Picture to Ponder

One of the things that intrigued me the most from my recent trip to San Diego was the contrast in the old and the new, particularly in the architecture. For those of you who know San Diego, we stayed in the heart of the Gaslamp District and had a nice walk daily to the Convention Center.

Thus the mixture  in
Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos -
So you don’t feel a barrage on your senses, scroll down slowly, being with each photograph individually.

melaleuca close2 Visual Overload, Making Choices, Architecture in San Diego   Picture to Ponder   v7 49 [click to continue…]

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Today’s Picture to Ponder post evolves around choices, accepting what is, making things complex or receiving with ease.

Given the abstraction of most of the images, I am including a Nature photo also, for those whom I assume expect to see nature photographs here.

Explanations are below the pictures.

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos -

melaleuca face1 Choices and Variables   Complex or Simple   Appreciating Nature   Picture to Ponder   v7 48 [click to continue…]

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Today’s post carries with it the undercurrent of sadness on some losses in my life, plus a huge sense of gratitude for the opportunities and possibilities that were and are. Immediate for today’s photos and writing is what’s happening with my beloved American Orchid Society Gardens, in Delray Beach, FL. Two weeks ago, I learned that it would be closing at the end of the month. Because it has meant so much to me, and thus indirectly to you, I am dedicating today’s issue – Photos and Queries – to gratitude for its contribution to my life. [click to continue…]

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This week’s issue of Picture to Ponder is dedicated to the memory of Toshiko Takaezu, world-renowned potter, of Japanese heritage, born in Hawaii where she died in March at the age of 88.

I just learned of her passing when I Googled her name this week. Three small ceramic pots of hers that I’ve owned for many years spontaneously became the subject of my writing in two groups I’m in this week; thus the search for an update, since the last time I visited her studio.

“Renowned for her extraordinary pottery and highly respected as a teacher, Toshiko Takaezu is one of the most significant ceramic artists of the 20th century–and the 21st.” Toshiko Takaezu: Portrait of a Ceramic Artist” – http://digital.films.com/play/R2UF49, where you can see a beautiful video on her philosophy and work. On the right side of the page you will find links to clips abstracted from the 30 minute video. See some of the incredible Nature views, especially in Hawaii, that had an impact on her work.

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos -

toshiko pot1b Shifting Perspectives   Pottery and Memories of Toshiko Takaezu   Picture to Ponder   v7 44

CONTAINER OF LIFE [click to continue…]

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The focus of this week’s Picture to Ponder is “Play” and the permission we do, or don’t, give ourselves to “freely” play. The photographs themselves are a result of my following through on taking a photo of whatever catches my eye.

This week’s feature is one rose, not artificial, in a glass vase on a bathroom counter. It was behind faucets, in a conference center Ladies’ room. At first glance, I was particularly intrigued with the colors on the edges of the petals.

With the convenience of my iPhone readily available I was able to take pictures in that small space. One rose, two views, and the FX Effects in the Photo Studio app for the iPhone are accountable for four of the five images below. I’ll speak to the “freedom” aspect of this experience in the Queries section.

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos with Queries -

(“Explosion” Effect in Photo Studio)rose bathroom blur Releasing Rigidity   Play and Transformation with Multi colored Rose   Picture to Ponder   v7 43

At first glance, is everything usually a blur for you, or  [click to continue…]

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This week’s Picture to Ponder’s featured photos are a result of two different experiences I had this past week. Although the photographs are not particularly beautiful. nor are the imaginary images that clear, they do represent an important message.

root sprinklerhead 22 Are You Rejecting Acknowledgment and Contribution?   Picture to Ponder   v7   42The thumbnail photo on the left is a piece of a live oak tree root which grew around one of the sprinkler heads in our community. The root needed cutting and, the portion close to the house, dug up. It took Issaac, one of our grounds maintenance men, over an hour to remove it. Feeling triumphant, he brought it into the office to share.

Gini, the admin assistant, somewhat attuned to my finding imagery in natural objects, [click to continue…]

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Last week, walking at the beach at sunset, I thought of the full moon seen the previous night. It occurred to me that the timing might be such to see moonrise over the ocean. I pulled out my iPhone to check this on the online Sunrise/Sunset calendar and sure enough it was set to happen in about 20 minutes.

moon pinkonhorizonx Is Blurriness Imperfection?   Ocean Moonrise at Sunset   Picture to Ponder   v7 41

Nevertheless when I saw the pink spot on the horizon line I wasn’t certain it was the moon.

However, I did take several pictures which I was not going to post publicly because they were all blurry. [click to continue…]

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In last week’s issue of Picture to Ponder, we addressed “light and shadows.” For this week, I am once again pulled in by shadows, contrasted with bright, somewhat early, morning light.

Today’s two photographs were taken with my iPhone camera and then enhanced using various “effects” in the FX Photo Studio application. The similarity/repetition in colors in the first four hold them together in an aesthetically pleasing presentation.

In addition to which photos to use, I always have the added consideration, if grouping a few especially with different subjects, to have them work well together.

The fifth image is so bright, it does not really seem to belong. And I couldn’t resist sharing it. Clicking on the smaller photos will bring up images that are the same size as the larger ones showing below.

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos -

windowshade1x Shadows and Clouds   Darkness or Brightness   Picture to Ponder   v7 issue 40

Relaxing on the sun porch at my son and daughter-in-law’s home in Georgia recently, my eye was captivated by the shadows on the window shades.

(Click on thumbnail photo if you wish to experience it in a slightly larger size.) [click to continue…]

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Today’s photographs focus on light and shadows, our interpretations of them and the differences, if any, a slight shift in perspective makes. The only story behind these is that the photographs were the ones that popped out, requesting being featured today. Should you need more, I invite you to make up a story about them up and share on the blog, if you wish.

palmfrond ground 225 Moving Forward or Holding Back   Light and Shadows   Picture to Ponder   v7 39

On a recent walk in Wakodahatchee Wetlands, following my “rule” of photographing anything that catches the eye, I used my iPhone camera to capture this dead frond dropped from a palm tree.

Then I zoomed in on it with the camera, settling on two very slightly different, views.

Though only a shift up of a few inches, less than a foot, the feeling emanating from each differs. [click to continue…]

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Today’s Picture to Ponder photos certainly seem like a strange mix. At least they do on this end. I’ve been sitting on several moon photos for over a week, thinking I’d feature them in the last issue.

With a few possible queries and themes fighting each other in my head, I let it go and focused on the “light” message. Thus featured today are one of the moon photos and the glistening, sunlit golden water just past sunrise at the beach. New video clips also resulted.

To simplify this issue of Picture to Ponder, I posted the story of the moon on the blog, including the photographic processes and my discoveries. There you will see other full moon photos, including a brilliant orange one that I love, and Self-Reflecting Queries around “perfection”. See “Lessons From The Moon.“  Then clicking on the surf photo below will take you to a video of the waves gently washing in and rolling back on the surf.

Lastly before going further, if you are one who is an Internet Marketer, or interested in being one/learning more, be sure to check out the info after the SRQs on David Perdew’s new MyNAMS Membership program.

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos -

moon textured 3 4thview Perfectionism, Being Right and Light   Lessons from the Moon   Picture to Ponder   v7 issue38 [click to continue…]

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