Tuesday, January 6, 2009

January 6, 2009

I walk with my husband, for exercise and companionship. We were out after dark recently, and walked past an older home, on one of the side streets in the neighborhood. The bathroom light illuminated the sheer curtains and bathed the ornate perfume bottles in a soft glow. The difference between the warm, rich light and the harsh holiday lights strung up and down the block was rather jarring. 

Reviewing photos I took during December I settled on this - one of my favorites of the month. Serendipitously, it is another great example of repetition's ability to strengthen a composition. 

From a design standpoint that's all well and good. What I like best about the picture is the idea/reminder that I don't have to be the brightest light on the block in order to be valuable. Hold my center, go slow, and glow! Maybe corny. Probably true.

4 comments:

Jackie said...

Those holiday lights don't last. Just a flash in the pan and gone.

This light is soft, isn't it? Interesting to think about how to reproduce that effect with fabric. The folds of the curtains contrasted with the more severe lines of the window--repetition and contrast. A lot to see but calm. Nice!

Jane Dunnewold said...

Jackie, I always appreciate your comments. Thanks for broadening my view of the photographs by sharing your thoughts with me. It's great to know what people are thinking.

Ann Graham said...

Hi Jane, I had to laugh when I read your description of the photo. My immediate reaction was what the H E double matchsticks were they doing out at night taking pics through someone's bathroom window!

I agree with Jackie's comment above - soft, inviting lights - the comfort of routine living.

Eric Heupel said...

Jane, So glad to find your blog...
I'll have to share this with my wife as she had (and will again when we no longer rent) a beautiful window which I installed glass shelves across for her collection of antique bottles to sit on. The site of that window when the sun was soft and low was spectacular. Equally beautiful was the play of the colored light that shone through onto many surfaces of the dining room and kitchen. Truly inspiring play of colors and shapes. We certainly hope others took pictures from the outside.

November 20, 2008

November 20, 2008

November 20, 2008

How does color set a mood? The soft gray and white of the carpet, the cat Marshall, and the sunlit window contribute to to the sense of calm repose. What does blue mean to you or me? We all have symbolic associations for colors; some based on personal experience and some instilled culturally. 

The cobalt blue of the vase provides a point and counterpoint to the composition, in addition to providing elements that balance.
Keeping the cat in the lower third of the composition weights the image and is another visual door into the picture world.

November 19, 2008

November 19, 2008

November 19, 2008

This picture tells several stories. It references the human desire to order the world around us - the lettering on the wall establishes the alley as a No Parking zone, and the broken glass-  jutting out at the top - is another message of fear and frailty. Whoever lives behind this wall wants to be left alone.

But there is beauty in the contrast of the rough brick surface and the smooth translucency of the broken glass bottles. A contrast of textures makes for an interesting composition. And the abstract nature of the printed letters against the structure of the bricks would be worth emulating in another sort of composition.

There is as much beauty in decay as there is in a bouquet of fresh flowers. And aren't decay and fresh growth just two different spots on the same continuum?



November 18, 2008

November 18, 2008

November 18, 2008

The Hydrangeas offer a lesson in the effective use of color. The pale blue and lavender are roughly the same value, so they balance each other beautifully. I am challenged to mimic that combination of analogous colors on silk Habotai!

This photograph would be considered beautiful even without the red-orange and yellow flowers at the bottom. But the addition of the complements to the blue and purple creates a focal point and generates some nice contrast because of the complementary pairing. And imagine how different this composition would be, were the red-orange and yellow at the top instead of at the bottom. The current placement adds important visual weight.

November 17, 2008

November 17, 2008

November 16, 2008

November 16, 2008
Being and Non-being

Substance and Light

November 16, 2008

We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside 
that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the space inside
that holds whatever we want.

We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.

Tao te Ching; Verse 11
Stephen Mitchell translation