Saturday, October 10, 2009

October 10, 2009


There is always a new perspective. Ladder better alone on the wall? Or does the chair add an element and tension that makes yesterday's picture better or more appealing?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

To my way of thinking the chair is a distraction.

There is plenty of tension between the vertical and horizontal lines of the bricks and they strong diagonal lines of the ladder. At least that enough tension for me; don't know about anybody else.

Jackie said...

The chair was very nice; I enjoyed the variety it produced, but I think I prefer the ladder sans the chair. It is now permitted to dominate not accentuate something else, that is, the chair. Also the monochromatic quality is very pleasing. Thank you!

Jackie said...

I forgot to mention the strength of that diagonal--I enjoy the power of it!

ShirleyB said...

Photo with chair has much to offer the more I look at it: colorwise (gray, light-gray, yellow-gray, reddish brown and that little smudge of red on the wall almost in the center of the photo) and composition-wise (diagonals, grid relaxed by the curve of the chair, the shadow of the ladder and the subtle shadow from the chair on the wall).

Jennifer said...

I like that the rounded edge of the chair provided a contrast to all of the straight lines.

Jennifer said...

I like both pictures for different reasons - so the answer is it depends on which is better. I agree with the other jennifer on the chair lines - curved and darker vertical than the grout lines. I also like the color difference.

I like the strong diagonal ladder in both.

What I like about the second is the color difference in the cinder block wall that creates a stronger vertical. The lighter blocks also help the grout vertical lines.

Anonymous said...

Ladder alone get my vote. Much more mysterious. Chair is a distraction.

jpsam said...

I am behind in seeing your "dailies." I saw these pictures one after the other, but was attracted to the chair picture first. To my eye, something is missing in the second picture (DUH, I know, the chair!). I agree that the curves in the chair are so lovely with all of the repeated straight lines of the ladder, and the brick wall. I love how the ladder disappears behind the chair. In this picture, the ladder takes my eye out of frame. However, the simplicity of this picture is very alluring.
joan

Donniece Smith said...

I like the photo with the chair best. The chair and the ladder have a relationship and I can feel a story between them.

Digitalgran said...

For me it's just the ladder and the wall every time. I love it.

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