“Quiet Beauty”
The prompt that arrived today said that we should look for the “signs of quiet beauty and rest surrounding you this winter season. Capture them in your photographs today.” I surprised myself after a walk in the backyard today- I didn’t expect to find much in the way of quiet beauty- when I popped my memory card in the computer and realized I had taken 39 shots. Hoping to take heed of some advice I’ve received recently, I looked at things from many angles and tried and tried again. This is the shot I submitted to the classroom online gallery:
I considered cropping the tree trunk to the right out of the shot, but in the end I decided I liked the abstract feel it added to the shot. You can see the cropped shot here if you like.
A few other shots I tried today:
This shot wasn’t particularly quiet or restful, but I just loved Daphne’s exuberance in trying to enjoy the little patches of snow that remain in our yard:
And of course Teddy refused to be left out:
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You’re lucky you still have some color! I haven’t seen any color (except on pine trees) in over a month!! LOVE the shot of Daphne enjoying the outside, what a happy and relaxed pooch!!
Comment by photobyholly — January 7, 2011 @ 8:12 pm |
I was surprised to find that bittersweet vine still hanging there Holly. We got dusted with snow last night, so the main color is now white again.
Daphne is a funny pooch. She’s only 5 years old but sometimes acts like a little old lady – especially when it is hot outside. Now that it is winter, she springs to life much more often and really loves the snow.
Comment by Karma — January 8, 2011 @ 8:46 am |
The first two shots are really beautiful. I like the darkness of the first one, too. I do prefer the cropped version, because the tree trunk is a little too distracting (others might feel differently)
Comment by thedailyclick — January 8, 2011 @ 8:26 am |
Thank you Michaela. I really struggled with my decision on that first shot. I hope others will click on the cropped version too and say which they like better.
Comment by Karma — January 8, 2011 @ 8:47 am |
I think I prefer the cropped version as well. Love the acorn cap with the scattered needles in the puddle. Bummed that today’s prompt keeps us indoors when we have all this pretty new snow.
Comment by Becky Sue — January 8, 2011 @ 9:06 am |
That acorn cap is actually on the frozen ice in my pool cover!
And now there is even more snow today. I’m thinking about going outside later to shoot a few pictures in anticipation of what could be coming our way for prompts this week.
Comment by Karma — January 9, 2011 @ 8:26 am |
I think it’s hilarious that they choose to plop down on the patch of snow as if it’s a nice rug laid out just for them. We, um, have plenty of snow, and are willing to let it go at a very reasonable price. Just let us know where you’d like it shipped.
Comment by Gerry — January 8, 2011 @ 9:49 am |
I know, I thought that was very cute.
No need to ship us any snow! We received a new coating – only about 4″ again, but enough to make the dogs happy.
Comment by Karma — January 9, 2011 @ 8:29 am |
Looks like you found quite a bit of quiet (and not-so-quiet) beauty.
Having looked at both,I like the abstract quality of the uncropped version. I love the acorn cap. Sometimes it’s the little things that grab me. 🙂
Comment by Robin — January 8, 2011 @ 7:32 pm |
Thank you Robin.
I actually considered submitting one of the acorn cap shots to the gallery; I just couldn’t decide if it was interesting enough to count as “beauty.”
Comment by Karma — January 9, 2011 @ 8:31 am |
Really nice shots, Karen! I took a look at the cropped version and what I found is this: each shot is strong in its own right. At first, I, too, thought the dark trunk to be distracting and takes focus away from the berry vine, BUT what it DOES provide is some depth to the shot. So, if that is the goal, then it is successful. Now, with the crop shot, focus is now COMPLETELY on the berry vine, so if that is the goal, then again, success here.
The acorn cap shot is fantastic! I get the sense that the cap is like a top that was just spinning on the ice and now has fallen. He details are beautiful.
I think the third shot might work better in a horizontal position with the cat on the left.
Your dogs certainly know how to find the silver lining in anything!! Too cute!
Comment by milkayphoto — January 10, 2011 @ 11:01 am |
Thank you, Tracy. I really dithered back and forth between the crop and the not cropped shot. I think I ended up liking the uncropped because the trunk looked unusual in it, and I thought it added some interest.
I really liked the acorn too, but I just couldn’t decide if it would have been regarded as “beauty” or not. I actually could have submitted more than one shot to the gallery that day and seen if I received comments on it.
I couldn’t seem to make pawprint shot really work no matter how I set it up!
Comment by Karma — January 10, 2011 @ 4:17 pm |
[…] prompt today seemed vaguely familiar, although worded differently: “Today, no matter what the wintery weather, walk outside and […]
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