Category: Macro/Closeup

And that my friends is, as they say, a wrap. I hate to quit when it seems the world needs these moments of beauty more than ever. But, in truth, I need a break and my new puppy is demanding my full attention. I will be back to the weekly format next weekend. Until then, may you walk in beauty.

I was excited to see that a photographer I follow was quoting John O’Donohue in his weekly blog this week. So, I thought I would end with the very apt passage that he shared:

The beauty of the earth is a constant play of light and dark, visible and invisible. We perceive and participate in that beauty through the interplay of senses and spirit. Our senses are lanterns that illuminate the world. Beauty is never simply in the mind alone. Beauty awakens for us through what we hear, touch, taste, scent and see. The great traditions have always recognized that beauty is a mysterious presence. Beauty envelops the heart and mind. In beauty’s presence there is no longer any separation between thought and senses, between heart and soul. Indeed the experience of beauty confirms the intricate harmony and creative tension of senses and thought. Without the senses we could never know beauty. Without thought, beauty would seem transient and illusory.

 

I was working on photographing this chive with it’s fellows out of focus in the background when the bee just happened along.

From John O’Donohue:

Beauty awakens the soul, yet it is never simply ethereal. Beauty offers a profound psychological and indeed mystical invitation. The dream of beauty is the self drawn forth to its furthest awakening, where the senses and the soul are utterly alive and yet in a harmony, brimming with presence.

I went back to the rose garden this morning to practice the double exposure technique on some roses. This one was my favorite.

From John O’Donohue:

The beauty of the Earth is a constant play of light and dark, visible and invisible.

Here is another dreamy hydrangea for you.

From John O’Donohue:

Beauty is substance and is never present merely as a naive apparition in the vicinity of things.

One of the new techniques I learned in my workshop was an in camera double exposure, one in focus and one completely out of focus to create a dreamy misty look. This is one of my first attempts.  Hope you enjoy.

From John O’Donohue:

The beauty of the imagination is that it can discover such magnificent vastness inside a tiny space.

And the last from the rose garden. The dancing petals of a rose in decline. 

I’m hoping I’m not repeating myself with the John O’Donohue quotes as I run through the book for a second time. I may not have marked all the ones I used before but they are still meaningful and, well, beautiful. For today:

The Beauty of the earth is the first beauty, millions of years before us the earth lived in wild elegance.

Hardly know what I’m going to do with myself now that my photography class is over. Oh, wait, I have a new puppy who requires 24/7 attention. Of course, he’s been asleep since noon but I still have to pay attention in case he wakes up!

From John O’Donohue:

In order to be more attentive to beauty, we need to rediscover the art of reverence.