From the category archives:

Vegetables

Despite thousands of photos in my external hard drive, I was at a loss for featured photos for today’s issue of Picture to Ponder. Aside from some full moon shots and the roses of the past two issues, nothing much has grabbed my attention in the past week or so.

I then reflected on the fruit and vegetable cutting photo session, and some of the participants’ empowering experiences, in the last class of our Through and From the Lens Point and Shoot photo course and decided to “play” with that subject matter. Thus,

Today’s Photos -

My first action was to cut a mushroom in half. I started smiling immediately as two “faces” instantly showed up. Despite the fact the faces were not particularly happy ones, I couldn’t help laughing at the irony of how quickly, it seems, I see “faces.”

In the top and bottom photos, two different mushroom halves are resting on my stovetop. The half in the middle photo is in a ceramic dish I made on potters wheel years ago. Though more “artistic” in overall feel, the “face” seems to be angry or snarling, more so than in the other photos. It is same image as in the bottom photo. Yet, note the changes when on a different surface and viewed from a slightly different angle.

If you enjoy writing, these photos could be great prompts.

Self-Reflecting Queries -
As mentioned above, I was “stuck” for subject matter for today’s issue of Picture to Ponder, so I went for my camera. The latter, as you more than likely know, is one of my main tools, and “prescriptions”, for quickly shifting moods and perspectives.

What “tools” or methods do you use for creating state changes for yourself? I’d love to read your responses in the COMMENTS section below, including any writing your might have done with the photos as prompts.

In addition to simply cutting into a vegetable and then taking pictures, I went into creative mode by locating, positioning, and repositioning my subject matter. I became attuned to the differences by changing points-of-view. When you are in “stuck” situations, do you remember to look at them from different angles?

Lastly, are you aware of the number of ways in which you shift into creativity to make a difference for yourself?

As always, have fun with this.


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Today’s post will be, of necessity, a demonstration of “less is more” – fewer words than usual on my part. So many of them around the “right” words have been running around my head that I allowed myself to stay stalled. I’ve been wanting to ensure that you understand what’s available for you in my upcoming Through and From the Lens Course, starting this Tuesday, January 19th.

It offers new insights, artistry and breakthroughs through the discipline and guidance of photography. There is an affiliate program through which those of you in business can promote this course. See Affiliate for more information.

Today’s Photo represents another story or set of stories that have been running

red onion #7 - first cuts

around in my head. I purchased two new, beautiful red onions last week to continue my RED ONION STORY (email me if you wish the link for the first – “onion story” in the subject) and I’ve been creating stories, in my head, around the new ones all week, continuing to observe analogies in my life.

Today, in addition to passive observing I declared the bold action of taking the first cut and then more.

My photo/seeing course offers an easy, enjoyable way of taking first, fun cuts in your own life using a digital camera.

Without any more story around today’s photo, I’m inviting you to be with it, without prompts on my part.

Later, I will share some of my observations here on my blog. Check there tomorrow. Even before I add comments though, I invite you to share your experience in the comments section under this post.

Self-Reflecting Queries -
Where in your life might there be places you are allowing yourself to be pinned down by stories you’re telling yourself or by waiting to say the “perfect” thing?

If you see something I invite you to take action NOW.

And, please do yourself a favor. Check out the Through and from the Lens Point and Shoot Photo Course,
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For specifics and registration see Through and From the Lens Course.-


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You may be wondering, “Why onion photos again?” I had intended to go back to birds, or other nature photos, for this issue, and then these photographs kept popping out whenever I opened my photo files. A few weeks ago, for the last session of the June Through and From the Lens course, I purchased a new red onion. While at the supermarket the red garlic caught my eye, along with the white garlic which I needed for cooking; so I bought all three.

After photographing them separately and together from many angles and holding them in my hands, I became so attached to the “personalities” and “feel” of the three above that I bought new ones with which to work during the teleclass.

I’m following my instincts in continuing sharing them here, recognizing that there is something “calling” to me with these particular vegetables and hope they will thus resonate in some way with you. One thing I know for sure, is I’m delighted with how long they last in the original state, with no change or deterioration, from the time I purchase them.

For those who missed it, earlier this month I wrote on Onion #4, which you can see on the BLOG – Looking at the Old Newly

TODAY’S PHOTOS
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I am not what it is in the top photo of the garlic bulb in my hand that “grabs” me each time I look at it. The image is seemingly making a strong statement.

As you can see I grouped the three together, on my white kitchen counter, and then on the underside of a black styrofoam tray to get the contrast. I was only going to include one of these two photos here since they are so similar. Then when I looked again, I saw the feel was different, beyond the lighting contrasts.

In the third photograph the onion seems to be looking at the red garlic very protectively, as the latter nestles up to it. And, I’m wondering, in addition to the focus being slightly closer, if the fact that the white garlic’s position is altered, ever so slightly, is what makes the difference. Perhaps it’s that the latter is extra bright here and the other “needs” protection (in the imaginary sense).

I’ve included the fourth photo of the red garlic alone, slightly altered in color by Photoshop Elements, because now it looks like a piece of art. In addition to the colors, I love the rhythm and swirl in the whole shape.

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES -
By altering positions, “points of view”, in the onion and garlic bulbs above, we get a different feeling or communication.

Relating this now to you and going to one of my favorite Self-Reflecting Queries, I invite you to look into your own life. Are there places where you are facing challenges, places where a slight alteration of perspective might give you a whole new take on the matter? If a particular challenge surfaces for you, I invite you to “hold” it in your hand, if not literally, then figuratively. See if and how you can become friends with it. What opens up for you now?

Furthering my own Self-Reflections – For me, right now, I am looking at what it is in the red onion and, now, the added garlic that has me so intrigued and moved.

I’m realizing there is a passion in here for the “stories” I see in them. Last night, I wrote in Facebook, that I am open to finding a collaborator (a children’s writer, educator or idea person) who would enjoy co-creating with me products that would make an empowering difference in how children (and adults) see their worlds. This is a new opening and stepping out for me.

Lastly, if you have gotten this far in viewing and reading, and you have any strong emotional reaction one way or another to my featuring onions and garlic, I invite you to look at what’s coming up for you in terms of your own life in relation to your response.

As always, put fun into it. Where will you find faces and smiles today?

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In July I became enthralled with the beauty of a red onion and the process I went through in photographing and peeling away the layers over a period of approximately two weeks.

Last week I became attracted to another red onion that had been sitting in my refrigerator for so long it had started “growing”. I decided to take a few pictures of it while holding it in my hand, views both inside and outside of the house, and then put it aside on a counter. The green continued to grow and earlier this week I decided to photograph the onion again. Given it was night, I set up the black background board to block the scene behind it in my home and placed it on the under side of one of my Cafe Press pillows which I had placed on the table.

Yesterday I was moved to start cutting, then peel away a few of the layers. I got quite excited with what I was discovering and the result is well over 150 photos. I started including here one of the “peeled” ones from a few “shoots” and decided aesthetically it did not fit with the other two. Those who wish can see that one, and several others, on Red Onion 4 or wait until I decide into what direction I am going to take the next round.

If you have not seen “THE RED ONION STORY: Peeling the Layers of an Onion as Analogous to Peeling Away the Layers of Ourselves,” you can request the PDF  on ONION STORY 1.

TODAY’S PHOTOS -
As I indicated above, the top two are of a red onion on a pillow. They are lit by a chandelier above and taken without the flash.

I like stateliness and the mysterious shadows in the top photo. The middle has a rhythmic flow of colors and shapes. Given the greens were a large focus in the center photo, as well as the source of the shadows in the top one, I’m also showing the cut pieces that I spontaneously placed in glass candle holder that was closeby. I love the colors here on top, as well as those showing through the translucent glass.

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES -
When I first started what now has become an exciting project, I was not very inspired. I simply started taking a couple of photographs because the onion had been around for so long. I wanted to acknowledge it in some way and be complete with it.

Then when I got into action, my creative juices took hold. I got excited as the different components and patterns were revealed once I cut the onion in half. The skin had interesting shapes and the interior of the peeled layers had lines embedded, probably roots, in great patterns. You can see a few examples on RED ONION 4.

So, how does this all fit into queries? Following my description of where I was before my I started taking these photos, I invite you to look into your life. Are there one or more projects or activities on which you have been stalling? If so, I invite you to take one small action, perhaps even photograph something relevant to it. Then take one more action. Do not be attached to an outcome. Simply be open to noticing where a spark of enthusiasm emerges. Where will you allow that to now take you?

And, for a second set of different queries – Today’s onion was quite “old” – a few months, at least. In the process of spending time with it, dissecting, being willing to play, many things opened up. Again I invite you to look into your life.

Are there people, projects, object or relationships in your life that seem “old and tired?” If so, I invite you to spend time, look at them, see what you can open up, if anything. Do you have new choices now for being with it or them in new ways? Or is it time to release whatever you were looking at and move on? Either choice is perfect.

As always, have fun with these queries. Be sure to “play” with the first.

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Humourous Apple Face

Apple face rear

Dried Turnip Pieces

I hope that the top photograph brings the same chuckle, or laugh, to you as it does to me every time I look at it. I’m presenting it here in fun and also for the possible inquiries it generates.

All three of  TODAY’S PHOTOS are the result of explorations I did cutting both an apple and a turnip during the last Expand Your Vision teleclass series. During that time, I actually wrote, on my blog, about the turnip – a “Metaphor for Aging, As Personified By a Turnip.” Curious, I guess, as to how they would “turn out,” I kept these pieces, rather than discard them

The apple slice was lying flat on my kitchen window sill, the turnip pieces in a tiny dish. For the “portrait session”, I placed the face on a little plate stand and reversed it for the second round. It is the same slice presented in two different views.

The texture of the dried apple slice brings back memories of the Apple Dolls that were popular and the one I made during the same time period. If you have never seen an Apple Doll, AppleDolls.org, features them and shows you how to make one.

I was surprised to discover that the turnip pieces turned “rock” hard, reminiscent of the avocado pit cuttings we turned into “beads” years ago when I taught Art in an elementary school.

SELF-REFLECTING QUERIES -
The images and experiences in today’s photographs can be viewed as representational of our lives, demonstrating that transformations are multi-dimensional and can be quite long-lasting, often in unexpected ways.

What in your life, in your memory bank, has taken an unexpected turn and left you with something for which you can acknowledge yourself? Perhaps it would forward you to simply make a list of some of the memorable things in your life.

And, to complete the circle on where we started – the humor in the apple face – look around you. What can you find that will put a smile on your face? It may be require something as simple as picking something up, turning it over or “reframing” it… putting it in a different “environment”, in the same way that the apple slice became a “pedestal” piece.

As always, have fun with these queries.

OPPORTUNITIES for creative activities -
For the writers among you, or wanna-be poets, I suggest downloading the complimentary Artella eBook, Writing the Carousel: Going Full Circle in Colorful Poetry Writing! It includes a progression of exercises that will help you uncover the surprising “turns” of phrases that make poetry effective, and then come full circle by using them in bold, colorful ways.

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Vidalia onion with stem attached to peel

Vidalia onion peel with stem peel

Vidalia onion bulb nestled against half of the peeled layer

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos
Vidalia onion, with focus on the stem – Top photo is the stem of the layer of the onion just peeled, still attached to the main stem. I like the cheerful, playful feeling of this image.

The middle photo shows the completion of the peeling of that layer, both stem and onion layer 5. I’m drawn in by the thinness of the stem peel with the rest of the layer.

For the lower photo, I placed what remained of the onion, nestling it against half of the layer just peeled away. I include this image because of the feeling of love and contentment it exudes.

The Story –
In the last issue of Picture to Ponder, I featured photos of this Vidalia onion with the patterns of spores that had formed under the fine skin. In that issue, after going into the whole history of this particular Vidalia onion, I committed to continuing to photograph the process and post on this Photography and Transformation blog. It was not my intention to continue the story in any other issues of Picture to Ponder.

Then I got really excited when I discovered that the stem also has layers. They are actually an integral part of each of the layers of the onion. Wow. What a revelation! (Tongue in cheek here.) So I began to include the peeling of the stem as part of the process and documentation.

I found myself enjoying the art of what was developing. In the second photo on the blog post Art in the Dance of the Vidalia Onion Stem Layers , it felt like the layers of the stem were dancing.

Given the intrigue, to me, as well as the continuing beauty of the onion as it was being revealed, I wanted to be sure that you, too, had the opportunity to experince this. Thus I am featuring this Vidalia, one more time, in Picture to Ponder.

Note – My curiosity had me check my refrigerator (onions kept there don’t generate tears when peeled) to see what stems on other onions look like. “Why hadn’t I paid attention to them in previous peelings?” It appears, on others that I currently have, that the stems have been almost completely cut off before purchasing.

So I went a little further and did some “Googling.” I found one site commented that onion stems are short. Now I wonder if that varies with the Vidalia. I did a couple of more searches and decided I need to finish here, with no more distractions.

Once last comment, though, on the stem of our featured Vidalia onion. If you check out the blog and go to earlier posts, you can see in the first photos that the stem was almost folded in half. As I peeled away the layers it became erect.

I wonder, again, “Is there a message there that we can take into and relate to our own lives?”

Today’s Self-Reflecting Queries

Today, I invite you to look into your life to see:

1. Are there portions of your life, or yourself, which you have been ignoring, not paying any attention to, either in physical appearance or inner aspects? If you see something, spend some time with it, perhaps even in writing.

Pay attention. What great things can you uncover about yourself as you peel away what you just found?

2. Now do the same exercise with someone else, or something, important in your life. Similar to last week’s question, is something you have consciously been ignoring, something which may have importance simply because you’ve made a judgment on appearance.

Or, perhaps more importantly, with observation, can you find something you’ve never noticed before about the person or situation?

3. Lastly, is there a place in your life where you’d like to be standing more erect, figuratively or in actuality? If so, what will it take to switch your “posture.”

As always, have fun with these queries and this week also remember to look for something in what you discover that brings a smile to your face!

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Art in the Dance of the Vidalia Onion Stem layers

November 8, 2008

 

Queenly in appearance before disrobing
In order to peel the onion layers, I had to create a slit around the top before slicing into to the next layer to open it up to separate it. I then decided that I wanted to pull away the stem and discovered that it was layered also, each being [...]

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Vidalia Onion – Indentations Layer 3

November 7, 2008

Indentations where spores at into thick layer of onion.

Peeling away the attacked layer reveals shiny, smooth clear body. Signs of the “attack” or ravaging are barely visible. Note that this layer has a very thin segment, visible top right. Then observe how thick the rest of the layer is, lower right.

The onion stem, [...]

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Under the Skin of a Vidalia Onion – Picture to Ponder – Vol. 4-Issue 41

November 5, 2008

Today’s Picture to Ponder Photos
Vidalia Onion, which after sitting on a counter for two months started showing deterioration under the paper-thin outer skin.
The top photo has somewhat of a perky, “look-at-me” appearance, as it “poses” with the curl of the outside layer atop its body.
Initially I responded to the center photograph as being [...]

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Vidalia Vidalia Onion Starts a New Chapter of Transformation and Observing Life

November 4, 2008

Vidalia Onion, purchased on August 23, 2008 – Photographed on October 28, 2008

A week later – 11/3/08
In the beginning of August I posted my first photograph of a red onion which after the second day became the story, “Peeling Away the Layers of an Onion, Akin to Peeling Away the Layers of Ourselves.” You [...]

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