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STREET URCHINS
In psychology there has long been a debate about which has more influence on a person’s life: nature (their inherent tendencies and characteristics), or nurture (the environment in which they are raised and in which their development occurs).
I believe that this set of wild weed flower photos helps to answer that question.
But first, some background.
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Yesterday (Thursday, April 14) was a strange day: An odd energy was in the air; time itself seemed to be distorted or experienced in an unusual way. Strange phenomena occurred.
We experienced a weird session of what seemed to be aerial spraying in the skies:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail_conspiracy_theory
Afterwards there were odd contrails and clouds with strange halos about them, and the sun’s light became hazy and weird.
And then I experienced yet another odd occurrence…without resetting my camera’s controls I removed the battery to recharge it, and when I replaced the battery and turned my camera on my camera’s EV setting changed to -3, which I didn’t notice until I took photos and noticed that the camera’s shutter was acting strange (you can tell from the duration of the shutter’s click how fast it is closing) and seemed to be sluggish, and then when I processed the photos I noticed that they looked dark.
I reset the EV to zero; checked to make sure that all of the other controls were normal, and reshot my photos…the weed flowers in my set I have titled “Street Urchins.” For these little flowers are literally street urchins: Rather than the photos of the symmetrical, healthy, pretty little weed flowers that have grown in my yard and been lovingly admired these photos are of weed flowers that have grown wild along the roadside, and they have been subjected to a much different energy than the others, and it shows in the photos!
As my Brother and Friend in Ukraine, Alex, said when we were discussing these obvious differences, these little flowers appear to be “damaged inside.” The wild energy they have experienced from passing cars, motorcycles, bicyclists, walkers with their dogs, animals wild and otherwise, and the whimsies of nature they seem to have internalized in a much different way than the “well cared for” little weed flowers in my yard, and it is visible externally: Their growth is asymmetrical, uneven, distorted. Their colors are odd, refusing to normalize even through extensive post-processing. They were even difficult to focus on, difficult to photograph normally. Odd artifacts and distortions appear.
The most dramatic example is in the difference between these two photos, the first one being the weed flower that grew in my yard, the next photo being an identical weed flower but growing wild by the roadside:
www.flickr.com/photos/motorpsiclist/5602779832/in/set-721...
www.flickr.com/photos/motorpsiclist/5621647826/in/set-721...
So obviously nurture is extremely important for a thing’s well-being in all respects and regards, be it human, animal, plant, etc. But nurture will not change a thing’s inherent nature: If a person is inherently evil, then the best environment will simply turn out a well-dressed, better educated criminal.
Life’s lessons learned from the realm of weed flowers; powerful, large lessons from something so tiny and seemingly insignificant.
All photos and writings are copyright © by me, John Russell, and all rights are reserved.
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Other examples of these wild weed flowers are in my set, "Street Urchins:"
www.flickr.com/photos/motorpsiclist/sets/72157626502223588/
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The photographs in my set, "Weed Flower Micros," may appear to be close-ups of regular-sized flowers – they are not!
These are micro (macro) photos of tiny little flowers which bloom on ordinary weeds.
How tiny? The largest weed flower in the set is only, when measured across its widest part from petal tip to petal tip, 3/4" in diameter!
Some of these miniscule flowers are so small that the entire blossom you are looking at is 1/4" in diameter…again that’s measuring from petal tip to petal tip across the widest part of the bloom!
The smallest part of a weed flower that I have managed to successfully shoot and achieve good detail in is a photo I made of a bud that measured LESS than 1/16" in diameter across its widest part! For a reference to its size I have also included a photo of that bud next to the head of an ordinary paper match, which dwarfs the bud.
I am delighting in discovering the beauty, complexity, and variety in something so small that it’s easily ignored or downright difficult to see with the naked eye.
And it’s an even greater delight to realize that this incredible beauty has been growing wild in my lawn, year after year, right under my un-seeing eyes as I’ve repeatedly mown them down with my lawn mower, never realizing the unseen beauty that I was trampling under my feet.
I hope you enjoy viewing these as much as I do. I have a lot of fun making them for us to look at!
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See more of these incredible, tiny jewels in my set, "Weed Flower Micros:"
www.flickr.com/photos/motorpsiclist/sets/72157626023965740/
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All photographs, paintings, videos, poems/poetry, recipes, and derivative works are copyright by me, John Russell, and all my rights are reserved. I sell my photos and works of art, and I also have other projects in the works, so I take my copyright seriously: under penalty of law none of my images or other properties may be downloaded, copied, duplicated, reproduced, altered, or otherwise used in any manner whatsoever without my written permission.
Do not use any of my images, paintings, recipes, videos, photos, poems/poetry or other works of art on any websites, blogs, or in or on any other media without my written permission. Copyright © John Russell; all rights reserved.
Sun Complex, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Medium: Ilford HP5 (film border is left purposedly for my own reference)
Fractional calculus serves as a way to describe the mathematical concept of scaling, which seeks to calculate the properties and behaviors of systems at multiple levels of complexity, explains senior research scientist Dr. Bruce West. www.army.mil/article/239769/
"Understanding Complexity - Offering Solutions to Problems of the 21st Century" Conference February 9th - 10th Vienna TUtheSky
A series of images from the latest Apollo Theatre presentation that starts this week.
The "Nunsense" (Musical) based around a group of nuns…….
As usual not the best clarity as lighting was not ideal with the added complexity of the movement of the players etc.
This road may date to the earliest human inhabitants of southern England. Over the millenia, the plant life, which may have been a hedgerow border, has grown up around this road giving the impression of a tunnel. Roads like this used to comprise the border between properties, sometimes dating back to pre-Roman times. They are an endangered part of the British landscape as development encroaches on them.
Please join me in my blog “Botany Without Borders: Where Design Meets Science”
When space doesn’t take space.
When simplicity overcomes complexity.
When austerity converts into protagonist.
"When less is more."
NEXT has been created representing this philosophy. Simplicity does not fight with design and also functionality with minimalism.
The expressiveness of Next is showed on its soft finishes, subtle volume, simple lines and flat colors. All these combined to achieve the perfect design and functionality combination.
The space in Next is split in two large drawers. The smooth design is transferred also to its use. The opening and closing is done with a subtle slide.
The cabinet simplicity gets to the point of requiring no handle. The space between the drawers is the only term allowed in its minimalism design.
NEXT matches SX4 ceramic basin, creating an attractive, compact and special where functionality is a priority.
NEXT comes in two dimensions, 65 cm (25”) thinking in small spaces and 85 cm (33”) for bigger spaces.
Sonia Universe main goal is to approach customer expectations in the most efficient way in order to answer clientele quality and design requirements.
Next is specifically designed to increase the functionality of bathroom furniture in a simple and easy way.
Of course I have to add the docks themselves with the various shapes created by the boats lines up in each dock slip. All the colors and shapes and again lights and darks with subtle smooth lines, yet a slight harsh sky in the background I think pulls off nice complexity.
I look for the complexities of your bones, your hair, and the way the world falls upon your shoulders.
Taken for The "I Have to Shoot What?!" 52-Week Challenge - Week 22: "Get Out and Shoot"
www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Dandelion.html
The flower head can change into the familiar, white, globular seed head overnight. Each seed has a tiny parachute, to spread far and wide in the wind.
www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/dandelion-000236.htm
While many people think of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) as a pesky weed, herbalists consider it a valuable herb with many culinary and medicinal uses. Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Its leaves are often used to add flavor to salads, sandwiches, and teas. The roots can be found in some coffee substitutes, and the flowers are used to make certain wines.
In traditional medicine, dandelion roots and leaves were used to treat liver problems. Native Americans also used dandelion decoctions (liquid made by boiling down the herb in water) to treat kidney disease, swelling, skin problems, heartburn, and stomach upset. Chinese medicinal practitioners traditionally used dandelion to treat digestive disorders, appendicitis, and breast problems (such as inflammation or lack of milk flow). In Europe, herbalists incorporated it into remedies for fever, boils, eye problems, diabetes, and diarrhea.
Today, dandelion roots are mainly used as an appetite stimulant, digestive aid, and for liver and gallbladder function. Dandelion leaves are used as a diuretic to stimulate the excretion of urine.
"Minha terra tem palmeiras,
Onde canta o Sabiá;
As aves, que aqui gorjeiam,
Não gorjeiam como lá.
Nosso céu tem mais estrelas,
Nossas várzeas têm mais flores,
Nossos bosques têm mais vida,
Nossa vida mais amores.
Em cismar, sozinho, à noite,
Mais prazer encontro eu lá;
Minha terra tem palmeiras,
Onde canta o Sabiá.
Minha terra tem primores,
Que tais não encontro eu cá;
Em cismar — sozinho, à noite —
Mais prazer encontro eu lá;
Minha terra tem palmeiras,
Onde canta o Sabiá.
Não permita Deus que eu morra,
Sem que eu volte para lá;
Sem que desfrute os primores
Que não encontro por cá;
Sem qu’inda aviste as palmeiras,
Onde canta o Sabiá."
Gonçalves Dias, IN: "Canção do Exílio"
Complexity Group Grapes On a Train 2013
To read more about this trip, please CLICK HERE
© 2013 Tina Wong; The Wandering Eater. All Rights Reserved. Images may not be reproduced, copied, or used in any way without written permission.
"Complexity that works is built up out of modules that work perfectly, layered one over the other." ....a quotation from Kevin Kelly
I visited the dock at Hartlepool this weekend, as the town hosted a reception for the end of the final leg of the second stage of the 2010 tall ships race. These incredible vessels all lay at their moorings and were still against the dock. Whilst they clearly inspired awe, I couldn't help but feel that they really expressed their full majesty under sail. I was a little sad that I weren't able to see them arrive to try to capture that feeling of natural power and beauty. So I found myself somewhat disappointed in the photos I was able to take at dockside.
However, looking through what often appeared as a jumble of masts, I became more fascinated by the "rig" of the boats. That what at first appears a complex tangle of ropes, pulleys and guys, was not so, but rather a collection of defined systems which worked so coordinately together as to allow sail power to out-strip engine power in propelling these vessels across oceans. Quite a metaphor really!
Actually if I'm really honest I quite liked the pelican figurehead! :-)
Complexity, confusion and vulnerabilty are the human mind's biggest defaults.
Take it easy, after all you know what's wrong and right, all you have to do is to put away your ego a lil bit
How many deal with complexity - detail of a Graphic Recording by Mathias Weitbrecht
Bild / image: (c) All Rights Reserved
Sun Complex, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Medium: Ilford HP5 (film border is left purposedly for my own reference)
Scan of design on cotton. Fabrics, wallpaper, wall decals, gift wrap spoonflower.com/profiles/winterblossom