Saturday, September 11, 2010

opposites attract



How are you reflected in what you choose to photograph? What glimpses of yourself do you offer to the world, even when you're not actually in the photograph?  Do you ever find yourself drawn in two directions at once?  Given the choice of opposites, how do you reveal yourself?

Are you:
Ocean or lake?  (Salty? Fresh?)
Sky or canyon? (Stormy? Deep?)
Valley or mountaintop? (Verdant? Breathtaking?)
Countryside or cityscape? (Moonlight? Neon?)

Today, I'm drawn to both the beach and the city.  In my photo, I am millions of golden-silver lights reflected on the September sea.  And dotintime is an endless indigo cloud-filled sky reflected on a busy city street.  Seemingly opposites, they're really  just two unique reflections of the same skies above.

What words describe you and your photographs?  Do you find polarities in your images?   Leave us a comment and tell us what's reflected back when you look at yourself through your camera's eye. 

clouds
clouds by dotintime
__________________________


Oh, and one last thing.  To encourage you to share a bit about yourself in the comments and answer the question I posed above, let's entice you with a giveaway!


Leave a comment here or post a comment on our facebook page and you will be eligible to win a lovely copy of The Sea Day By Day by renowned marine photographer Philip Plisson.  The book, published by Abrams in 2003, features 365 of his photographs depicting the sea in all its many moods. 

Here's the fine print:  You must be a follower of the Mortal Muses blog to win.  Comment here or on facebook by midnight on Monday, September 13th.  The winner will be determined at random and announced by Michel on Wednesday, September 15th.

Until next time.

--lucy

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fabulous images!
I love the sudden impact or impression an image gives when the subject matter is close up but for me what is in the background is equally just as important whether blurred or in focus. A whole story, event, or feelings emotions can change based on what comes into focus for me.
So thinking my polarities would be called “near and far”.

blue elephant photography said...

oh my the sea photo is absolutely beautiful! and i love the photo that went with it of the reflection of the sky too =) my polarities i think is focused or blurry, i find my state of mind like this sometime lol and my photos i like them to look this way sometimes too

Kirstin said...

Oh Lucy! Both of these pictures are sublime. And i love your word prompts!

Angie Willis said...

This wonderful picture makes me think of a time when I broke my mother's cherished pearl necklace. I spent so much time crawling about on my stomach to find them all! I just love this - it sparkles and makes me feel happy.

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

I love the bokeh and sparkles of your photo. I would have to say for my opposites, they would have to be earth and sky. I love taking closeups of things on the ground but there is also something great about getting the "whole picture" as well.

Jamie said...

Lovely images! I'm still trying to find who am I behind the camera. So far my images seem to reflect my eclectic life. Part country, small town girl with a dash of city mix together with lots of travel. I'm drawn to photograph things that are broken down, old or rusty one day and lovely flowers and lush green the next.

AmyBean said...

I like most of my shots to be simple, intensely focused, and balanced. I am drawn to clarity and light, peace and center. I find that my photography reflects my personality -- I am intensely drawn to lovely details and often lose sight of the big picture. I can't mentally process a lovely wide landscape, and I've found that in the same token I have never been able to take a good wide landscape shot. But that's just not what I do, and it's ok. Somebody has to look out for the details. :)

Elizabeth Crocker said...

I would love that book! The sea is my favorite place, always changing, and always beautiful!

Unknown said...

what a wonderful giveaway.....I would love to win...

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal said...

I would have to say my polarities are the wide open skies with it's every changing clouds and the close ups of the details of all the things below.

roseannadana photography said...

Inspiring photos of shimmer and reflection and the promise of a lovely book.....
I can spend all day looking for a wonderful rusty object or something very abstract but when a person comes along they fill the void. The human or animal touch, something in the eyes is as exciting to me and the inanimate object fades in comparison.

Anonymous said...

My attention to detail is reflected in my photos. As a writer/editor, I seldom miss the comma splice, the misspelled word, or the poorly composed sentence. Likewise, with my camera, I find and record the sunlight on my baby's face, the worn spot on an old typewriter's space bar, and the intricate pattern of a doily crocheted by my mom. When the million-and-one responsibilities of life as a homeschooling mother of six distract me, though, I miss the details and settle for the quickly composed, sloppy shot. Those photos are also a reflection of me.

Maureen said...

That is one amazing beach shot. Reminds me of champagne, golden bubbly & sparkly. As I am far away from the beach, I am partial to photos of beautiful endless blue skies, what an eye to capture that shot of the sky.
♥maureen

Megan Belcher said...

Thank you so much for this wonderful prompt... I posted about it here ~ http://megula.blogspot.com/2010/09/through-looking-glass.html

Cindy said...

wow, i absolutely love that first image. the ocean looks like diamonds. the second one is fantastic, too. i live in the city, but love to visit beach towns, so this pairing really resonates with me.

i love to find at least two views of a subject or create diptychs with images that contrast. i'm still looking for that personal reflection and it's a journey i'm happy to be on.

sara said...

Your photos are beautiful, but the clouds in the car window really chimed with me because that's my personality and the theme I seem to strive to capture most...man interacting at some level with nature. A stop sign in the middle of a forest. A cloudy sky reflected in a car window. The ocean with a tiny boat afloat on it. But it's all good. I'm with AmyBean, someone's gotta do what each of us do!

Kelly Warren said...

wow, gorgeous shots. I'd have to say, I'm ocean, sky, mountaintop and cityscape. I've lived less than 45 minutes from the beach my entire life and the sea is by far my first love. now following your blog!

Creatissimo said...

These are superb! (PS: I love your blog and the photographs are always fantastic)! Lots of inspiration indeed!

Unknown said...

beautiful shot here. would love to win this book. the series of reflections shots have really been inspiring.

aclamp said...

such beauty found in both shots. there are tons of amazing submissions for this theme...i don't envy anyone to find their faves :)

Unknown said...

Thanks to everyone for sharing a bit of themselves here. So wonderful to know more about you and your creative process.

Michel will announce the winner of the book Wednesday morning, September 15th.

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