Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for August, 2015

Making the ordinary extraordinary

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, perception, personal growth, philosophy, photography on August 3, 2015| 3 Comments »

I live in a typical Charnetaise house –

Can you see those two little arch-shaped holes/windows up on the top left? Well, there’s been such a lot of hissing coming from there in recent nights, and a bit of research revealed that the noise is the sound of barn owl chicks (barn owls don’t hoot, they hiss!)

Today I thought I could just make them out when I stood under the mulberry tree, and with a lot of patience, a camera on full zoom maxed up to a 3200 ISO setting, I managed to get these photos –

and

Wow!

I mean – wow!

OK, not exactly nature photographer of the year material but WOW!

This is just the kind of thing which makes an ordinary day an extraordinary day!

Read Full Post »

August – taking a break, taking a trip

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, personal growth, philosophy, photography, psychology on August 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »

DSCN4108

In my twelve monthly themes, August is the month of travel.

I came up with this as the theme for this month because in France every August is the month of the “grand depart” – it’s the beginning of the annual holidays for thousands and the roads, airports and ports become very, very busy this month (starting this weekend)

I am a great believer in travel. I love to visit other places, encountering other cultures, traditions, foods, architecture, art and history, as well as other natural environments from the one I happen to live in. Where I live now is vine country and to visit a forested area, a mountainous region or the coast can be a stimulating change.

I think most of us also need a break now and again. We need to step out of the routines and habits and demands of our daily lives to be able to see them from “on high“. And we also need to rest.

I was taking photos of clouds the other day (as I do!) and I noticed this plane’s trail with a strange and clear break right in the middle of it and I thought – what a brilliant visual metaphor for August – travel AND taking a break!

So, where are you going to go? When are you going to take a break? Even if it’s just for a day, or a weekend, I think it’s important.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts