Relatively Small People

People are so important to the "life" of an image.
Even when a person plays a relatively small part in the overall scene our eye is drawn there first.

This time exposure was done at the Cathedral in Chartres, France.  Every Friday afternoon the chairs and pews are moved aside to reveal the labyrinth pattern on the stone floor.  People of  many faiths and denominations come from around the world to walk this ancient pilgrim path in quiet meditation and prayer, many barefoot on the cold stone for a tactile sense of where they are.  This engages the memory of the place in a unique and lasting way.  This link http://www.labyrinthonline.com/chartres.html gives an informative and unique perspective on the practice which is experiencing a revival of interest and popularity in the Western world.

In spite of all the clutter the eye is drawn immediately to the leaning figure.  There is a sense that everything is happening around him even though it is apparent that nothing is happening because of him.  I find that, although he is not moving, there is a sense that movement is imminent.

How interesting would this beach scene be without the blue umbrella?  Now... Imagine this scene without the person underneath the umbrella?  Your mind would presuppose a person belonging to the scene.  Your eye would seek them out. 

I love that real life is happening in this shot.  Housekeeping brings a sense of the mundane to the romance of  Naples, Italy.  Such scenes inspire me to always seek out the romance in the mundane in my own hometown as well.  Don't save the photographer's eye for special occassions and locations.  Allow every place and time to captivate you.

These lions outside the opera house in Palermo should dominate the photgraph but, again, the eye is drawn immediately to the couple reading the mapbook.  I found myself thinking for them.  "OK.  We're here.  Where to next?"

People

People make the best subjects for photography.
Unfortunately those willing to submit to the lens without a substantial fee are as rare and furtive as bush babies.  { bush_hultongetty_160415s.jpg  in case you're wondering }

Here are a few people caught in the act of real life.



    This is an available light shot I had imagined for years.
    I was finally able to capture the moment while construction was taking place
in the boiler room of my own apartment complex. 
My advice?  Always have your camera by your side
and, if you want to keep life interesting, never ever use the front door.

I love shooting in Europe. 

Southern Italy and Sicily in particular. 

The streets team with real life moments day and night. 

This busker scene in Messina had it all. 

Expression, colour, cobblestones and even a dog.

This couldn't have worked out better if I had set it up.  And the shot begged for black & white treatment.  Double click on the image for a closer look.  And, by the way, the puppies were free to good homes.

           

This is on the site of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

http://www.yadvashem.org/

A plain clothes soldier accompanies every local school bus tour to the site.

He is waiting outside the memorial for the group he is charged with protecting.

At peace and in repose yet always prepared to defend,

this moment was, for me, a part of the monument

and a part of Israel and what it stands for.

Street art, and street artists always captivate me. 

Haste combined with attention to detail

produces an intensity that elevates the artistic merit

of these often magnificent yet always transient works.

The constant juxtaposition of the ancient with everyday life 

is probably what fires the imagination of most North American travellers

and inevitably draws us back to our "roots" in the Old World.

 

A homeless person approaches an oncoming "fashionista" who's body language appears to express discomfort.  I won't say where this was taken.  It could be any urban centre on the globe.

One of the best French language instruction sites around.

If you are planning a trip to Quebec or Paris anytime soon

or just want to brush up on your language skills

this site is a great resource.

http://francaisdebutants.wordpress.com/

Its operated by a fellow

who's command of the French language

impresses even the most fastidious of native-speakers.

Helpful links to other resources in included.

Sometimes you ride it.

Sometimes it catches you by surpise.

There's always another wave.

So far this season has been either wet and mild or cold and dry.

You've been looking at the untouched shovel by the back door and breathing a sigh of relief.

But the memory of crisp, calm moments like these

reminds us that we really don't mind winter all that much.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

This site is a work in progress.
As time allows I will be adding photographs; some new, some not so new as well as a few words on whatever has crossed my mind or stirred me to pick up a pen (figuratively speaking) at that particular time.

To anyone who passes this way, welcome.
Feel free to add a few thoughts of your own if you are so inclined.

                       Rob