I have a feeling you saw all sorts of things, and these are the ones you chose to show now. What a wild coincidence (though you could easily convince me it was no coincidence) that you saw the second two scenes and photographed them. You packed a lot into three images. Looking forward to more from outskirts.
Thanks Lynn. The truth is that these three images were pretty much the whole shoot. I was biking to the supermarket to pick up some groceries and took a detour which went by some industrial and recycling plants. The trees in the bottom two scenes were a few feet from each other, such that I only had to turn about 90 degrees and frame much tighter to get the last shot.
As for the regular route to the grocery store, it’s pretty much a wide, nondescript street consisting of stand-alone businesses on one side, and a giant strip mall on the opposite side, once one crosses the river. I’ve been there several times by now and any photo possibilities have eluded me so far. Is that due to my failings as a photographer or the soul-killing nature of these environments?
Probably both :)
Oh, I forgot one image, “Raindrop Shadows on a Hyundai Dashboard,” (https://pixetera.co/#jp-carousel-15208) that was taken in that strip mall parking lot while waiting for the rain to stop.
I can see that now, about the two trees. I wasn’t paying close attention, because I assumed the two shots were taken at different places. Paraphrasing Linda in another comment, it is all about having a practiced eye, an eye that can find things even in soul-destroying environments. Your eye is adept at that, and I know by the look of the handsome architecture in a recent post that you’re surrounded by a variety of environments, not just the dreary ones. And you’ll find interesting compositions everywhere.
I think what I have to figure out is how to get beyond the postcard snapshot in very pretty places. There are satisfyingly rough places here too, but the abundance of scenic prettiness – it’s a puzzle, how to photograph it. A good challenge though.
I think I feel the same way about handsome architecture as you do about beautiful nature scenes. More often than not, I’m more interested in the “aha” experience that comes from images representing a fresh way of seeing than those which confirm what we already know.
Between the very informative background info you provide with your photos, the thematic grouping of different subjects, and your wonderful eye, Lynn, I’d say you’ve been pretty much up to the challenge of “scenic prettiness.”
Damn – hit delte by mistake, there went my reply….anyway, I think you put it well above,with “the “aha” experience that comes from images representing a fresh way of seeing than those which confirm what we already know.”
Thanks for your encouragement. I think of John Todaro at times like yesterday, when I was at a powerful beach full of steep cliffs, huge logs, gorgeous views….and I know he’d do great things with that scenery. I just need to work on it. And please do post a few photos of those handsome old buildings, if you can sneak them into a scene. ;-)
Pixetera 
Wonderful set of images, Alan. I’m really taken by that first one, too!
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Thanks Ken. One of my first photographic expeditions into West Springfield :)
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I have a feeling you saw all sorts of things, and these are the ones you chose to show now. What a wild coincidence (though you could easily convince me it was no coincidence) that you saw the second two scenes and photographed them. You packed a lot into three images. Looking forward to more from outskirts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lynn. The truth is that these three images were pretty much the whole shoot. I was biking to the supermarket to pick up some groceries and took a detour which went by some industrial and recycling plants. The trees in the bottom two scenes were a few feet from each other, such that I only had to turn about 90 degrees and frame much tighter to get the last shot.
As for the regular route to the grocery store, it’s pretty much a wide, nondescript street consisting of stand-alone businesses on one side, and a giant strip mall on the opposite side, once one crosses the river. I’ve been there several times by now and any photo possibilities have eluded me so far. Is that due to my failings as a photographer or the soul-killing nature of these environments?
Probably both :)
Oh, I forgot one image, “Raindrop Shadows on a Hyundai Dashboard,” (https://pixetera.co/#jp-carousel-15208) that was taken in that strip mall parking lot while waiting for the rain to stop.
LikeLike
I can see that now, about the two trees. I wasn’t paying close attention, because I assumed the two shots were taken at different places. Paraphrasing Linda in another comment, it is all about having a practiced eye, an eye that can find things even in soul-destroying environments. Your eye is adept at that, and I know by the look of the handsome architecture in a recent post that you’re surrounded by a variety of environments, not just the dreary ones. And you’ll find interesting compositions everywhere.
I think what I have to figure out is how to get beyond the postcard snapshot in very pretty places. There are satisfyingly rough places here too, but the abundance of scenic prettiness – it’s a puzzle, how to photograph it. A good challenge though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think I feel the same way about handsome architecture as you do about beautiful nature scenes. More often than not, I’m more interested in the “aha” experience that comes from images representing a fresh way of seeing than those which confirm what we already know.
Between the very informative background info you provide with your photos, the thematic grouping of different subjects, and your wonderful eye, Lynn, I’d say you’ve been pretty much up to the challenge of “scenic prettiness.”
LikeLike
Damn – hit delte by mistake, there went my reply….anyway, I think you put it well above,with “the “aha” experience that comes from images representing a fresh way of seeing than those which confirm what we already know.”
Thanks for your encouragement. I think of John Todaro at times like yesterday, when I was at a powerful beach full of steep cliffs, huge logs, gorgeous views….and I know he’d do great things with that scenery. I just need to work on it. And please do post a few photos of those handsome old buildings, if you can sneak them into a scene. ;-)
LikeLike