Seize the day! I couldn't resist the play on words. Carp. Carpe. Tomato. 'Tomahto'. Potato. 'Potahtoe'. Yes, I know I am being absolutely silly. Oh, let's call the whole thing off!
Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu has beautiful pools like this running lengthwise down the mall (it is an outdoor mall). Immaculately kept and landscaped to please the senses. The carp at Ala Moana is much like a mascot. They have been there as long as I can remember and have seen the mall grow to an internationally recognized shopping center.
Grapes leaves in my back yard earlier in the summer season. Perfect for collecting water droplets until the hot sun evaporates it all. Which doesn't take long in our dry climate here. Take a closer look at the image-you can see how some of the droplets magnify the surface detail that it rests on.
Ah, yes! I love the little details that life offers such as these.
Photographer, Philippe L. Gross (author of The Tao of Photography) wrote of his early experiences in photography: "One day I had a shocking experience. Someone who had taken a picture of a door won the first prize in a photography contest. I could not believe that such a common subject could be judged worthy of a prize. Of course, that was before I tried to photograph a door. I had no idea how difficult it would be to construct an image that would make an ordinary door interesting. The incident provoked me to pay closer attention to the ordinary. Over time, I began to appreciate, in photography and in my everyday life, a remark made long ago by the ancient Taoist, Lao-Tzu: "The secret of the Tao is found in the smallest detail of the ordinary day.""
And so, my celebration of the mundane and the smallest details of the ordinary day continues.
"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)
Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2011 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account.
Click here to view them.
8 comments:
Paula, you are a woman of many talents. Loved the comment on how easy photography looked "until..." I'm honing my own chops as well, because of the strict guidelines about using the photography of others, and even clip art...
Thanks, hon! The grape leaf, its detail, the droplets... heaven! Amy
http://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/10/13/wedding-night-waxes-poets-united/
LOVE THIS POST PAULA. you are singing my song. i took a photo last weekend of drops on a fallen leaf and was DELIGHTED when i uploaded it and too, saw the magnification of the leaf in the droplet!! this is what life is all about...joy and beauty in the every day ordinary!!
hugs.
Oh, what a fun, colorful way to start my day, Paula!! You are SO clever!! I do love your shadows for the day -- as always!! Have a wonderful, happy weekend!!
That fish looks like the grand dame of goldfish. A nice sight to see while shopping! The leaf is dotted with drops, each droplet leaving a little prism to admire. The ordinary is what we leave and envision - we see artistry all over in our usual environs. The prize for us is finding it! Great shots!
YOur first shot is just gorgeous!
Vegetable Universe Shadows
Have an enjoyable weekend!
What a beautiful post. The two worlds, of air and water, in the first; the clarity of the details in the leaf and droplets; the wisdom of attention paid to small things... perfect.
In general, ordinary day is the best day...
I've been studying Spanish verbs :)
Have a good week ahead!
I've recently returned to Shadow Shot Sunday. Tonight I realized how much I have missed while I was away. There are many talented photographers in our group and I'm loving it! You have shared such wonderful shots with us this week. Thank you!
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