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Not many words in this blog but, now and then, a few of my photographs--
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- P. J. Grath
- Blogger, bookseller, philosopher, amateur photographer, lifetime writer. Negligent but passionate gardener. Good cook when inspired. No kind of housekeeper at all. Very big reader!
Here I am, leaving the first comment on my own new blog. Is that cheating? I showed the page to David, and his only comment was that the photograph looked bleached out. Too light. David and I usually agree on what does and doesn't look good, but not always. In this case (obviously I like the image or I wouldn't have posted it here), the light is one of the things that pleases me most. It was so bright coming in the window of the henhouse, creating that bright patch on the hen's back, streaking down through the air behind her, and making the hay bale look almost iced. The almost monochromatic color palette pleases me, too. There is only the smallest touch of red on the chicken's head; otherwise, everything is brown, yellow, white. The wall has, to me, an almost antique look. I'm also happy with the simple composition.
ReplyDeleteThere, I've pleaded my case. What does anyone else like or not like about this photograph?
The first thing I see is the blue! (My eyes? My monitor? My imagination?) I think there's a certain melancholy, almost as if the chicken is a prisoner looking longingly up at the barred window. Um, methinks the critic always tells more about herself than about the subject.
ReplyDeleteI think this photograph looks like a 19th century oil painting - and, judging by this first posting, it demonstrates a leap forward in your techniques from capturing documentary style images to 'art'.
ReplyDeleteBlue the color or metaphorical blue, Gerry? You think the bird looks appreHENsive? (Sorry! Couldn't resist!) Various birds seemed to enjoy taking turns on the bale, sometimes two at a time. I imagined they were playing "Queen of the Mountain."
ReplyDeleteJessica, you're seeing what I saw in this image--the similarity to an old painting, that is. I look at the wall and think 'patina.'
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Really, I see blue, a lavendar sort of blue. In the chicken's shadow, in the downy feathers at the base of the plumes, on top of the head.
ReplyDeleteNaturally the physical blueness puts me in mind of metaphorical blue, too, but I really do "see" the blue. So . . . what do we see when we "see"? Now we have a metaphysical question, too. Naptime.
You have a very subtle eye, Gerry. An eye for subtlety, that is. Today's new post looks green to me, Does it to you? I'll add that I wasn't sure the fiddlehead deserved posting on this blog, but my sister was sick of looking for something new and finding the "damn chicken"!
ReplyDeleteOh my! You started a new blog! I absolutely love this photo. It looks like a painting. Very artistic. The chicken is a huge success. Can't wait to see more!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. I'm starting to wonder, though, if I set the bar too high for myself. How will I ever find in my photographs even one a week to equal the beauty of the chicken?
ReplyDeleteThe fiddlehead is Definitely Green.
ReplyDelete