Photography Blog
I liked this picture for all of the contrast in it – the old form of transportation next to the new forms of transportation. Living creatures next to machines. The texture of the horses and the ramp of the trailer next to the sleekness of the cars and the trailer itself. Farm animals in the middle of a city.
There is one similarity – the drivers are all horse’s arses. 🙂
Phew! Work was busy this week and I feel totally depleted. I didn’t have time for the things that recharge me – reading, writing, photography, long walks.
This photograph is a a good reminder for me to slow down and enjoy the little things. I made this picture on a Friday afternoon. It was beautiful day. Sunny, warm, breezy. I opened my window to get some fresh air and watched the curtain flutter in the breeze. I watched that curtain flutter all afternoon before I decided to take photo. I easily took 50 photos from different angles, with different props, different flutters, different cats. In the end, I decided that simplest was best (it usually is, isn’t it?).
What I wouldn’t give to sit in front of that open window right now and feel the gentle breeze on my skin. To daydream for a bit. Maybe with a glass of wine and a cat purring in my lap.
I saw this door out of the corner of my eye as I was speedwalking out of Rosehill Cemetery. The gates to the cemetery close at 5:00 pm sharp and at 4:59 I was cutting it close. I had spent too much time trying to get pictures of a herd of deer having a lovely stroll amongst the headstones. As I rushed toward the front gate, I desperately hoped that my watch had the same time as the sexton’s.
Initially I walked past the door. I really didn’t want to get locked in the cemetery. It was a frigid February evening, I wouldn’t survive the night in cold and I wasn’t sure that I had the physical prowess to climb over the wall. But I knew I would regret not taking the picture so I doubled back. I figured if I got locked in, it would make a good story.
I love seeing vines on walls in the winter. Without their leaves you can see the beautiful and intricate lines they create, as if someone took a giant marker and drew on the side of a building. It’s not often I see them covering doors. This door made me think of fairy tales and Disney movies. I imagined the vines snaking their way over the stone wall and the door, trapping a princess inside as an evil witch laughs maniacally in the background. Perhaps Sleeping Beauty is behind that door, snoozing away, waiting for Prince Charming to wake her. For her sake, I hope not. I’ve been dating in Chicago for 20+ years. Prince Charming is not in the area.
Thankfully my story, like any good fairy tale, had a happy ending. I got my, picture, escaped the cemetery and lived happily ever after.
The End.
I had such a good time making this photograph despite the fact that it did not turn out the way I had pictured it in my head (I’m learning that it rarely ever does – my imagination far exceeds my execution skills right now, and I’m perfectly fine with that.)
I hadn’t dyed Easter eggs since I was kid. I don’t remember the colors being so saturated. It’s likely that my memory has faded over time making the colors watery in my minds eye. Or maybe I’m more patient as an adult, letting the eggs sit in their colored baths for the full five minutes. Or maybe the dye is just better. What ever the reason, the Gladys and I marveled a the be beautiful saturated colors as I fished the eggs out of the water. Well, I marveled at them. Glady tried to lick them, which got her kicked off the kitchen table a few times.
That sneaky little paw just kills me.
My egg dyeing supervisor. She doesn’t miss a thing!