Blink and it's gone
Delray Beach, FL, December 25, 2007, 16:12:21
There are two types of scenes:
- Those that will still be here if you return tomorrow
- Those that are gone in an instant
Hovering over this scene, I thought about the possibility of coming back another day and pointing my lens down at the same patch of formed concrete under the swimming pool stairs. Same concrete, but I'd probably never be able to replicate the shape of the waves, the reflections of the light, and the way the two conspired to paint a never-to-be-repeated picture.
So I stayed. And blinked. And squeezed the shutter.
Your turn: A moment that's quickly lost. Please discuss.
One more thing: I was very busy with media stuff this week. The Apple iPhone announcement resulted in a quick blast of journalistic attention. I'm sifting through the pile now and should have some links to notable quotes and interviews posted here in the days to come.
(not sure if last attempt worked - Google/Blogger errors ...)
ReplyDeleteThe moment I have in mind is the length of time the "is that really true?" expression is on someone's face when I'm coming out with a far fetched story :-)
I currently have a few people half believing that there's a poltergeist at work that makes strange noises in one of the meeting rooms at lunchtime. It's actually a colleague practicing his bagpipe playing but it's always good fun seeing how long you can run the poltergeist story for :-)
So - the "is that really true ?" moment - hard to gain, quick to lose when understanding dawns.
PS Love the pic - definitely worth snapping it while light and cloud conditions make it a good one :-)
Michele sent me to consider lost moments, too many to count I'm afraid. The picture is excellent & I agree that many things in life are far too fleeting.
ReplyDeleteRoland
You are right about not being able to replicate a photo like that. I took photos of my dinner tonight, and even though I might go to that same restaurant and order the same things - they wouldn't look exactly the same on the plate!
ReplyDeleteAll moments are quickly lost...try to savor them all Carmi.
ReplyDeletea moment thats quickly lost:
ReplyDeleteyouth. my little baby was just a baby a minute ago... now hes 15. my new baby, who was just a cooing last week, hes nearly three... time just goes like that.
As trite as it sounds, every moment is fleeting. We wind up running around, only rarely stopping to acknowledge the ephemeral nature of things. We must always seek the balance between the present and the future.
ReplyDeleteCheers.
Since Pat wasn't able to comment, I thought I'd make sure you weren't skipped. Blogger misbehaving today!
ReplyDeleteI love watery reflections and shimmery photos. Very nice. :)
Fleeting moments... my favorite: live theatre... you try to both thoroughly be present and enjoy the electric moment and yet preserve it in your memory. So hard to do. All is fleeting but the shadowy memory of a performance you enjoyed.
~S
Since Pat wasn't able to comment, I thought I'd make sure you weren't skipped. Blogger misbehaving today!
ReplyDeleteI love watery reflections and shimmery photos. Very nice. :)
Fleeting moments... my favorite: live theatre... you try to both thoroughly be present and enjoy the electric moment and yet preserve it in your memory. So hard to do. All is fleeting but the shadowy memory of a performance you enjoyed.
~S
First some words about the iPhone and all things Apple: It is not only superior products that distinguish a business, it is at least as much how it treats its customers and Apple has both. In respect to the iPhone... I don't know what kind of deal Apple made with Cingular/AT&T, but I think they must have insisted on their own customer service representatives or at least that they would train them - there is a marked improvement for iPhone owners.
ReplyDeleteI love shooting moving water like rivers and such. You never know just what the shutter will capture until its developed - or the digital equivalent.
Michele sent me despite the blogger issues.
Mike
I have to tell you, when I first saw this picture, I thought it was a giraffe.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how or why...
Michele sent me this snowy Saturday.
I was running an errand one afternoon, driving along the west side of the Quimper Peninsula. The clouds had parted to the west of the Olympic Mountains. The quality and color of the sunlight, illuminating the nearby clouds from beneath, was beyond breathtaking.
ReplyDeleteI'm rarely driving this stretch of road when I don't see something beautiful in the mountains, and the waters, and the skies. There's no place to pull over to spend a moment regarding the scene.
Each time I affirm to myself that it's enough to have witnessed such beauty. There's no way to capture it, or reproduce it. How blessed I am with only a fleeting glimpse!
Carmi - at last! with all the problems we have had today it seems to me that the rare fleeting moment is when all in blogland is working properly. Michelle didn't send me this time but I couldn't get through last time.
ReplyDeleteIn case I don't see you again this week-end - warm wishes!
I must apologize to Thaleia for accidentally nuking her comment in the middle of a swarm of Blogger-related errors that seem to have affected the entire domain.
ReplyDeleteI managed to retrieve the poem she wrote and am pleased to post it here:
A lost moment
chasing time
everything should be cherished
be mine...
A lost moment
the fleeting of love
to reach out, to touch
the heaven above
Blessings
Thaleia
--
Carmi again...if you haven't visited Thaleia's blog, you're missing a poetic treat:
http://thaleia.osxmagic.com/
I love water pictures...then I like standing at the edge of the pool and just staring down into the water, squinting at the reflections.
ReplyDeleteMoment in time...most recent was a quarter of a second as the road was rushing up towards my face and I clearly remember thinking "What? This isn't supposed to happen!" You can have a lot zip through your head that quickly.
Oh...forgot...! Michele sent me!
ReplyDeleterainbows ... they come and go ... each one is different and magical!
ReplyDeleteCarmi, that's like a cross between a marble effect on stone and lightning bolts - all in a sepia tone. Very cool reflected water shot. :)
ReplyDeleteIn photography, sometimes you need to seize the moment and other times you need to strike while the iron is hot. Being patient with a landscape or a model and setting up a tripod, composing and shooting is different than a short track race at Delaware Speedway.
Though both are fun. :)
Wow! Very cool image, Carmi.
ReplyDelete