Stark, shadowed color
Kingston, Ontario, August 2007 [Click to enlarge]
The Scene: It's 8:30 in the morning and we're filling the tank with energy-intensive decomposed ancient matter in a city far from home and far from where we'd like to be. We stopped overnight in this transitional place, spending the night in a hotel that to most of us would be mundane and forgettable, but to our kids is a memorable treat.
The day has dawned sunny and warm, so it promises to be a good drive. The dog, tagging along on his longest trip yet, is behaving wonderfully as each of our munchkins takes a turn doting on him. Their quiet voices and the soft jingle of his dog-tagged collar fill the car as my wife and I focus on getting everything ready for the rest of the trip. I snapshot the moment in my mind, hoping the rest of the day is as charmed as its start.
As I've noticed in a recent post (click here), the immediate area surrounding a set of gas pumps isn't usually the kind of place worthy of a picnic and a photo shoot. But, coincidentally, I'm looking north this time, too, and the sun's once again casting just the right kind of shadow. So I reach for my camera and look for a way to remember the simplicity of how I felt.
In the end, it's just a yellow pipe on a concrete wall. But the moment I took it wasn't "just" anything. It was worth capturing and sharing.
Your turn: A quiet family moment remembered. Please discuss.
That's an amazingly elegant and striking photo...comgratulations on seeing it Carmi!
ReplyDeletei like this shot...its beauty lies in its simplicity and elegance
ReplyDeletei like this shot, its beauty lies in its simplicity and elegance
ReplyDeleteThe ordinary can become extraordinary in so many ways. By capturing it like you have here in this simple image or through association with other things like family moments. I like the image you paint here of your family on the trip.
ReplyDeleteI have just lost my niece and I am finding that association can happen when you least expect it, from the simplest and most ordinary of tings a moment can be recalled.
Very cool.
ReplyDeleteI like your photo and your name for gasoline!
ReplyDeleteCarmi: Your post reminds me of the "Adventure" I recall over seemingly mundane things as a Holiday Inn sign or that I spent a night as a tot with my parents in a real Motel! You photos never cease to amaze me with their beauty and they provide a "10 minute vacation" from the world of work!
ReplyDeleteThis shot stands to be blown up, rather than presented just inline: the inline image is interesting, to be sure, but full size, you really see the texture of the wall, the different characteristics at different locations. Definitely one of those examples where resolution makes a difference!
ReplyDeleteMichele sent me,
N.