Using Photography to Create Connections – Ripples and Reflections – Picture to Ponder – v6-issue 49

by Sheila Finkelstein on December 16, 2010

If you have been following  Picture to Ponder for a while, you’ve undoubtedly realized that I consider my camera as one of my best friends.  It and/or its predecessors have joined me and my family in celebrations and on trips;
1- it has shared in the joys and some of the sorrows in my life;
2- over a period of many years our similar yet different views with our cameras opened some exciting conversations with my beloved husband Sam and me;
3-and, many times its served as a form of meditation AND definitely a stress-reliever.

I make it a practice to ALWAYS have a camera with me and as you know, I encourage you to do the same as you develop the practice of photographing ANYTHING that catches your eye.

Other’s cameras and mine also serve as conversation openers, thus connectors, when out among other people. Today, as I was walking on the boardwalk at Wakodahatchee Wetlands, I pointed out the reflections below to a woman who had paused to ask what I was photographing.

boardwalk reflections in Wakodahatchee Wetlands
Reflections – Rhythms and patterns from the boardwalk

She was amazed at the beauty that she had not noticed, said she would have walked right by and stated, “You have a photographer’s eye.” Thanking her, I went on to say that I teach people to SEE, that she, too, could be opened up to her own “photographer’s eye.” She excitedly wanted to learn more.

How about you? In the upcoming Through and From The Lens telecourse we will be experiencing using photography to find the hidden beauty in your world, to discover and develop your unique eye, and to connect with others, nature and your environment.

Today’s Other Featured Photos

boardwalk reflections 3 at Wakodahatchee Wetlands

Underside of the Boardwalk and its reflections

It’s the imagery and movement in the upper photograph that caught my eye. I found it intriguing with the eye bouncing back and forth between the blue water and the reflections of the wood of the boardwalk at Wakodahatchee Wetlands. And as active as it is, to me it is also very restful.

The lower photo simply shows a broader view to give you a perspective, if you need it, on the origin of the imagery in the top photo.

Self-Reflecting Queries
Today, I invite you to spend a moment or two, or more, with the top photo. What do you see? How does it make you feel? Then reflect on those feelings. Is the experience analogous to anything else in your life?

The upper photo also seems to want to be written about, or on. Is there any written expression that wants to come from you in response?

If so, you might also want to play with photo below.

Wakodahatchee boardwalk reflections 2

Is there freedom in this one or a constraint? What more?

As always remember to have fun with the queries and share below what comes up for you.


Reminder – Returning in January
As mentioned above, the telecourse, Through and From the Lens – Using Photography for Finding Beauty Destressing, as well as taking photos you’ll love ,is set for Tuesday nights and Wednesday mornings – your choice of sessions.

Enrollment is limited to 10 participants in each session, so, if interested, check it out now. Details on TFTL – Jan 2011

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

Mary Jane Devlin Caruldel December 17, 2010 at 10:35 am

Hi, Sheila. How are you? I always enjoy your Pictures to Ponder but most often, too rushed to respond, so thought I’d do it today since I’m thinking your photo today really asked us to slow down and smell the roses.

Saw your “Cannoli” photo of my windowbox on my credenza above my desk last week. Paused then and thought of the great connection my work and your work made. Today I stopped and smelled the windowbox…

Happy New Year! May it be a healthy and meaningful one for both of us.

MJ Carudel

Reply

Sheila Finkelstein December 17, 2010 at 10:20 pm

Hi MJ.

Great to hear from you. It’s been a LONG time. I hadn’t even recalled, if I knew it at all, that you were subscribing to Picture to Ponder. I appreciate your comments and knowing that my photos do make a difference for you.

And, I just went myself to enjoy your window box on http://naturesplayground.com/custom2.html 🙂

Back at you with the same wishes for a healthy and meaningful year for all, not solely the both of us – and I know that’s not what you meant.

Happy holidays and a great New Year.

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Rose December 17, 2010 at 10:49 am

The main picture of ripples at once made me think of the wooden boards as manmade, the water as nature.

To me it said, ‘However hard we try to box things off or define them in rigid ways, nature will find a way to blur the edges and show us that things are often not as clear as we would like them to be. Yet it is beautiful- so perhaps we should embrace the bluriness and enjoy the uncertainty in our lives.’

The bigger picture with the reflection also made me think,’It all looks calm and organised up top, but underneath the surface is where the majority of it is going on.’

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Sheila Finkelstein December 17, 2010 at 10:40 pm

Rose, thank you so much for your very thoughtful and insightful responses. I love the way you are relating the imagery to how we live our lives, also.

And, you probably knew that already, since this is a thread throughout my work. Your final comment on “calm and organized up top” reminds me of a time when one of my younger cousins told me how in awe of me he had been during my high school years, I was “so self-assured and confident.”

I looked at him in amazement. I recalled my high school years as being among my most challenging, feeling far from confident and definitely not good about myself.

Thanks again for sharing here.

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Mary Sindicic December 17, 2010 at 11:52 am

I feel calm when I look at the first picture. What I saw immediately was the different paths in the water and how as we move on our path there are times when people in our life move closer and then move further away but we are always connected and being moved forward from the same source. So important at this time of year to stop and smell the flowers.

Thank you for helping us to see,

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Sheila Finkelstein December 17, 2010 at 10:44 pm

Beautiful, Mary. Than you so much for sharing your response.

I especially appreciate your acknowledgment on “helping us to see” It means a lot to me when people “get it”.

With great appreciation….

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Marifran Korb December 17, 2010 at 11:21 pm

Hi Sheila,
These are feeling provoking photos. The first one brought up discomfort and nervousness. It put me in touch with the times I felt out of focus, times when I felt life demanded that I dance on a spinning stage.
The second and third picture reveal a distance from the blurry edginess. I see I am not in a dizzying pace, so there is stability. It appears calmer.
Since I love the water, I’m not sure why that all came up like that. It’s not likely I would have seen that if I had seen it in person.
Thanks for the photos and the questions.
Gratefully,
Marifran

C

Reply

Sheila Finkelstein December 21, 2010 at 1:14 pm

Thanks for your in-depth comments here, Marifran. I can see where you had the feeling of being on a “spinning stage.” I did not get quite as strong a feeling as you did from the photo, AND I just posted two videos, right above this one. Both of them gave me a dizzying experience.

And, I commented that I thought I probably needed the full environment of what was all around me in order to feel grounded.

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