Creative Exploring
If you take a walk along the bay near Bayfront Park, look out for a well hidden treasure – a rock garden pond complete with mini bridge, water-lillies and lots of trees and plants.
It’s very relaxing and tranquil and if there’s a spare bench why not sit and chill a while.
Location
Today, let’s walk in the footsteps of masters like Ansel Adams and focus on landscape photography.
Landscapes generally focus on wide, vast depictions of nature and all of its elements, from formations to weather. In this genre of photography, you won’t find much of a human presence: nature itself is the subject.
Some photos are significant not because of what’s depicted, but because of the mood they create. They communicate an idea that transcends the actual subject of the image.
Here’s a photo that conveys a sense of mystery. Can you tell what it is?
In case you need a clue – it’s an Alligator lurking just below the water – it was extremely large and very close. It’s very well camouflaged against the stones and quiet. He had swam up close without me even realizing.
Let’s move on shall we 🙂
Day 4 of the Photo101 challenge is to show an image that represents Bliss.
What is your idea of bliss? Is it an image of your family, laughing at the dinner table? A state of total relaxation, while lying on the beach? Your latest painting, drying on the canvas?
In this picture I am relaxing under the palm trees looking over the bay after a cycle – bliss.
WATER – A source of life. A place of recreation. A calming presence, but also a destructive force.
We have different relationships to and stories about water: how it has saved or defeated us. How it reminds us of family vacations, outdoor adventures, or the hot summers of our childhood. How it might also symbolize a place we’ve left behind, or a location we dream to go.
Here are a couple of pictures depicting life on the ocean wave. Being near the water is relaxing, fun and invigorating.
World Water Day is an annual celebration whereby each year it highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. This year’s event falls on March 22nd 2015 so mark it in your diary.
How I personally drink water has changed over the years. Growing up in the 70s/80s I don’t think I ever saw the classic plastic bottle of water you can readily pick up at every store today. We used to just fill our glass from the tap and we were ready to go. I remember taking drinks to school in my beaker, with probably a dash of Robinsons Barley Water added for interest but that was it. I don’t remember thinking that the water tasted of chlorine or smelt strange but as I’ve grown older I began falling into the trap of grabbing bottled water when out and about and even adding the larger bottles into the fridge.
After much research and lots of taste tests I ended up with a favorite bottled water and if you are caught short on your travels and want to stay hydrated, then I can recommend my tried and tested water tipple of choice was Highland Spring. It just tasted fresh and clean and would quench my thirst. It was an easy to drink water.
What do I mean by “easy to drink”? Well, have you ever had water that actually feels heavy and thick in your mouth and you could almost chew the water? I know that sounds daft and if you haven’t experienced that sensation I hope you never do, but most tap waters will make you feel like you’re swallowing something super gloopy. Take notice the next time you take a drink from the tap, you may be surprised by the heaviness?
Now maybe I have ultra sensitive tastebuds but the other thing I’ve noticed is a really strong smell and taste of chlorine in water these days. Now maybe I just pick up on smells really easily but I don’t think so. The added chlorine also adds to the mouth drying effect that water can have which is the complete polar opposite of why you were drinking it in the first place! With heavy chlorinated water I feel I have to drink more but never really get to the thirst quenching experience.
Water quality is also very dependent on where you live so you may experience the things I’ve mentioned here as well as other elements that affect water quality. When I lived in London the chlorine taste was very apparent but now I live in Florida I can also taste the chlorine so it pretty much seems standard wherever you live. There is an alternative to get back to great tasting water, save money in the process and remove those unwanted chemicals and pollutants that have crept into the humble glass of H2O without ever having to resort to buying expensive bottled water again.
