush that leaves only an impression - the work of filling in the details is yours to do. This part of me says, 'look, there's light, there's form, there's color, there's movement. This is a marvelous creation before us. My heart swells at the magnificence of it all.' This part of me doesn't want to reproduce what my eyes see in exactness. This part of me merely wants to intrigue you enough to look for yourself and see what YOU can see.

If you recall, a few weeks ago I was playing with texturing my photos by layering multiple images on top of one another, but these are not textured. These are exactly as I shot them in the camera...no photoshop treatments, no nothing. I still like the textured effect on some photos, but this method is  much more satisfying to the purist in me. This is how I saw the images as the wind blew the daisies or I squinted my eyes against the sun.

Anyway, what do you think? Photorealistic with details sharp and clear? or abstract? What speaks to you? Do tell.