View allAll Photos Tagged perception
Three forms arranged on a minimalist stage: two black silhouettes and one pale sculptural object between them. Each represents a different perspective on the same reality—each observer convinced of their truth, each technically correct from their vantage point.
This image explores the philosophical proposition that truth is often relative to perspective. What appears as one shape from the left looks entirely different from the right. Both observers possess valid perceptions, yet neither grasps the complete reality. The actual truth exists somewhere in between—in the synthesis of multiple viewpoints, in the acknowledgment that our individual perspective, however certain, captures only a fragment of the whole.
A visual meditation on epistemology and the limits of perception: How do we know what we know? Can absolute truth exist when reality shifts with every angle of observation? The answer may lie not in choosing one perspective over another, but in embracing the complexity that emerges when we consider them all.
"My perception of you is limited to what I can see through this small foggy lens. Yet, I will still seek you.. I will still follow."
« La réalité est une chose mystérieuse et fluctuante, car la perception que nous en avons ne reste jamais la même. » de Joe Tan
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(Please do not use without my written permission.)
Highest position: 15 on Sunday, November 18, 2012
I decided to try editing this image with paint.
This is the start of a possible series that will explore manual photo editing. Please do not mistake this for a full painting. It's goal is to make the viewer question what it is and what it is not.
Which quote has more significance to this image?
This is a gift, it comes with a price
Who is the lamb and who is the knife?
Midas is king and he holds me so tight
And turns me to gold in the sunlight
-Florence & The Machine
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
-Robert Frost
"Depth Perception:" Aldous Huxley has stated, "There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception." Looking into this scene, it became difficult for me to tell the depth of the water; some of the submerged rocks were visible below the surface, but the reflections from the trees and rocks above began to play tricks on my eyes. I did end up crossing the creek and found the deepness varied with the undulating terrain below.
Being a transvestite is not always an easy thing to live with but does have pleasing aspects such as joy, exhilaration and adventure to counter the more fearful and troublesome concerns that inevitably accompany the desire to dress up and appear as one’s opposite gender.
For many of us who engage in transvestism we place ourselves in a difficult position which usually results in having a secret life or as many people have accused me of ‘living a lie’. Many partners, family members and friends can react negatively to the discovery of one’s transvestism and the phrases such as ‘liar’ and ‘breaking trust’ are expressed. It can be devastating for all concerned not just transvestites.
There is a popular perception that transvestites are involved in a sordid activity or we are seen as freaks and perverts and are rarely respected for who we are. We are more likely to be ridiculed or labelled as mentally ill. The most common response is we are homosexual and just want sex with men.
Ii think so called normal life has more sordid activities and real perversions occurring which should be far more unpalatable by wider society than a transvestite enjoying a gentle pastime such as cross-dressing. We are vilified for our liking to appear as the opposite gender, it is almost more acceptable to be a wife beater or a violent alcoholic but to dress up as the opposite gender…’Outrageous! Disgusting! Perverts!’ One can almost here the sniggers and sly looks ‘He likes to wear a dress and put on make-up, likes to think he’s a woman…snigger…’
I feel transvestism has a long way to go before any kind of widespread acceptance becomes the norm. I also feel maybe we don’t help such perceptions by our own actions and responses as we are in the majority very secretive about our desire to cross-dress. I hold myself guilty of such unhelpful attitudes to wider acceptance. I admit I am fearful, indeed terrified that people will find out I am a transvestite and that it will bring upset and disturbance upon my family and friends. I maybe active as Helene on-line but I try my best to make sure nobody in my real life knows I am a transvestite. I actually feel queasy at the prospect they may find out. I’m not good at all for trying to bring acceptance, I’m frightened in a selfish way. So much for my commitment to the cause.
I can still recall how as a teenager I would shake with nerves at the prospect of anyone finding out I wanted to dress as a girl and to act like one. This became worse as I grew older. I did endeavour to suppress and ignore my transvestite nature and for over twenty years I had no involvement with it at all physically. I say physically because in my head it never diminished, I would be consumed at times with the desire to dress as a woman, I badly wanted to do it. I would force myself to squash such thoughts and try and get on with being a man.
I now realise I wasted a lot of my life by these actions and I have huge regret at the fact I squandered so many experiences and self fulfilment. Having said that , I did end up with a life I really enjoyed as a man. Not because I was a man per se, but because I was sharing my life with a person I adored and we had a family I love dearly. I also ended up in a career I really enjoy. All was perfect apart from transvestite side which was locked away inside a personal jail desperate to break free. I began to fear I may destroy my entire life if I gave into the desire to cross-dress so suppressed them as fast as they surfaced.
In the mid 1990s I was covering the war in the Balkans and ended up, through stupidity, in a situation that looked like the end would not be too long in coming. I was stuck on a hillside in the freezing winter cold as an intense firefight between the opposing forces had broken out. My colleagues and myself became introspective as we contemplated our last hours. This was it, I was going to depart the world age 35. I found myself, somewhat surprisingly as I became aware of it, smiling wryly. I was actually thinking I would die and would never know what it was like as an adult male to have dressed up as a woman and set free my inner dream of spending time as a (part time) female. I had only my few teenage efforts at cross-dressing to cling to.
At some point someone in the group started to admit to their big life secret and this was followed by another colleague admitting to his. The admissions began to pour out and some were quite heavy indeed, things people had feared to admit previously. Inevitably all eyes turned to me to confess my secret. I admitted openly amongst the noise of the ongoing battle that I was desperate to spend time dressing up and acting as a woman, I really wanted to be a female now and again that I was a transvestite and in my head adored the idea of casting off my masculine self and taking on a female persona for a few hours.
I can recall there was no reaction to my confession, in fact one colleague said in a disappointed tone ’Is that it?’ That’s you big secret?’, they were totally underwhelmed and thought it was not even worth the grief I had given myself over the years. There was no judgement shown at all by my admission was a transvestite. We were rescued in the end by a UN patrol to whom I will be forever grateful as they took a big risk to save us. Before they arrived I resolved if I survived I would become a practicing transvestite and actually cross-dress for real rather in my head.
My problem, which has two sides to it, is I am a person who loves debate, analysing things and discussing things as I am curious by nature. I am frequently accused of over analysing my transvestism but those who say that fail to understand me and interpret my narratives in the wrong way. I thrive on all of this discussion and questioning, I enjoy it and I am aware now that it has on occasion generated some quite hostile attitudes towards me. Mainly because I like to talk about sexuality and how one should act like a woman towards men to sell the illusion they are female. It’s a long way from sexual intimacy, just performing in the persona is how I see it. I have stated many times I am a frustrated actor and enjoy it and I do like female impersonation when it is done well. I am attracted to the acting side of creating a female illusion. I love the whole prospect that no-one thinks I am a man when they see Helene. If they think I am a woman then that is such a reward. I am thrilled if a man desires me as a woman, I find it exciting. It’s not a sexual excitement, it’s a vanity and ego response. I love the thrill my illusion may have worked.
For example if I was kissed by a man when I am portraying myself as a woman then that is not me being homosexual, that is me acting the part of a woman, it’s about making my female alter-ego seem real as a woman by playing her as a woman not a a man, it’s not about wanting a kiss from a man as I am not attracted to men. I think many transvestites wrestle with this but if you are keen to enjoy being a woman and have people believe you are female you need to act the part convincingly rather than highlight you may not be how you appear to be.
So…back on track, I returned to the UK, and vowed I would not cross-dress before I told my wife and family I was a transvestite. This was a bit of an issue for me because I knew if I was going to cross-dress as a woman I wanted to do it properly and go the whole way. This meant would need to shave my legs, chest and arms, reshape and thin out my eyebrows into more feminine shape. I wanted to wear make-up properly, I wanted a good wig and I wanted to paint my nails, wear nice dresses and skirts and high heel shoes, I wanted the whole one hundred percent male to female transformation. I could not possibly hide such physical changes from my wife. She would see it as I am very hairy all over my body (very dismaying to me) and my family would notice my new eyebrow shape as I had thick bushy shapeless eyebrows.
I’ve said it before I am not a brave person. I am weak and lack confidence so it was easier said than done telling my wife I was a closeted transvestite. It me over five years to finally summon up the nerve to tell her and when I did I wish I had not. The upset I caused her by my admission nearly broke my heart, her world collapsed and I was accused of not being who I said I was and I was living a lie. There was a lot of dismay and hurt followed by anger. What kept me going was by now it was too late, I had confessed my transvestite side existed but I deeply believed we had a strong enough relationship to survive my admission.
Fortunately we did. Having caused such upset to those I cherish dearly and realising they did not like the idea of me dressing as a woman at all I decided I would try to minimise it’s effects upon them. Selfishly though, I was now more determined to go through with my cross-dressing. I have however severely restricted the number of times I cross-dress so it never causes them further upset and I feel truly fortunate they tolerate my need.
Five months after my confession I bought a dress, a pair of high heel court shoes, a pair of knickers, a bra, silicone breast forms and a blonde wig and bottle of nail varnish. I took a long bath and completely shaved off all my body hair. I then plucked my eyebrows, covered myself in moisturiser and immediately got the shakes and my head started to spin. I knew I was at a point in my life where for me it was all about to change, I felt emotional in away I don’t usually feel. For me I had reached a point of no return.
And so it was. On a cold November afternoon in the year 2000 I stood in front of the mirror in a warm bathroom and began to apply foundation make-up to my face. I had no idea how this was going to work out, the woman within me was about to break free.
We perceive the world as we see it. Our perception is based on what we see and what we want to see.
The reality is, if you imagine positive, you’ll end up in having a positive image of your surroundings.
Sunsets have always been part of my inspiration, it always attracts my attention, that brings me close to the nature.
(Clifton Beach, Karachi - Pakistan)
If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern.
Words by William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
for Flickriver - Sophie Shapiro
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I would like to thank everyone who takes an interest in my work. I am truly grateful and appreciate your ongoing support and positive feedback. Please take good care of yourselves in these uncertain times. Keep well, safe & inspired.
Kind regards,
Sophie
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I have been thinking about how we look at things that aren't real. I'm talking about spaceships, cars and photoediting.
I mean, we know how a car is supposed to look like. We see them every day, real cars, our brains are tuned to them in terms of how they look and move around us. Spaceships are a different thing, we're not that used to seeing them around. Does that make a difference when making images with a scale model? Is a spaceship an easier sell than a car?
I made an experiment with the Maserati Boomerang model I've been building during the past couple of months.
I absolutely love the fact that the title is portrayed in the picture.
'Selective perception' is the process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages while ignoring opposing viewpoints. It is a broad term to identify the behavior all people exhibit to tend to "see things" based on their particular frame of reference.
La vipère aspic est sourde, comme beaucoup de serpents, mais sa langue bifide lui permet de percevoir son environnement proche. ( Vipera aspis )
Ma page Facebook : www.facebook.com/BaladesSauvages/
Cézanne Le Rocher Rouge. Photographie prise au Carrière de Bibemus à Aix en Provence à l'endroit même où le peintre a réalisé son paysage. Ce montage pose des questions de perception; oppose et lie photographie et peinture... queendotkoong.tumblr.com/post/31838316699/en-ce-moment-si...
Best seen in Large>>>
Janet Murphy-Tallarigo ©Jan2008
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“Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.”
~~~Hans Margolius
Another shot from the lake at Earlswood Common. The way the light has fallen on these shrubs - and the shadows they've created - has left me thinking of something else entirely...
The other two pictures are just for fun but you can click through if you wish
schmocus : mine i like : common
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Perception of Canal Grande, Venice
A little space-out effects video. Sometimes our minds end up going to the Moon and reality distorts around us.
Royalty free music from CCMixter.org:
"Welcome To Quarkstar" by Loveshadow featuring Pilot J Sorn, Igoto Wikes, The Citizens of Quarkstar.
Music is here:
If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear as at is - infinite.
William Blake ( 1757-1827)
English poet
" Depois de todas as tempestades
e dias ensolarados, hoje eu percebo.
Os conceitos e pré-conceitos caem,
e a nuvem que outrora embaçava
minha percepção não mais, me traz medo."
" After all the storms
and sunny days, now I understand.
The concepts and preconceptions fall,
and the cloud that once clouded
My perception is no longer brings me fear. "