A tree grows on Waterloo Street
London, Ontario, March 2007 [Click to enlarge]
I take lots of pictures of tree bark. It's almost a given that an old tree trunk will look neat and gnarly (see previous post for more gnarliness) when you get up close and personal with a lens. It's also almost a given that these pictures can all look the same if you let them.
So I almost didn't stop walking as I happened upon this tree in the late-afternoon sun. I didn't think I really needed yet another tree pic in my collection.
But the low-angled light caught the twisted bark a certain way, and I couldn't just leave it behind. I probably walk past this same tree three or four times a week, but it looked oddly impressionistic this time. I took a few pictures, including some broader views that added context. But this one keeps pulling my eye back in - I hope you like it, too.
Your turn: The one that got away. Please discuss.
Cool Carmi. I love the effect here....
ReplyDeleteI'm a truly terrible photographer, so I can't answer you actual question.
ReplyDeleteI love this picture, though! I would seriously put it on my wall if it were a painting or print. It looks like an ocean and a shore with rocky cliffs at the upper corner. Beautiful! Glad it didn't get away. (My mother would love this, too. She really likes the impressionists. Her theory is that it's because she needs glasses, and that's how she sees the world. Scary to ride with her driving.)
That's a keeper.
ReplyDeleteCool image.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've had some images that "got away", usually of animals, but sometimes of my friend's expressions or something.
I live in the forest. Most people see the leaves and miss the strength of the tree...the trunk/bark. This one reminds me that bark and stone can resemble each other. Every tree has a different strength; pine can show tears and rips without failing, Tamaracks and Hemlocks have decorative lichen to show off their gnarled beauty, Larch can peel back their layers and have the smooth interior reflect the sun...the bark of a tree...all can get away if we are in too much of a hurry. I have been given thousands of trees to enjoy and while I will never see them all, I hope it is because of their number not an opportunity I missed.
ReplyDeleteAstonishing! It makes me wonder about tiny life forms that live within and under, and how large we must appear, lol!
ReplyDeleteBTW Carmi, I hope you don't mind-- I mentioned you in a blogpost of mine today. Your "Faded Beauty" photo, and a strangers compliment Sunday, inspired a post of my own :)
Sometimes "the one that got away" has more to do with "environmental factors" (that are usually beyond your control)...and sometimes, they have more to do with YOU...your mood, state of mind, imagination and willingness to see beyond the "everyday"...
ReplyDeleteSometimes if it "got away", you may never be able to capture it quite the same way again...and then, it becomes something of a gradually fading memory...still beautiful, but somewhat more elusive...
I see a skeleton of a mini raccoon in there!!
ReplyDeleteThis looks a little bit like geological layers of different rock deposits... if you screw your eyes up a bit and tilt your head just right... great texture and colours.
ReplyDeleteneat! I also like taking shots on tree barks or trunks and look at the patterns
ReplyDeleteThis is really abstract.:)
ReplyDeleteMy photos that got away are all those that I never take because my camera is bulky and I hate to carry it. . .
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this picture...the texture is amazing.
Nice detail and light here on the bark :o) Hope you had a great weekend :o)
ReplyDeleteI do really like this Carmi - threre is something special about trees.
ReplyDeleteI love the color variations and the texture, Carmi.
ReplyDeleteCarmi, my wife and I rode the Nomad last Saturday. I had forgotten to pack our camera in the saddlebag. The weather was fantastic and the air was so sharp and clear! I missed shot after shot as we rode past streams, fields, cattle, an old rusted and overgrown bridge ... you name it, I missed it!
ReplyDeletegreat photo........I love the shades in it. At a quick glance, one may mistake the bark for shale rock.
ReplyDeletethe ones that got away? Many...... but I do try to have my camera close at hand.
The variety of colors in your "abstract" gives my eyes so much to see. I am glad you went with your gut and took the picture.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting you were talking about the "one that got almost got away" I discussed a similar event today too. It must have been in the air! Bark and wood are interesting subjects. I can see why you collect these shots.
ReplyDeleteGreat shot! All that yummy texture is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time getting bark to look good. Maybe because I'm usually focusing on the moss that covers it? :)
Lovely macro.
ReplyDeleteTwo men were having a conversation on a sidewalk in my small university town (town's small, not the university) on my way to work. One was on a segway, just standing there as if all was normal. I'd never seen a segway in person. I wanted desperately to ask if I could snap their photo. But I wimped out, and I've regretted it ever since.
Great shot.I like the details and textures.Good colors.Well done!
ReplyDelete