View allAll Photos Tagged Simplify
When we first arrived at Cam Loch the sun was directly above Suilven. Some half an hour later it finally dipped below the hill to the right casting an intense warm glow onto the mountain which was rendered in almost full silhouette due to the high dynamic range.
The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.
Hans Hofmann
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"Our life is frittered away with detail. Simplify, Simplify."
~ Henry David Thoreau ~
Thank you French Kiss, For the text brush.
I have written about how Marc's changing needs have dictated a need to simplify our garden. Greater attention is needed to care for his declining health, which means less time in the garden and sadly, less desire by Marc to access it.
I have reduced our borders and the number of plants I grow and returned planting beds to lawns. Over 90 rolls laid. I have raised the canopy of many remaining shrubs and trees so Marc can see through them more easily from his vantage point.
There is much more to do, but gradually.
Complex simplification
Man I’ve struggled to write this text. It’s felt like digging a hole from England to Australia. The first few spades full were effortless as I enthusiastically threw them over my shoulder, but the hole quickly became very deep and then I hit ROCK. Now the task of finishing the job has become very daunting and if I’m to continue, it’s going to be slow and arduous. So…I’m going to start this with a paradoxical conclusion, then offer some alternative perspectives on digging …but first the conclusion, “simplicity turns out to be rather bloody complex!”
My messy mind
When photographing in a location, I’ve often observed how my ‘state of mind’ influences the way I see world and engage with it. Now this is a massive topic and I’d be foolish to attempt to cover it here, (man it looks very dark in the bottom of that hole). But more recently, I have observed whilst in the most peaceful locations, ‘self imposed artistic ideals’ creep into and distort my particular view of that reality. These thoughts can be very productive when wanted, but sometimes have become irritants when not, placing unattainable expectations of ‘perfection’ of light subject and composition over what is essentially reality.
To experience a ‘beautiful’ location in ‘perfect’ light is indeed, very special but, ‘the very act of photographing’ the location is further introducing complications on how one engage with any given scene. Often, (even without the camera), instead of enjoying the view, I have a sometimes (self diagnosed), irritating tendency to scout for locations, attempt to second-guess the weather, seek out detail, light and foreground interest. When I do have the camera (if I’m honest most of the time when in these locations) and feel inspired to take the tripod off my back, I’m often racing the fast moving conditions, setting up equipment and looking at the world through the viewfinder.
So why is this a problem you ask? Isn’t it your intention to seek out these locations and try to convey some of the feelings you have in a photographic representation? Well yes, but it’s those very ‘feelings’, that are being distorted by the process, that I want to experience as ‘pure’ in order to attempt to convey. I’ve noticed that often I actually ‘see’ and ‘feel’ more for a location when viewing the ‘image’ some time after its making, when I’ve have had time to reflect, things have slowed down and I’ve allowed my mind to dig deeper into the image and location. Unusually I see and feel things that I didn’t when I was making the image, which is bizarre, as you would think that being there in the flesh enables you to see more, but the opposite seems to be true. I would speculate that on location, our senses can become overloaded and the previously mentioned reasons, all influence the unique filtrated perception of the location.
I do believe that we in fact absorbed the overlooked information, somewhere deep in the subconscious mind, but it is only when reflecting on the imagery later that we begin to process the mechanical representations disentangling the thoughts, laden them with significance, and produce feelings. The photograph then seems not only to be historical record of the place we were. But actively catalyzing the emotions surrounding the experience, digging not only into the very place we were making the image, but deep into the recesses of our memory and dragging out past seemingly tenuously connected feelings.
Now all this mental clutter isn’t necessarily a problem, I suppose it depends on how you choose to look at why you were there in the first place. I do however wonder why we naturally filter out that information? I wonder if we simplify it because we cannot possibly process it all to satisfactory levels whilst there (it that just me?) maybe I need a few more slots of ram, or a better fan on my processor.
But seriously I feel analysis of the seemingly natural way our brains simplify any given experience into manageable chunks, offers us some incite as to a method of improving the ‘power’ in our photography.
A compositional tool that distills meaningful elements
The world is a complex place and the act of photographing it has a tendency to simplify our view on it. By choosing to narrow down the subjects, condensing the third and fourth dimension into two and directing the viewers attention onto a particular representation, is offering us an illusion on reality. A distorted view that has been manipulated by the photographer’s actions and thoughts, in a vague representation on a perceived, often overlooked reality. There is a common misinformed perception that photography is truth, but I digress.
If you use landscape painting as a convenient comparison and I’m thinking of artist such as (turner), the simplification of any given perception on reality, enables the artist an ability to distil the multitude of sensory data coming into the mind and focus on presenting only the ones that communicate the desired message/feelings they want to convey. The very act of rejecting elements is in fact paradoxically focusing deeper ones attention on the remaining.
When a shot is simplified, to clear compositional elements, the smallest details can possess greater power. A simple curve can become an overriding factor in the way your eye moves around the presented landscape. The shape and flow of that line, then has to be of impeccable clarity to retain its power. We as viewers linger longer on smaller elements, expecting and actually extracting more from them. The accomplished photographer, then, has primed the work for the viewer, without them even noticing. The ability for a photographer to expose us to the simplified view is then showing us that they are able to creatively distil the elements; it revels to us that we are looking at a skilled practitioner.
When looking at a successfully simplified photograph, I often get some sense of my eye moving over the scene in a controlled manor. It’s almost slowing the viewing process down and highlighting subtle nuances. The experience forces me to really LOOK at the image and draws my attention to normally overlooked elements. Playing with the juxtaposition of these simplified elements has in it hints of ambiguous purity, and when successfully accomplished it’s a powerful viewing experience.
It is also catalyzing a meditative state
We all seem to lead busy lives these days, attempting to squeeze multitudes of tasks and experiences in. Don’t get me wrong I’m the first to admit cramming my free time full of the things I want to do, places I want to photograph, (doesn’t the weekend wiz by), but are we not missing something along the way? It seems to me trying to reach out to wider and wider locations doesn’t necessarily mean greater rewards, as the essence of each place is being overpowered by its very complexity. Slowing down, concentrating on the elemental, gives the experience more depth. Letting your senses see, taste, smell, feel what it is that you’re doing enriches the experience. (For me that is).
Please don’t make the assumption that I’m arrogantly stating this is the only way to enjoy photography, because extracting pleasure in whatever form, is a respectable goal. But it is my intention, no, ‘need’ to dig deep, push my mind into new and uncharted territory, because I thrive on the unpredictable, and looking into oneself through the implementation and reflection of my photography, it’s definitely not simple but incredibly rewarding.
In search of a new simplified paint scheme in 1960-61 to replace the “lightning stripe” scheme, the New York Central commissioned three new test schemes which were black, gray, and “Century Green”, which E8A 4083 wears. The decision was made to go with dark gray. Later in life, it was the last E8 locomotive painted in the Penn Central black livery to run in New Jersey. 4083 was restored to her "Century Green” paint scheme in 2014 and now resides at the URHS of NJ museum in Boonton, NJ
Glassblowing experience was one of the highlights of a family visit this week. This was one of the bowls. The joy was further extended by placing this on a light table and photographing it.
Bennett Classic Antiques Auto Museum
Website: www.bennettclassics.com
Bennett Classics Antique Auto Museum houses around 70 vehicles manufactured from 1913 to 2013. The museum was started in 2007 by brothers Buddy & Joe Bennett, whose uncle owned a Ford dealership in Burnsville, NC, when they were growing up, instilling in them a lifelong love of cars. They moved to Rutherford County in the late 1960s, where they both started successful businesses, and on the side started collecting cars. Over the years, their collection that was in storage grew, but it wasn't until their retirement, when they started sorting through the collection, that they realized they had a whole building full of unrestored, low mileage automobiles. It was then the idea of the museum was born. The museum won the National Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum Award in 2014, an honor based on the museum's involvement in community, its presentation of the antique car hobby, the preservation of the automobiles, and the educational efforts of the museum. The collection includes many types of automobiles, from Model Ts to Mack trucks, a Shelby Mustang, the retired Forest City American Lanfranc fire truck, and a 1963 Ford Mayberry sheriff's car signed by Don Knotts (A.K.A Barney Fife of the Andy Griffith TV show).
A T-bucket (or Bucket T) is a hot rod, based on a Ford Model T of the 1915 to 1927 era, but extensively modified. T-buckets were favorites for greasers. Model Ts were hot-rodded and customized from the 1920s on, but the T-bucket was specifically created and named by Norm Grabowski in the 1950s. This car was named Lightning Bug, better known as the Kookie Kar, after being redesigned by Grabowski and appearing in the TV show 77 Sunset Strip, driven by character Gerald "Kookie" Kookson. The exposure it gained led to numerous copies being built. A genuine T-bucket has the two-seater body of a Model T roadster (with or without the turtle deck or small pickup box), this "bucket"-shaped body shell giving the cars their name. A Model T-style radiator is usually fitted, and even these can sometimes be barely up to the task of cooling the large engines fitted. Windshields, when fitted, are vertical glass like the original Model T. Today, T-buckets remain common. They generally feature an enormous engine for the size and weight of the car, generally a V8, along with tough drivetrains to handle the power and large rear tires to apply that power to the road. The front wheels are often much narrower than the rear wheels, and are often motorcycle wheels.
[Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-bucket]
My AUTOMOTIVE PHOTO ALBUM is located here: www.flickr.com/photos/kenlane/albums/72157634353498642
Sunrise on the Laratinga trail. A willow tree in a small creek. A touch of Color Efex glow and Topaz Simplify added in post.
Willows are not a native tree species to Australia but do often make a great .photo.
Like a great poet, Nature knows how to produce
the greatest effects with the most limited means.
~ Heinrich Heine
Our life is frittered away
by detail.
Simplify ,Simplify
Im pretty flattered i just found this in my emails ,my second image beeing published .
Hi Valeria
Congratulations, your picture was published in our “Wall of Fame” section of the magazine.
"Le persone dovrebbero mettere altrettanto ardore nel semplificare la loro vita quanto ce ne mettono a complicarla." Henri Louis Bergson
Saremmo tutti molto più felici se mettessimo in pratica questa idea... :)
Nella foto, dal mio archivio, una composizione minimal, con un cielo screziato di bianco ed un ramo. Che altro? :)
Buona giornata
Longjing tea (simplified Chinese: 龙井茶; traditional Chinese: 龍井茶; pinyin: lóngjǐng chá), also known as Dragon Well tea, is a variety of roasted green tea from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China where it is produced mostly by hand and has been renowned for its high quality, earning the China Famous Tea title.
According to many tea experts, the Longjing tea is amongst the finest and most representative of green teas. It has been described as the "ideal" beverage for "quiet, contemplative times."
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If you are interested in purchasing this image, please visit Getty Images page at:
Lingyin Temple (simplified Chinese: 灵隐寺; traditional Chinese: 靈隱寺; pinyin: Língyǐn Sì) is a Buddhist temple of the Chan sect located north-west of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. The temple's name is commonly translated into English as Temple of the Soul's Retreat, which is a literal translation of the Chinese. It is one of the largest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in China, and contains numerous pagodas and Buddhist grottoes.
The monastery is the largest of several temples in the Wulin Mountains (Chinese: 武林山; Pinyin: Wǔlínshān), which also features many grottos and religious rock carvings, the most famous of which is the Feilai Feng (Traditional Chinese: 飛來峰石窟; Simplified Chinese:飞来峰石窟; literally: "the peak that flew hither").
According to tradition, the monastery was founded in 328 AD during the Eastern Jin dynasty (266–420) by an Indian monk, named Huili in Chinese. From its inception, Lingyin was a famous monastery in the Jiangnan region.
During the Cultural Revolution, the temple and grounds suffered damage at the hands of red guards, but the students of Zhejiang University tried to protect the temple. The temple managed to avoid large scale destruction partly because of the instructions of Premier Zhou Enlai.
Today the temple is thriving as a destination for both pilgrims and tourists. It is regarded as one of the wealthiest monasteries in China, and regular pilgrims have included former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.
The Wuling Mountains area is a major centre of Chan Buddhism in south-eastern China. A number of smaller temples are also located in the area. Today, Lingyin and the surrounding areas are marketed as the Lingyin-Feilai Feng Scenic Area, with ticketed admission.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingyin_Temple
www.viajeachina.com/atracciones-de-hangzhou/templo-lingyi...
www.thechinaguide.com/es/sight/lingyin-temple
El templo de Lingyin (chino simplificado: 灵隐寺; chino tradicional: 靈隱寺; pinyin: Língyǐn Sì) es un templo budista de la secta Chan situado al noroeste de Hangzhou, en la provincia china de Zhejiang. El nombre del templo se traduce comúnmente al inglés como Temple of the Soul's Retreat (Retiro del Templo del Alma), que es una traducción literal del chino. Es uno de los templos budistas más grandes y ricos de China, y contiene numerosas pagodas y grutas budistas.
El monasterio es el mayor de varios templos de las montañas Wulin (chino: 武林山; pinyin: Wǔlínshān), que también cuenta con numerosas grutas y tallas religiosas en la roca, la más famosa de las cuales es el Feilai Feng (chino tradicional: 飛來峰石窟; chino simplificado:飞来峰石窟; literalmente: "el pico que voló hasta aquí").
Según la tradición, el monasterio fue fundado en el año 328 d.C. durante la dinastía Jin Oriental (266-420) por un monje indio, llamado Huili en chino. Desde sus inicios, Lingyin fue un famoso monasterio de la región de Jiangnan.
Durante la Revolución Cultural, el templo y sus terrenos sufrieron daños a manos de los guardias rojos, pero los estudiantes de la Universidad de Zhejiang intentaron protegerlo. El templo logró evitar la destrucción a gran escala en parte gracias a las instrucciones del primer ministro Zhou Enlai.
En la actualidad, el templo prospera como destino tanto para peregrinos como para turistas. Está considerado uno de los monasterios más ricos de China, y entre sus peregrinos habituales se encuentra el antiguo líder supremo Deng Xiaoping.
La zona de las montañas Wuling es un importante centro del budismo Chan en el sureste de China. En la zona también hay varios templos más pequeños. En la actualidad, Lingyin y sus alrededores se comercializan como Zona Escénica de Lingyin-Feilai Feng, con entrada.