View allAll Photos Tagged introspective
I was tired of the typical "introspective, moody, dark self-portrait," so I decided to take a lighter approach. I really hate taking self-portraits, but this one was actually pretty fun to put together. Taken for an assignment in an art/photography history class.
By Tim Chambers
Been an interesting and introspective time away - life doesn't always turn out the way one plans or wishes.
Some concerns about my family have dampened my mood. Maybe there will be answers tomorrow?
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Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a nice evening last night on New Year's Eve and day today no matter what you decided to do! I wanted to take a moment to share all of the favorite books I read last year and, as always, I'd love to hear about your favorites too!
As I always preface these end of year book lists, many of these books came out in previous years and I didn’t read them when they came out. These just happen to be the best books I read this year. I consider myself an avid reader and one year I actually read a book every day. I haven’t been able to top that since 2019 but I read somewhere between 160-200 books each year. It’s actually hard for me to keep track of the combined total between books I read on my Kindle while traveling and working out on my elliptical and books I read in the bathtub that are the old fashioned type involving paper (remember those?). I successfully did not drop any books in the bathtub this year, which is a real feat seeing as how I am fond of creating bubble monsters that float around from the tub to the ceiling and eat words. You have to watch out for the bubble monsters!
All this being said, here are some of my favorites from this year:
1. Fruiting Bodies by Kathryn Harlan
Harlan could just be my favorite living short story author. Her ideas are not just creative but incredible. This is finely crafted weirdo stuff but exactly what I am looking for in a short story with just the right amount of length and balance between character development and plot. My favorite of the stories, “Fiddler, Fool Pair” was one I resisted at first because I am not as into a certain type of fiction that gets into magical creatures and such but it ended up being not only my favorite but one that I literally weeped at. I’m still getting a little teary now. These are not sad stories, however, but point to the ability of the human spirit to be creative. A couple more things I’ll tell you about this book so that you read it:
-I read it twice this year because I loved it so much.
-My mom read it and loved it so much that she bought a copy for her local library so others could also read it (They didn’t have a copy already).
-This was a Pen/Faulkner 2023 Longlisted book and I’m pretty sure it’s better than anything Faulkner ever wrote.
-If aliens were to come and ask me for one reason why they shouldn’t destroy Earth, I’d shrug and hand them Fruiting Bodies.
2. The Morning Star by Karl Ove Knausgaard
About a decade ago, I read Knausgaard’s My Struggle series and I hadn’t read anything by him since then. Sometimes, I actually veer away from male authors just because throughout history they have been over-represented. That’s not to say there aren’t some fantastic works out there, though and this is one of them. Knausgaard is a very purposeful sort of author and will take his time. This novel is over 600 pages and Wolves of Eternity, which I also read this year and enjoyed, is a whopping 800 pages!
I should also be clear that if I had read Wolves of Eternity first, I may as well have liked it better than The Morning Star. I think my issue with the two novels and reading them so close together was that there was a lot of philosophical overlap about death concepts especially. I enjoyed the characters in both books quite a lot, though, as well as the meandering sense of pondering. I wouldn’t necessarily say Knausgaard is too intellectual, either. He’ll definitely appeal to deep thinkers and the more introspective type of reader but, at the same time, you don’t have to have a philosophy degree to really comprehend the thought processes the characters go through. So, if you’re looking to start this year with a really long novel you can just delve right into, choose one of these. I should also say a main difference between The Morning Star and The Wolves of Eternity is that the Wolves of Eternity gives you some idea of what Russia might look like through a Norwegian perspective *and* gets a little more into human responsibility for choices in this modern world.
Again, I would highly recommend both books. Make time for reading and your life will change.
sprintsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/letter-to-self
3. The Wolf Hunt by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
I would recommend all three novels I’ve read by this author (Waking Lions and the Liar are her other two) that I’ve read. She is an incredible weaver of stories and cognizant of the complex layers of humans and the inter-weaving of human lives and conflicts..the multiple weights we carry and work through. The Wolf Hunt is no exception and explores everything from racism to homophobia with a few plot twists I never saw coming. This is incredibly riveting book also gives insights into violence and the torn feelings American Jews may have when comparing their lives and choices to their relatives in Israel. Finally, this book is important to read in the sense that it explores how violence begets violence and how quickly paranoia gets out of control. In light of the horror of what is happening between Israel and Palestine in the past and present, I did look up Goshen’s views. I could only find something from a few years ago but she has protested against Israeli violence in Gaza and worked at one time for the Israeli Human Rights Association. She’s also a trained psychologist so perhaps that is also helpful in creating realistic and meaningful characters. Here’s a couple of links featuring a review and an interview.
www.theguardian.com/books/2023/aug/22/the-wolf-hunt-by-ay...
www.thejc.com/life-and-culture/books/interview-ayelet-gun...
4. Greek Lessons by Han Kang
In the past few years, I have noticed more experimental fiction coming out of South Korea and have been very impressed with what I have read. Greek Lessons was one of my favorites this year and I had started the book with a great deal of trepidation as I really hadn’t enjoyed The Vegetarian nearly as much. Greek Lessons is very much so about language and features a very striking sense of experiential inner monologue and sense of philosophizing. It is a real poetic wonder and, though I suppose it would meet some tenants of experimental fiction, it is also possibly to just read it in a certain way where the words intermix with you thoughts and provide a meaningful dialogue and interesting viewpoints.
www.theguardian.com/books/2023/apr/11/greek-lessons-by-ha...
5. The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda
I tend to crave Japanese novels more than any other type and I read A LOT of novels coming out of Japan. Some of them are cute like the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Yes, I read the newest fourth book Before We Say Goodbye of the series and liked it) and some of them are much much darker like The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura which I also read this year. Of course, I have read everything by the famous authors Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto but I increasingly have gone back and re-read Mishima’s novels as well as Kenzaburō Ōe. All this is just to say that I have some admitted preferences for Japanese fiction in particular and so I may even be considered a little biased.
Some people get massages when they need to slip into a different head space. I usually just read Japanese fiction. That typically does the trick from the first page forward. In fact, I have gone through phases where I can literally only rad Japanese literature and reading anything else makes my stomach feel sick. The words just don’t work right on the page and travel differently into my mind. It’s an odd fit and I detest it. In contrast, from the first page on, every time I open up a Japanese novel, I hear the lyrics “I put a spell on you and now you’re mine!” in my head quite prominently.
The Aosawa Murders is no exception and it put me in quite a trance so that I devoured it like a chocolate cake with mousse filling. I could not stop reading this book I was so transfixed. What’s crazy is I can’t even really put into words or describe my addiction fully and what it is about the writing that had me hooked but the story line was incredible and the way that Onda ventures forth into the event of a mass poisoning by her examination of the characters present was really spectacular. I don’t tend to read a ton of thrillers or mystery novels but Onda’s novel here has some similar characteristics to other books in this genre and surely elevates it in a big way.
www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/riku-onda/the-aosawa-m...
6. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
I read both this book and Deacon King Kong in the same timespan (possibly even in the same week) and I liked them both but this one left an even greater impression, perhaps because of the way McBride gets into the treatment of a boy with a disability in the book. McBride has a way of writing characters with humor even when they are dealing with multiple conflicts and I enjoy that quite a bit. This book also shows a community and ties between African Americans and Jews in small town Pennsylvania in the 1930s, which I think many people might not know about. McBride is a fantastic author and I’ve read many of his novels and enjoyed them! You can tell there’s a side of him that is empathetic and kind to his characters and real people.
www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/09/23/heaven-earth-groc...
7. Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
I get the feeling that this book is rather popular in Japan and I just saw that it was made into an animated film. I really liked it for it’s vivid imagination and sense of problem solving for a group of isolated teenagers who don’t fit into their high schools at all and so have stopped going because of deep school anxieties. They manage to escape into this castle space and find each other and become friends and there’s an interesting sense of their personalities and how Tsujimura explores what has brought them to this point in their lives. I thought this book was really important for all educators to read to try to understand school anxieties as well as remember what it was like to be a teenager and have these strong feelings. I related quite a bit myself to not feeling like I fit in and wanting to just avoid school altogether. I didn’t end up staying home for any length of time but middle school and high school filled me with a deep dread socially. I didn’t want to enter my school building on most days because I just felt like a true misfit. I battled my first depressions in these years and struggled so much with understanding what I would even have to do to make friends or be popular. Of course, my parents had also moved out to a rural place from the city of Rochester after I finished 6th grade and so I found myself surrounded by farmer kids vs. city kids and I had literally nothing in common with them (On Friday and Saturday nights, they would tip cows for fun and I was a staunch vegetarian even at this age). These kids had all known each other for so many years and I was the new one and relentlessly picked on. The way children can be cruel to each other is something that is troubling to me and I still observe it today. In any case, if you felt like this too a little or if you work with children or have children, you might want to read this one!
www.tor.com/2022/10/20/book-reviews-mizuki-tsujimura-lone...
8. A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung
I’ve read a few memoirs this year but this one was especially impressive to me. Chung was adopted by white parents in Oregon but, unlike many children who have been adopted, her parents were poor and became even more impoverished when they experienced health issues and a failing US healthcare system or, I should probably call it a no care system because that’s basically what it is. Chung explores her life and the processes of handling illness and grief with a disarming honesty and adeptness. She is a fantastic author and her previous memoir, All You Can Ever Know is also recommended. These are heavy topics but I highly believe books like these are so necessary, especially if you happen to be going through these things yourself.
www.npr.org/2023/04/10/1168941141/living-remedy-review-ni...
9. The Aquarium by Yaara Shehori
I think it’s perhaps because I am an only child that I tend to love reading about books that explore the relationships between siblings, especially sisters. It’s fascinating to me, especially when it is done this well. This book is another really poetic marvel and it features a family who is deaf living in an isolated space in poverty and I loved how their thoughts were explored as well as their communications. It also gets into hearing aids and the psychological impact as well as the sensory experience of using them. I was really quite impressed by the way Shehori explored the lives of these sisters!
www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/aquarium-novel
10. Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung
I tend to love speculative fiction and this collection of short stories is super imaginative and fun. I loved the unpredictability of each of them and the collection as a whole and felt like Chung’s voice was very creative and stood out strongly from many other short stories I’ve read. This is just another example of how South Korean authors, especially female authors, are creating great and sometimes preposterous stories and, thankfully, are also being translated into English. Many of these stories had me reeling and laughing in the same span of pages.
www.npr.org/2022/12/11/1142119424/bora-chung-on-her-colle...
More books that I loved reading this year (Honorable Mention)
Monstrilio: A Novel by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
Lydia Davis short story collection Our Strangers
The Memory of Animals a novel by Claire Fuller
The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer collection edited by Janelle Monáe
Seeking Fortune Elsewhere stories by Sindya Bhanoo
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
Groundskeeping by Lee Cole
The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa by Stephen Buoro
The Overstory a novel by Richard Powers
Entangled Life nonfiction by Merlin Sheldrake
Leslie F*cking Jones a memoir
The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto
Oh, William! by Elizabeth Strout
The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum (Palestinian Author)
The New Naturals a novel by Gabriel Bump
The Future a novel by Naomi Alderman
Land of Milk and Honey novel by C. Pam Zhang
Chlorine by Jade Song
Zone One by Colson Whitehead (re-read of my favorite zombie book of all time)
Yellow Face a novel by R.F. Kuang
Disorientation a novel by Elaine Hsieh Chou
Minor Detail a novel by Adania Shibli (Palestinian Author)
The Centre a novel by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
A note about the above photo: This was taken in late summer when it was over 90 degrees Farenheit, which is too hot for me to be biking in tights and looking good as you can tell. My face looks extraordinarily large with this camera angle but that's how it goes and I am squinting into the sun so to me it looks very strange. Then again, bodies are always a little weird and very silly. My partner, Cinchel, took this photo of me covered in mushrooms lying down near a forest preserve 10 miles NW of where we live. He recently asked me what I would want for an anniversary present (It will be 25 years coming up!) and I replied, "Don't divorce me or die."
**All photos are copyrighted**
• I am inhabited by a cry. Nightly it flaps out Looking, with its hooks, for something to love. I am terrified by this dark thing That sleeps in me; All day I feel its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity.
• If I rest, if I think inward, I go mad.
• Life has been some combination of fairy-tale coincidence and joie de vivre and shocks of beauty together with some hurtful self-questioning.
• I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad. Or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.
• If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I'm neurotic as hell. I'll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.
• Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything it is because we are dangerously near wanting nothing.
I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am. I am. I am....
Santa Chiara is a religious complex in Naples, Italy, that includes the Church of Santa Chiara, a monastery, tombs and an archeological museum. The Basilica church of Santa Chiara faces Via Benedetto Croce, which is the easternmost leg of Via Spaccanapoli. The church facade of Santa Chiara is diagonally across from the church of Gesù Nuovo.
The double monastic complex was built in 1313–1340 by Queen Sancha of Majorca and her husband King Robert of Naples, who is also buried in the complex. The original church was in traditional Provençal-Gothic style, but was decorated in the 17th century in Baroque style by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. After the edifice was partially destroyed by a fire after the Allied bombings during World War II, it was brought back to the alleged original state by a disputed restoration, which was completed in 1953.
Famous is the cloister of the Clarisses, transformed in 1742 by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro with the unique addition of majolica tiles in Rococò style. The brash color floral decoration makes this cloister, with octagonal columns in pergola-like structure, likely unique and would seem to clash with the introspective world of cloistered nuns. The cloister arcades are also decorated by frescoes, now much degraded. (Wikipedia)
Looking into the forest of the Sol Duc Valley
Olympic National Park
I think a little HDR work is called for when trying to bring out the depths of the shadowed forest. I like photographing forest interiors. If you look around you, you'll notice just how busy the scene is, with its many shades of green and brown and all those riotous ferns and other vegetation, placed between and on the tall trees. Forest interiors are moody, magical, and introspective. They make one stop and think while looking.
The Sol Duc Valley is about a mile wide, at its widest. It's a pretty narrow valley and I felt a vague sense of unease and being closed in as I drove down the road 12 miles to the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. While I appreciated the green, shadowed beauty around me, I realized I am apparently a bit more of a wide-open spaces kind of gal and felt much better after I finally departed a couple of days later to head on to Lake Crescent and regain a little breathing room.
Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.
An introspective, rain-filled day in Milwaukee highlights the subtle, yet unmistakeable beauty of this mundane bridge truss.
Seeking interesting and introspective shapes with Collibrina.
Constructive critique is welcome, publicly or privately.
Model: Collibrina (IG: @collibrina, MM #3213540)
Studio: @hudsonartstudio
Parque Nacional Los Glaciares - Argentina.
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here i am, in norwalk, connecticut, where i now work... the last few weeks have been very introspective... i've had a lot of time to think, riding a train with some really sad people... i've thought a lot about past mistakes and what they've cost me... letting go of all that... it's time... so yeah, this is my first self-portrait with the diana+ camera... not bad... still not sure what i think of it though... it's no holga, that's for sure... :)
After our 3rd nor'easter in something like 10 days, I thought it might be worth having a look at the patterns the snow makes when it sticks to the trees in the land preserve behind our yard. It's not meant to be a flashy image, but rather a calming image to study. Thanks for looking!
DCIM\100MEDIA\DJI_0016.JPG
Prints on sale at Fine Art America:
fineartamerica.com/featured/together-in-silence-gate-gust...
Detail from a monument to Edith Louisa Cavell (British nurse and patriot °Swardeston UK 4 December 1865 – ✝ Schaerbeek Belgium 12 October 1915) by Belgian sculptor/medalist Paul Du Bois (°Aywaille 1859 – ✝Uccle 1938).
Edith Cavell is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without distinction and in helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during World War I, for which she was arrested. She was subsequently court-martialled, found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. Despite international pressure for mercy, she was shot by a German firing squad. Her execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage.
㊚ ♊ ♋ ✞
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A self-portrait that delves into the depths of the self, as the face is captured within the eye, symbolizing introspection and the examination of one's innermost thoughts and emotions.
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Yes, I know, I did say that I wouldn't be sharing any more photos of this sunset, but something (fairly) interesting has happened since I said that. I received a very sincere message from a friend whose opinions I respect, asking why all my recent photos seemed so moody and introspective? He'd noticed that my last few photos were all about 10-15% darker than any of the previous photos that I've shared, and he wondered whether this was due to my new computer and monitor, or if my generally positive mood had somehow changed. It's a bit of both, I suppose. :)
behind glass and light, a boy drifts into his own weather. clouds pass, but they stay — hanging between his gaze and the world outside. it’s not a portrait, not quite a reflection, but something in between. something suspended.
captured on a quiet morning around the corner from crosby street in soho, new york city, this image showcases a man seated against a vibrant backdrop of graffiti-covered walls. the early sunlight casts dynamic shadows, highlighting the solitary figure engrossed in his phone. this photo beautifully contrasts the lively urban art with the introspective moment of the individual, encapsulating the essence of soho's unique blend of creativity and contemplation.
"All I can think of is how terrifying it is not to feel any pain.
Yet.”
(personal)
Picture taken and edited by me.
DO NOT USE WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION
A portrait that transcends the moment to reflect a narrative steeped in grace and history. Her direct gaze invites the viewer into a silent conversation, while the rich textures of her attire whisper tales of a bygone era.
Diana Rudychenko, captured in a moment of quiet reflection. A striking portrait showcasing the interplay of light and shadow.
Sometimes emotion doesn’t need motion, it lingers, still and steady, in the quiet gaze of a single moment. This portrait captures the calm defiance that lives behind the eyes, the kind that doesn’t shout or break, but holds its ground softly, like light against shadow.
Shot as part of my ongoing fine art portrait series, this image explores resilience, identity, and inner stillness through minimalism and tone. The texture of light, the grain of the skin, the shadow that breathes around the form, together they create not just a photograph, but a conversation between strength and silence.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Tacoma, Washington, USA.
I've been fairly Introspective lately about the quality of my life and the lives of others around me: family, friends, colleagues,and people worlds away from me on other continents.
I realize I am blessed.
Do not be afraid to affront your obstacles and face your challenges,
even if that challenge. . .is yourself.
Fear no storm. They typically come to pass. Continue on your journey.
Santa Chiara is a religious complex in Naples, Italy, that includes the Church of Santa Chiara, a monastery, tombs and an archeological museum. The Basilica church of Santa Chiara faces Via Benedetto Croce, which is the easternmost leg of Via Spaccanapoli. The church facade of Santa Chiara is diagonally across from the church of Gesù Nuovo.
The double monastic complex was built in 1313–1340 by Queen Sancha of Majorca and her husband King Robert of Naples, who is also buried in the complex. The original church was in traditional Provençal-Gothic style, but was decorated in the 17th century in Baroque style by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. After the edifice was partially destroyed by a fire after the Allied bombings during World War II, it was brought back to the alleged original state by a disputed restoration, which was completed in 1953.
Famous is the cloister of the Clarisses, transformed in 1742 by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro with the unique addition of majolica tiles in Rococò style. The brash color floral decoration makes this cloister, with octagonal columns in pergola-like structure, likely unique and would seem to clash with the introspective world of cloistered nuns. The cloister arcades are also decorated by frescoes, now much degraded. (Wikipedia)
Black-winged stilt in Camargue, southern France
Stelzenläufer in der Camargue - nicht so spektakulär wie die Flamingos, aber auch sehr interessant zu beobachten
My guy took a job out of town, so this was a lonely night for me. But not too lonely, my dog and this lovely tree kept me company. ;-) This could be a good photo to try to learn basic HDR with--I see (and remember) so much potential in the darker parts of this image. I wish I did know how to manage exposure and color better in photoshop. Right now it's kind of like being led by a sheep dog--I'm just all over the place. ;-P
Virgos born on August 26 possess a strong sense of purpose. They have a great devotion to fairness and a desire to apply their energies for the benefit of others. They are quiet and introspective. They don't make a show of themselves and prefer not to be put in the spotlight. August 26 men and women aren't as concerned with success as they are with getting things done well. They aren't competitive and prefer to take the middle road.
I don't know if I normally put a lot of faith in astrology, but I have to admit this almost fits me to a "T". Although online I'm not quiet--in fact, at least someone thinks I come from the "sarcastic people factory". lolol
She doesn’t need words to be heard. There’s a softness in her gaze that holds your attention — not because it demands it, but because it invites you to pause. The way she clutches the blanket speaks of comfort, of safety, and of something held close, both literally and emotionally. This is a moment between thoughts, between sounds, where the world narrows to quiet observation.
There’s a mystery here — not dramatic, but intimate. A sense that something is being felt deeply, even if she’s too young to name it. It’s in the eyes, in the silence, in the pause before the next breath. This is where the story lives — not in what is said, but in what is held inside.