View allAll Photos Tagged Introspective
... i live for warm water... submerged I find my SELF
photo taken with photography apps for iphone hipstamatic, lens john, film ina
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♥ Milliande UnRavelling
Isaak looks handsomely introspective with shadows on his sweaty face. He and his cousin had just been hiking at the Portland Arboretum.
Sometimes the haze clears and you're left with an introspective nightmare. The children are asleep and it's just me and some bottles.
I keep looking for a purpose. Sometimes I play the clown, sometimes i play the rock, sometimes i play the fleeting memory, and sometimes i play as a concept.
Very rarely do i get to play myself.
Just because i can take so much more than most people can before i crack, doesn't mean i don't have scars, or that i wasn't there too.
Generally I'm in the shadows holding a light, taking a back seat to my own life because I don't share the same check list as most people. I don't need to be remembered, I don't need to contribute, I don't need to pretend I'm more impressed or impressive than I am.
I want to exist without making a sound. I want to watch the world through a filter that strips away the bullshit and deception. I want to know that I'm not alone even if it means there's no one with me.
I'm tired of being restless. I'm tired of not being able to sleep because I'm worried that life will pass me by and leave me wanting more. I'm tired of not being able to reach out and grab hold of something more solid than the validation of peers and bank balances.
I want to build something simple that makes sense and share it with the world. A place where honor still matters, where honesty is common place, where we stand up for what's right and not what's easy. A place where we don't judge on a criteria that we can't even measure ourselves by. A place where we still remember what human contact is like and we don't need to hide from each other.
Make me smile and I'll give you the world. Hold my hand and I'll take you through the bleakest wasteland to something better. Show me your soul and I'll make it a home.
20 minutes again.
Not consciously by the way. Just seems to be that long till i'm 'done'. Or maybe that's as long as i can wait doing one thing? Eeek surely not.
Anyway...
Self portrait of me this evening. Charoal sketch
Self portrait shot inside the quiet interior of a car at night. Light provided by LED cabin light. - 5600 ISO
I don't do self's. Don't know why, its to intimate, to challenging. Today was to introspective. Sometimes in life you are put in a place for a reason, to see what you need to see and learn what you need to learn.
Today lifes ironies have had the best of me. I'm tired, I'm emotionally done. I had left what I thought was a pointless and silly meeting at the local MS chapter and was driving home when I passed him on the street corner. I drove shaking for 4 blocks before I pulled over and turned the car around. I rolled the window down as he hobbled over to my car, one hand gripping his cane, the other the message that caught my heart "I have MS. Can't afford my meds or food, anything helps."
I shook all the way home and burst into tears when my mom answered the phone. I think she thought I was hurt as I was stammering about how I know it was stupid, but I didn't care and to please don't ever let me end up like that. I know there are a million reasons as to why I shouldn't have- but there are a plenty as to why I did.
The pile of meds that I am fortunate enough to have access too. The wonderful support that I get from my friends and family. The fact that I get help without ever asking and without it, I know I would be in a world of hurt. The fact that without my support system I know I wouldn't be as far as I am today (headstrong/stubborn or not). The fact that sometimes a series of events just happens and unfolds and you just have to listen to your heart and follow through. You may not know why you were handed the cards you were, or why you are put in a certain place at a certain time, but sometimes there are reasons.
It is almost July and I've churned out #4 4 days ahead. It is philosophical, introspective, abstract, asks questions, tries to answer them, basically a more-or-less 'serious' read. Topics: On connection, your own place, losing touch, loss, ideas and a journal entry on an unmade film. Contains more text than #3. Also includes several hand-drawn art that has been scanned in. Cover is of a crossword cityscape, done digitally.
The gist:
1/2 sized personal zine
40 pages
b&w printing
paper may be printed on CORNFLOWER BLUE or WHITE or a mixture
P.S. The shipping is slightly higher than the other zines because this one is 1/2 sized and heavy! Sorry bout that.
Note: Not available in Singapore.
If you'd like to buy:
paypal: USD5 (with ship to anywhere in the world) to wtpp @ hotmail.com
or get through: janell.tk
thanks for viewing!
Taken with a Nokia N73.
"...why should we not calmly and patiently review our own thoughts, and thoroughly examine and see what these appearances in us really are?"
-Plato
Had a gig clash. Either introspective indie courtesy of the KVB, or skiffle at the 100 Club from The Dodge Brothers. I'd seen both bands before but I thought I'd go back to the 1950s for the evening.
I have also thought that the 3 plants are 3 aspects of myself...
this one being the enquiring mind, the darker side, the introspective me...
Christmas is an introspective time of the year by it's very nature. We look back on our lives at this time of the year, and through the lens of the holidays, the hard times we experienced seem harder the good times seemed better. Indeed, everything in our past just seems magnified. I read somewhere that you can't really appreciate the top of the mountain and its wonders unless you have spent time in the deep dark valleys of life. I think the beautiful thing about Christmas is that despite all of the marketing and materialism people are generally celebrating hope. Hope that one day they will reach their summit and rejoice. And isn't Christmas a little Summit that we all reach, enjoying the gift of ourselves to others?
In older times, when man was closer to the Earth we longed for the coming of spring and hoped that we would survive the cold dark winter. The Shadows of the mountains loomed over the valleys and the days were short. We gathered together to celebrate the light in the darkness and the knowledge that if we persevered we would see the warm spring sun upon our face. We may be detached from the Earth today when compared to days of old but we still gather together and celebrate the hope of something better, the hope of something great, the hope of something waiting for us in our future.
Christmas is a time when we celebrate the birth of the Messiah and our salvation. It's also a time when we ponder with fear, trembling and hope the coming of our savior again one day. For we all know that our life in the valley will one day yield to our rejoicing on the mountain top.
Unsubmitted photo - test image
Reflections - BRIEF 1
The people have spoken. Our Photo5 community have chosen ‘Reflections’ for the 2013 Open Brief (and what a great brief it is). The word inspires so many interpretations – whether it be stark reflections from mirrors, or transparent ones upon glass; you might capture an outdoor reservoir, or an introspective reverie. It’s a broad theme, so head towards what inspires you most and bring your own signature style to the shot.
There’s one key piece of advice I’ll offer for this kind of brief – don’t hold back. You need to catch our eye quickly with something original and compelling. So go big, go crazy and be different. Be critical and challenge your ideas. Ask yourself, “will others do something similar?” You really need to try and stand out to beat the other entries.
FLOUR // CONTRAST - Brief 2
Using flour, create a high contrast image with visual punch. Think about capturing a striking difference between elements – like tones or colours – to create a bold statement.
How will the texture of flour appear in high contrast – whether still, airborne or otherwise? How can you use backgrounds and negative space?
Don’t be limited by the flour* provided – you can use as much as you like.
Flour is such a great subject, so don’t be boring. Use it in an interesting way.
Discovering something unique may mean testing a lot of approaches, so don’t be afraid to fail. Be open-minded and experiment.
As the brief says, think about texture. Shutter speed techniques should be considered to create affects and drama in the piece.
EYES // PERSONIFY - Brief 3
First, make some cartoon eyes using the black and white circles inside your Photo5 box. Then use these to create an image that breathes life into something inanimate. Secret faces hide everywhere – on mailboxes and trees, throughout your home – you just need a bit of imagination to see them. Use the cartoon eyes to bring these characters to life. Think about their expressions and personalities. What are they doing? Do they tell a story?
This is a playful brief, so get out and have some fun. Focus on the ‘character’ element of the brief. You really need to create someone or something. How does the setting and scene add to their story? Try to spot something (and create someone) that no one else will.
JELLY // LIGHT - Brief 4
Create an image where light plays upon – or through – the distinctive qualities of jelly. Sometimes, if you look a little closer, everyday things can become quite extraordinary. What magic can you find in jelly? What can you create with it? And how can light make it even more striking? To bring your idea to life, use as much jelly* as you like (not just what’s provided).
Light is the key to any good image, and with a subject matter such as jelly, the opportunities to experiment are endless. So try something new. I want to see inspired effects created with either natural or studio light. Think about how aperture settings affect the subject and image too. Be a magician – create some magic with this ordinary subject.
SHADOWS // STENCIL - Brief 5
Create an image that incorporates light that's filtered through the stencil provided. You can use one pattern, or all of them. How do the shapes interact with difference scenes? What will the shadows fall across? Are the outlines of the shapes hard or soft, distorted or dreamlike? Think about how these shapes can create mood and texture in your image. The two key words from the brief are ‘mood’
and ‘texture’. How will you create these? What interesting techniques can you use?
Consider experimenting with different aperture settings, light sources and any other methods to play with focus in the image. And as with all the briefs, originality stands out. So surprise me
_mg_9202
Le ali colorate delle tue farfalle
Muovono la polvere che cade dentro la tua fiamma
Non mi credi vergine ma dai, non mi pare vero
Dormi che domani il mio burro piegherà il tuo acciaio
Merita pena, colui o colei che lascia
Mette paura il volto della madre tua ignoranza
Merita il fascino che dà, ma non a me
A me che non potrò mai averlo……
Che riconoscenza mi offri luna nera
ghiaccia la rugiada mentre cala un’eterna notte
labbra da regina colte baciano il mio “no”
giorno dopo giorno sa e pretende quello che non ho
Merita pena, colui o colei che lascia
Mette paura il volto della madre tua ignoranza
Merita il fascino che dà, ma non a me
A me che non potrò mai averlo……
Mi adori o non mi adori?
Living in Transit: The Thinkers of a World in Turmoil
War looms over Europe, uncertainty seeps into everyday life, and the weight of history presses upon the present. The world is burning, and yet—there are those who seek understanding, those who bury themselves in the quiet refuge of books, the dim glow of libraries, the solitude of knowledge.
This series captures the introspective minds of young academic women—readers, thinkers, seekers. They wander through old university halls, their fingers tracing the spines of forgotten books, pulling out volumes of poetry, philosophy, and psychology. They drink coffee, they drink tea, they stay up late with ink-stained fingers, trying to decipher the world through words.
They turn to Simone Weil for moral clarity, Hannah Arendt for political insight, Rilke for existential wisdom. They read Baudrillard to untangle the illusions of modernity, Byung-Chul Han to understand society’s exhaustion, Camus to grasp the absurdity of it all. They devour Celan’s poetry, searching for beauty in catastrophe.
But they do not just read—they reflect, they question, they write. Their world is one of quiet resistance, an intellectual sanctuary amidst the chaos. In their solitude, they are not alone. Across time, across history, across the pages they turn, they are in conversation with those who, too, have sought meaning in troubled times.
This is a series about thought in transit—about seeking, reading, questioning, about the relentless pursuit of knowledge when the world feels on the brink.
Where the Thinkers Go
They gather where the dust has settled,
where books whisper in the hush of halls.
Pages thin as breath, torn at the edges,
cradling centuries of questions.
They drink coffee like it’s ink,
trace words like constellations,
follow Rilke into the dusk,
where solitude hums softly in the dark.
Outside, the world is fraying—
war threading through the seams of cities,
the weight of history pressing forward.
Inside, they turn pages, searching
for answers, for solace, for fire.
And somewhere between the lines,
between time-stained margins and fading ink,
they find the ghosts of others who
once sought, once wondered, once read—
and they do not feel alone.
Three Haikus
Night falls on paper,
books stacked like silent towers,
thoughts burn in the dark.
Tea cools in the cup,
a poem lingers on lips,
war rumbles beyond.
Footsteps in silence,
the scent of old ink and dust,
pages turn like ghosts.
ooOOOoo
The Intellectual Pursuit: What They Read in 2025
In a world teetering between war and uncertainty, young academic women turn to books—not as mere escape, but as a way to confront reality, to seek wisdom in the echoes of history, and to understand the weight of the present. They read in dimly lit libraries, at café tables littered with half-drunk cups of tea, in quiet university archives where dust clings to forgotten volumes. They are drawn to words that unravel complexity, books that demand contemplation, and authors who have wrestled with the same existential questions that haunt their minds today.
Here is what they read.
1. Existential and Philosophical Works
In times of crisis, philosophy becomes a mirror—reflecting both the weight of the world and the possibilities of thought. These books challenge, unsettle, and offer a way to navigate uncertainty.
Simone Weil – Gravity and Grace (moral clarity and reflections on human suffering)
Hannah Arendt – The Origins of Totalitarianism (a timeless study of power, ideology, and authoritarianism)
Byung-Chul Han – The Burnout Society (a philosophical take on modern exhaustion and performance-driven culture)
Jean Baudrillard – Simulacra and Simulation (a critique of reality and illusion in an age of digital manipulation)
Albert Camus – The Plague (a novel that mirrors today’s existential and ethical dilemmas)
Søren Kierkegaard – The Concept of Anxiety (an exploration of freedom, dread, and the human condition)
These thinkers guide them through uncertainty, offering both discomfort and clarity—challenging them to see beyond the immediate chaos.
2. Poetry and Literature of Longing, Loss, and Human Experience
Sometimes, only poetry and fiction can capture what analysis cannot—the deep, wordless truths of grief, love, exile, and the quiet resilience of the human spirit.
Anne Carson – Nox (a fragmented, deeply personal meditation on loss and memory)
Paul Celan – Todesfuge (haunting post-Holocaust poetry that lingers between beauty and horror)
Rainer Maria Rilke – Letters to a Young Poet (a lyrical guide to solitude, art, and self-discovery)
Ocean Vuong – On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (poetry-infused storytelling on identity and survival)
Virginia Woolf – The Waves (a novel that reads like a long poem, exploring time, consciousness, and human connection)
Clarice Lispector – The Hour of the Star (a sparse, existential novel that lingers long after the last page)
These books are read slowly, lines underlined in pencil, phrases whispered to oneself in quiet moments.
3. Political Thought and Social Critique
Understanding the present requires looking at the past and tracing the patterns of history, power, and resistance.
Naomi Klein – Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World (on misinformation, conspiracy culture, and the fracturing of reality)
Timothy Snyder – On Tyranny (20 lessons from history on how democracy is lost—and how it can be protected)
Achille Mbembe – Necropolitics (on the politics of death, control, and who gets to exist in modern power structures)
Olga Tokarczuk – Flights (a novel that blurs fiction and philosophy, exploring movement, exile, and identity)
Rebecca Solnit – Hope in the Dark (on why history is shaped by those who refuse to give up)
These books are read with urgency—annotated, discussed, debated. They provide frameworks for understanding the unfolding crises of today.
4. Science, Psychology, and the Search for Meaning
In times of uncertainty, some turn to the mind and the universe—to trauma studies, quantum physics, and new ways of seeing.
Carlo Rovelli – The Order of Time (a poetic examination of time and its illusions)
James Bridle – New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future (on the unpredictability of AI, climate change, and human systems)
Bessel van der Kolk – The Body Keeps the Score (on trauma, memory, and how the body stores experiences)
Donna Haraway – Staying with the Trouble (rethinking human and non-human relationships in a time of ecological crisis)
These books stretch their understanding beyond politics and poetry—into the unseen forces that shape the self and the cosmos.