Did you have any kind of strong response, or reaction, when first glancing at this photo? [click to continue…]
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Play and Discovery
As you read and ponder the photos in this week’s post, I invite you to keep “play” in the forefront of your “listening.”
Two years ago, in the first sharing of these photos and experience, I wrote:
“For many, holidays present challenging times, especially when loved ones are absent or gone. From what I’ve experienced myself, and seen in others, we’ll often spend time a good amount of time dwelling on what’s missing and the sadness and loneliness of that.
What I’ve discovered is that ultimately staying in that state certainly does not make me feel any better. To make a conscious shift, I may start listing mentally, or on paper, that for which I am grateful. I will sometimes go further and directly express gratitude to another person if it fits and is feasible.”
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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust
The Marcel Proust quote above is one of my favorites. Referencing discovery and new eyes, it expresses the foundation of what Treasure Your Life Now is all about.
The fulfillment of it becomes truly alive for me when you, too, experience the essence of the voyage of discovery.
Today’s Spatterdock plant photos represent a recent awakening I had. For the past seven plus years I have been sporadically photographing the Spatterdock plant, leaves, roots and flowers. The leaves were always green.
To my recollection the very first time I realized that the leaves are heart-shaped was when I saw some Spatterdock leaves that were pink (below and in the thumbnail photo above).
In the upper photo the heart-shape is quite obvious, especially since I’m looking for it now. Only at the time, in March 2006, I was so caught up in experiencing the golden end-of-the-day light that the shape totally eluded me, at least as I reflect on it now.
It was the pink, a color we associate with hearts, that had that image now stand out, having me see the Spatterdock leaves with new eyes.
For fun, I’ll share a couple of other Spatterdock photos featured in much earlier issues of Picture to Ponder.
In the photo right above, my attention is immediately drawn to the little face I see under the Spatterdock root. Looking to our right, she has a pointy nose. When I about her before I called her Little Red Riding Hood. Now I’m thinking she’s wearing a chef’s hat or different kind of bonnet. What do you see?
In the upcoming Through and From The Lens course, starting this Wednesday, October 3, we will have fun looking for, among many other things, faces and other images. They will be surfacing as you start using your unique and expanded “new eyes.”
The last Spatterdock photo, for today, is for those among you who prefer more traditional scenes:
a turtle sunning on a Spatterdock root
Today’s Photos –
as, stated above, are of the Spatterdock plant. All but the ones that include pink leaves were taken in Wakodahatchee Wetlands. The latter were in Green Cay Wetlands.
Self-Reflecting Queries and Relationship Tips –
Today, I invite you to look into your life to see where you might be viewing people and situations with already pre-conceived, expectations, from what you “know.”
Are there any situations that seem “sticky” to which you might bring “new eyes?”
In referencing it to a Relationship Tip, I invite you to open up a discussion with the person, or persons, in the sticky situation. Share what it is you are seeing, with no attachment to the outcome or that the other person(s) see it your way.
Then ask, and be open to, what they see.
You might also start looking for faces and other imagery in your physical environment, playing the same game with another person. What makes it easy, enjoyable AND eye-opening is that there are no right or wrong answers. It’s risk-free!
As always, have fun, and please post what comes up for you in the Comments section below.
Last Chance for learning to Take Great Photos without being a Camera Wiz, understanding all of the settings –
If you are one of the subscribers who has from time-to-time thought about enrolling in the Through and From The Lens, four-week Telecourse, NOW IS IT for registration. This is the LAST TIME I will be offering the course.
Following are a few of the reasons, participants who have enrolled in the upcoming course:
• tired of not using her camera because she was befuddled with all of the settings, now having a new camera and declaring, “It’s time!”
• desire to take more creative photos on an upcoming scheduled cruise than she took in her last.
• wish to learn more of how I see both “inside and out.”
Judith Tramayne of agoodread.com, one of the past participants, recently wrote:
“You made me so aware of what I was missing. Looking through a lens tends to make one focus. I loved how you taught me to appreciate my camera as a means to increase my creativity.”
She concluded, “I didn’t even like a camera before I took your class.” Now she is photographing regularly and used picture she took in the course as a reference for one of the painting illustrations in a new book.
For details, bonuses, registration information and to see testimonials and photographs from some other past participants go to Telecourse
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I am in one of those states of query and mixed emotions. I would expect that you also experience such states at one time or another.
On the one hand I am thrilled and excited. On Tuesday evening, September 11th I will be doing an open phone interview with Jerry Downs, professional photographer, writer and much more. Many of you, I know, already appreciate his awesome photos, his humor, poignant messages and views of the world. I feel privileged on behalf of us all that he accepted my request for an interview. (See BELOW the Queries and Tips for a link to register for the free call AND for the download gift of his book THE PRESENT.) [click to continue…]
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This issue marks the 600 issue of Picture to Ponder ezine!!! It is the second issue with the more pro-active Treasure Your Life Now brand. If you missed it last week, I stated that Treasuring our lives has actually been one of the indirect, unexpressed bottom line premises of Picture to Ponder over these past 8 years. So it seems quite a fitting transition.
One of the most frequent themes relates to the many different perceptions people may have on the same view. There often is no right or wrong, other than one person sometimes being “righteous” about his or her point of view.
As an example, and to stay focused, I’m featuring only photo this week. It popped out for me with its quick, illustrative “story.” This photograph was first featured in Issue 115 published in June 2005.
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This issue marks the 599th Picture to Ponder ezine!!! As I’ve been stating in the past few issues, I am transitioning title and branding from Picture to Ponder to the more pro-active Treasure Your Life Now. Treasuring our lives has actually been one of the indirect, unexpressed bottom line premises of Picture to Ponder over these past 8 years. So it seems quite fitting.
There are times when we may perceive life’s journey as a series of bumps in the road. As we go through changes, we have choices. We can focus on what is behind us, the bumps directly in front of us, or that which is beyond. [click to continue…]
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Not to infringe upon your experience of the textures and beauty in the flowers in the featured photos in today’s issue of Picture to Ponder, I’ll get right to them. The “story” follows, along with links to other wetlands Wild Iris photos.
Today’s Photos – Photo Essay –
Tissue paper thin I feel
As the midday sunlight
Shines brightly through me [click to continue…]
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When searching for a “heart” photo, or just “the right” photo for Valentine’s Day the above photo of headlights (taillights?) of a car popped out at me. Be it the colors, or the multi-reflected images it seemed to be most fitting to my message for today. So, I said “yes” to its being today’s featured photo. [click to continue…]
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If you’ve been following this blog for a while you undoubtedly are aware that I often find art in bird droppings on the boardwalks where I wander. You also know that one of our consistent themes in Picture to Ponder has been around querying the possibilities that open up from shifting perspectives.
Today’s Photos and Stories –
I had an interesting, “accidental” experience the other day, relevant to both the “art” and changing points of view. A particular “droppings” pattern caught me eye, so I’ve course I stopped to photograph it. Given I’m in two different online classes, right now, both with a “self-portrait” theme, I intentionally included my feet in the shot seen below.
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Today’s issue of Picture to Ponder is revision of Issue 108, May 24, 2005, when I was doing four issues a week. You’ll see, as you look below, that the subject of today’s featured photograph is my feet in my late, beloved husband Sam’s lap, as he used my legs for a “table” on which to write. I’m thinking there is some reason, the reminder of this photo came up for me this week, so I’m going with my gut and using it and the story.
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