Fountain, Curves, Concrete, Water

Fountain

Water is beyond my mind,

flowing fluidly over the lip of

the fountain and splashing

into the pond beneath, over

and over.

Sunlight plays too, sparkling

in each small drop

and wave.

My mind swims

in the wet dance

and my body softens

and sways.

Sedona

November 29, 2021

As you can see, this photo doesn't include the usual upper part of the fountain where the water flows down. Why? It would look like a photo of a fountain. I made this photo because it captures the wetness of the fountain - its blue water, its bubbles, and and the day's sunbeams playing in it. There's also a nice interplay of the cool blue curve of the fountain's base and the warm brown concrete of the patio.

As you can see from many of my images, I love to look at things at a distance that's in between a close-up and the normal visual distance that we see the world through. In this way, I find a fresh way to see and experience what's around me. The mind likes to label things, and shooting the whole fountain would lead our minds to think, "Oh, it's a nice fountain" rather than noticing the interplay of water, sunlight, concrete, curves, and bubbles.

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If this kind of photography attracts you, you can begin by noticing your surroundings and seeing them as colors, patterns, shapes, shadows, and light, rather than a thing with a label. Here's an example:

This is a pull tab from a mailer that I saw on our kitchen table. I loved the interplay of its curly-cues, its shadows, and the warm grain of the wood. Would (wood) I print this image and hang it on a wall, the way I would with a picture of the fountain? Probably not. It's not really "art" in the sense that many people gravitate toward. I just took this photo to recognize and celebrate this small instance of sculpture and light.

Lastly, I'll put in a plug for taking your cell-phone camera seriously as a camera, since it's almost always with you. As the saying goes, "the best camera is the one you have with you." My sense is that Apple in particular makes a special effort to produce iPhone cameras with the highest quality they reasonably can.