Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Tassels


Venetian
London, Ontario, February 2007

This image is more about mood than anything else. The dim light combined with a lack of a tripod to necessitate a wide aperture. This reduced depth of field to the point that I wasn't sure the shot was even worth taking. But in the end, I liked how the light played on the flat and curved surfaces of the wood.

Although I didn't originally set out to capture this particular composition, I'm glad it jumped out at me while I stood by the covered window and mulled over the possibilities. I love when a scene presents itself almost out of nowhere.

I'll have to try the scene again with a tripod to see if a greater depth of field would change the end result.

Maybe I'm just overthinking it.

Your turn: How is it that a photo can alter one's mood?

23 comments:

Debbie said...

Depending on what I am looking at...when I see a photo of my ex, I might get a bit crabby. But around our house we have chosen to hang pictures of water and forest landscapes because they are usually relaxing and soothing look at.

Gyrobo said...

It all depends on how the picture is framed, isn't it?

michelle said...

it depends what your photographing.. right now i am at work and your fireworks pictures have made me a little bit happier, but really love fireworks.

photowannabe said...

Some pictures make me happy, some calm me and some make me sad. I think its the activities or memories that they evoke can alter my mood.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Come again anytime.

Ash said...

Love this image!

srp said...

Photojournalism has capitalized on this fact for years... pictures can make you angry, make you cry, make you laugh, calm your soul... sometimes even make you think.

This picture makes me think of a room with warm wooden table and a low hanging lamp with a group of men sitting playing cards and all the stuff that goes with it. I have no idea why it should make me think this as I have never been in such a room...

Tomorrow it may suggest something else... that is the beauty of photography... There is no right answer.

The Harbour of Ourselves said...

i think maybe the reason is that art expressess the inexpressible - so the photograph nearly always acts as a sign-post pointing on beyond itself

then again, what do i know....

CG said...

This photo reminded me of my visit to CA to stay with my friend three years ago. I awoke that first morning to subdued grey light coming through the blinds. I felt a huge surge of regret as the light seemed just like England!! But when I opened the blind there was the brilliant california sun. So this is what I thought of when I looked at this image.

Anna said...

I would venture to say that you really dont think there isn't a shot worth taking! :) I have these exact same blinds Carmi and I just love the shades of color I see when the light comes through...(and of course I like the lines!)

I like this warm image and I like the simplicity of it. It is amazing to me the feelings I get from images...

Melody said...

Photos can alter ones mood, usually related to memories or feelings it stirs up. At first when I loked a this photo I had no idea what I was looking at, but then it stood out at what it was. It reminds me of family evenings around the television for some reason!

Joel Reynolds said...

Wow, you've been taking some great pics lately! The Icefall one is amazing, as is the tire tracks in the snow. Awesome stuff!
Joel

Lori Schmidt (LoriProPhoto) said...

I like your venetian blind pic. It reminds me of the wooden ones we had while I was growing up, unlike the plastic ones available now (which I have LOL)

What is a mood changing pic for me - well you have seen my blog so I think you can probably guess. Horses, a good horse picture or any animal for that matter. I suffer from chronic depression (Believe me I didnt believe in all that depression stuff til I found myself in the position) and I find that to drag myself out to the barn is the hardest part of my day, once I am out there especially with my camera I am in my element. When we have foals (we only have one due this year but had 7 two years ago), I can sit out in the field for hours watching them and trying to capture their personalities and few and far between periods of exuberance which only last for a minute or two at a time. I love to watch their interaction. Horses have personalities the same as people do I just wish I could convey that to more people, maybe there wouldnt be so much animal abuse in the world today.

Okay off my soap box, but you did ask LOL.

Thanks for visiting, I enjoy reading your blog and seeing your shots too.

Lori

Michelle said...

I've been wanting to get some wooden blinds so your picture just puts me in the mood to reorganize the house and maybe visit Lowe's! LOL

Anonymous said...

Even more than how a photo might alter one's moods, I find it interesting how everyone "perceives" a photo differently. Many times even different than the photographer intended. It's all in the eye, I guess....and with your eye for capturing seemingly insignificant things, you open our eyes even wider!

awareness said...

sometimes I think a photo can trigger a personal memory, which in turn can lead ones thoughts down a path that may be completely unconnected to the photo.

My first thought looking at the tassels was of a room in cottage. the most inviting cottages in my book are the ones with wood panelling and a cozy worn feel to the furniture.

Your fireworks shots brought back many Canada Day celebrations with family and friends...... it took me right there.

Bobkat said...

It never ceases to amaze me how a simple image can invoke mood adn yours does it beautifully. It would be interesting to see the same shot taken with a tripod.

Natalya said...

It's amazing what different, simple things can evoke in others! A nice shot today! Sometimes when I am struggling with something and I can't seem to find a way of dealing with it I try to photograph my feelings (if that makes sense). There is so much you can convey through the simpliest of images.

Have a good day Carmi

bluemountainmama said...

i think we're visual creatures... and aesthetics affect our moods. it's been proven that different colors can have certain effects on mood....so probably photos could too. plus, they can evoke certain feelings or memories, maybe based on personal experiences. either way, they can be very powerful....

Anonymous said...

Perhaps because we are creatures who absorb so much of the world around us VISUALLY. It's one of the more powerful of our main senses (along with hearing, taste, touch, etc). With our senses, we experience so much of the world around us, from the time we are tiny, little human beings...still helpless and dependent on our parents for nearly everything. Once our eyes start to focus on our surroundings, we have a different "relationship" to it...more "personal"...more "powerful"....more "profound".

Photographs, because we can "arrange" them to create the effect/final result we are aiming for....can really impact our mental/emotional state of being. They can bring great joy, or great sorrow. Just look into the face of a grandmother, when you present her with an 8x10 of her entire family. You will see an expression of such joy and gratitude, that there are no words to accurately describe it...

Your work is especially fun, because you are so open to trying something new and different...and because I think you genuinely ENJOY taking that picture...whether it is a piece of fruit, or a shadow on the wall.

You are an artist, and one with a true "gift". Bless you for sharing it with us...

Chad Oneil Myers said...

Cool shot, looks like my style as well.

I think colors and scenes effect our moods because of memories they trigger.

Rainbow dreams said...

Photos evoke memories, capture moments in time, transport us to a different place and tap into our senses, depending on our experiences the same picture can bring about vastly different moods....
cosy and safe is how I feel looking at this.

Minerva said...

I am with Terri on this one.. I find photographs are like words. The same stimulus can evoke completely different reactions and I find that variety fascinating...

Have I said how much I enjoy your blog?

Michael K. Althouse said...

That's a nice shot, I think it would be cool in black and white. The way the shadows fall would give it an entirely different, almost mystical look.

Here from Michele's,

Mike