I am working on a week long photography and poetry challenge inspired by a prompt from Poets & Writers called Excavating the Mind.
Day 6 notes and observations
Levi was not excited about our adventure this morning, so I left the door open and set out. Today, the light was beautiful. The glittering dew on the grass instantly caught my eye and inspired me to turn off the automatic focus on my camera.
I was drawn to the long shadows across the lawn and started thinking about the dramatic interplay of light and shadow. My hunt began. Levi joined me on a search for exciting contrasts.
Searching out shadows, my morning quickly became intense. It’s fascinating how some long shadows can turn a simple curve in the road into a dramatic scene.
While capturing the break in color on a long stem, I noticed the light coming through the thick bushes behind it and thought about focusing on the light instead of the subject. This led my adventure in a fun direction (and to my favorite image of the day).
When I arrived at this discovery in my adventure, I realized I needed my notebook, so I ran back into the house and found Max staring at me. A reminder not to leave the door open: You never know what might wander in. Max is another of my neighbor’s cats. He joined Levi and me on the rest of our journey of observation.
Immersed in observing light and shadow, I noticed how light paints leaf-shadows on the house, lilacs on Mom’s mural, and abstracts on the grass.
I especially like this simple line:
Notes:
- the light is great today!
- sometimes it’s fun to not be in focus
- focusing on the light behind an object can make a fun picture
- What? There’s a Max in my house
- It appears that Levi has started posing for me, knowing my theme
There you have it, Day 6’s pictures and observations. For fun, I recommend looking through your photos for dramatic shadows and jotting down notes about feeling and mood. If you don’t have any dramatic photos, try getting up early on a clear day to get that slanted, bright light.
Experience Writing 