bump the table

i have a friend who used to shoot photographs for martha stewart magazine. he told me this story from working there. he said the team would spend hours setting up and styling a shoot, getting everything just so–a holiday table setting for example. then they would call in the creative director for final approval before they started photographing. the creative director would come into the studio, quietly assess the work of his team, then very deliberately bump the table with his hip, and only then declare “okay, now we’re ready”.  i love that story. so, now, almost every time i make a tightly composed STILL image, i will shoot a few photos of the tight composition. then i will very deliberately bump the table. and take a couple more photos. most of the time i stick with the first composition. but every now and then, the second one delights in a surprising way. yesterday i did that with the tiger lily wreath. i got this confetti as a result.  i like both. how about you?

dried tiger lily petals

little solar flares

the last truly hot days are behind us now, so we have officially entered autumn. this year, it happened to line up exactly with the autumnal equinox. a coincidence more than anything else. as per usual, i get a little panicky when we transition seasons. did i capture enough of summer? did i make the most of all that abundance? remember, winter is long here in the north. one can only photograph winter twigs and stems for so long. get out there. capture it while you still can. gather. press. dry. winter is coming…sush, i say to my inner critic. let me be. i am trying to live in the moment. i will deal with february in february. meanwhile, the squirrels are burying nuts and the wood ducks are gorging on acorns. my critic doubles down: ask that zen squirrel or that laid-back wood duck about living in the moment. you are a fool. living in the moment is for those lucky enough to live in temperate climates. you live in the north. now, put on a sweater and get out there and gather enough to get  you through winter. go. get off the computer. go.

dried tiger lily petals

3×3

i do most of my gathering while i am walking the dog. i like to let the dog run off-leash as much as possible. which means i do a lot of leash management–on the leash, off the leash, on the leash, off the leash–with every passer by.  in other words, i usually have my hands full with just the dog. so, i tend to focus my foraging efforts on smaller items i can stick in my pockets. or my empty coffee mug. these nine fall fruits were especially fun to suss out. and my starbucks iced latte mug a perfect gathering basket.

happy autumnal equinox all!

keeping it simple

i don’t really have that much going on at the moment. but it feels like there is lot of stuff going on around me. lots of family and friends in various transitions and crises. so, i am picking up on their worries and anxieties. as a result, i am feeling a need to keep my own space, both mental and physical, as simple and uncluttered as possible. three smooth beach rocks in a row simple.

lake superior beach rocks

contemplating the spiral

the spiral is a symbol of nature’s grace in growth, expansion, and renewal. it is also a symbol of order amidst chaos. the spiral vortex, as found in whirlpools in water and in the double helix structure of the DNA molecule — just two of myriad examples — is nature’s favoured form for the transmission of its energy, both economically and efficaciously, radiating out and drawing in simultaneously, infinitely and eternally.

a little zen meditation for you this morning.