Shaking off the Rust

Whatever your medium, if you've been away from it for a few weeks, the first days are going to be clumsy and fruitless. But things get easier as the rust falls away. The ideas come more smoothly. The hands on the instrument, the fingers at the keyboard, the eye at the easel respond in sync to the urgings of your mind and heart. You are fit and gleaming. You can't wait to attack your work.

- Twyla Tharp in The Creative Habit

Those of you who subscribe to my newsletter will recognize this quote. In the last newsletter, I talked about how rusty I am, not really photographing anything since my move back to the US. That all changed yesterday, when I took my camera out to explore my sister's little town of Carbondale, Colorado.

I may not be fit yet, but I'm getting back in shape. It's amazing how quickly the rust falls away, when you get back to doing something you love and have invested time learning. I found many interesting scenes to capture, and I could tell I saw things that I never would have seen two years ago.

Over the next few days I'll share a few images of repeating patterns I found in Carbondale, since that's the Exploring with a Camera theme right now. If you are ever in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado, between Glenwood Springs and Aspen, stop in this little town. It's worth a visit.

PS - Today is the last day of the One Life 2011 Photography Contest. Will you come vote for me one last time? 

By Candlelight

One of the things that I love about Italy is how restaurants look. It's completely normal to have tablecloths, wine glasses, cloth napkins and candles on the table. It's just the way things are done. Any self-respecting sit down restaurant will have a nice table presentation, like this one on a back street in Venice, inviting customers to stay.

It makes meals here in Italy feel special for me, since growing up the only time I saw these things on the table were either going out to a really fancy restaurant (where we were dressed up and had to be on our BEST behavior) or a very special dinner at home. Mom's china, my grandmother's silver, cloth napkins and candlelight. Those are the things that dress up a table to me.

When is the last time you ate by candlelight? Just that one little thing, a candle burning on the table, can make a normal meal a little bit magical. Try it out and see.

Today's prompt for 9 Muses Musing is CANDLE. Tomorrow's is SNOWFLAKE. Have you been playing along?

Six Days of Night: Lucerne

Night is a wonderful time to catch little details, illuminated with soft light. In wandering around Lucerne one evening, I saw this waterfront restaurant, tables set up for the night. Candlelight is a wonderful source of nighttime illumination. A simple candle on a table transforms the scene, giving warmth to the black and white color scheme.

Reflections of light in water are also one of my favorite things at night, I am always drawn to town waterfronts. It seems many people are too, as waterfronts are often places lined with restaurants and benches, foot bridges and plazas. The chapel bridge in Lucerne is fun to photograph any time of day, with it's long lines, flowers and repeating patterns. But at night, add in the reflected light in the water and it is something special. In this image, I like how the blue of the sky is reflected in the water, giving an overall blue contrast for the lights.

Are you enjoying the "Six Days of Night" so far? I am! I can't believe we're already halfway through. I wonder what town will be next? Join me tomorrow to find out!

Real Life Still Life

Everyday, we walk by countless places that people live in, work in, shop in, play in. We don't even see these places most of the time, they are just part of the background noise of our every day lives. The good thing about travel is that it makes you more aware of what's around you, you are open, receptive and seeking. You are actively seeing what is someone else's background noise, what they don't even notice anymore. The little details of real life that are fantastic still life compositions, if we just notice them.

This real life still life was found in a back alley in Murten, Switzerland. My son and I were wandering around the town on our guidebook walking tour, and I caught this flash of blue in the corner of my eye. Not one to miss out on a possible color photo opportunity, we headed down the alley to investigate and found this wonderful little place, where someone had clearly set this scene up with artistic intent. I loved taking pictures here, but this is my favorite of them all, because it just shows the whole scene as created by the artist.

How many people do you think see this, being tucked into a back alley? How many of those people don't even notice it anymore, as part of the background noise in their everday life? It's a good thought to ponder as we go through our everyday. See if you can find a real life still life, accidental or intentional, in your background noise. You don't have to take a picture, just notice it. It takes active looking, an awareness that requires to you be in the moment. You can't be thinking about where you are going, what tasks you need to get done next.

I think you might find it a refreshing, positive experience. And you may find you enjoy the places you go, the things you see every day, just a little bit more. Let me know how it goes.

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So excited, today is my first post over at Mortal Muses! We are currently musing on Reflections. You all know that's a favorite subject of mine. :)  And come back tomorrow for a new Exploring with a Camera -  I can't wait to share it with you! It's a good week, all around.