Photos (III)
It is that time again where I wanted to share a few photos from my camera. I must confess that those pictures are pretty similar to one another. As it is painfully obvious from the collage, I did not leave the house for any of these. My mother is hating me right now. Don’t get me wrong, I did leave my room to take a photo from the cherry blossoms but that is pretty much it. As mentioned, my mother is not pleased. I swear my mother will only be happy when I run a marathon every day or something along those lines.
The reason I share these pictures is not that they look good or anything. Honestly, I think they are barely adequate (probably because I spent so much time to capture, choose and edit these pictures until they got on my nerves. After zooming in on the pictures during editing, I can only shake my head in dismay because it is a detailed disaster. Don’t get me started on the quality.) I share these pictures simply because I can and because I just want to attempt to write something different. Something more heartfelt than hard facts. Just trying to have a bit of fun with it and maybe attempt to explain to myself what I was thinking with these pictures because my logical self has no idea what the creative part did or wanted to do. She did something and this just turned out. Maybe writing will help me understand. I don’t know.
To my surprise, this photo collection is the first collection that actually may have a theme. Breaking my long proud three-time history of pictures not having a theme. I am still not sure if this is an event worthy of a celebration or not since, I just broke tradition. At the same time, I broke a tradition. I am torn. Nevertheless, all these pictures have a more or less nature theme. Technically, depends on how one sees it because buildings are not natural but the main focal point should be the natured themed. I digress. Without further ado let the explanations and thinking begin.
First, a little bit to this picture. I just like how photogenic this pigeon was in comparison to the rest of the bunch. I also like how the branches just surround the pigeon in the centre. Without zooming in on the branches I would have never found that pigeon. To my surprise, the quality of the image is still adequate even though that bird was at least twenty-five meters away on a tall tree.
On my first few attempts, I did not manage to focus on the bird but instead, I always focused on the branches instead. The pictures of the branches look nice but that is certainly not the reason I wanted to take those pictures. It is partially my fault because I refused to leave my room to take these pictures. At the time, I know that the pigeons will fly away if I got close so either way it would not have worked out.
The next day, I gave the pigeons another shot. This is when I learned my second lesson. Unlike trees, skies and teddy bears, they actually move. A lot. And unlike humans, you can´t tell pigeon to stop moving or pose. You just can only work with what the pigeons decide they want to do. It was a low point in my life where I let pigeons decide what I could do. I never thought I will be that crazy lady who will be shouting at pigeons this early on in my life but here we are.
After looking for the right bird in the right position, I finally managed to capture some pictures of some birds on some branches without capturing movement or focusing on the wrong things. It was an annoying afternoon. However, I can´t say that I regret taking pictures of pigeons because it is better than studying. Honestly, I am even a bit proud of some of these pictures. They are a dime in a dozen. Literally. I took so many pictures and only got four halfway decent ones.
While taking pictures of pigeons I also found these birds on the branches. I just thought the melancholy monotony would look nice. Turns out I am not mistaken. However, I am a bit annoyed by the second bird. The first bird is somewhat in the centre but the second one is blended into the trees once I made that picture black and white. Nevertheless, I still find this picture somewhat nice to a certain extent because the birds are somewhat being nicely framed by the branches around them. Now I am regretting not using the vintage effect to make the centre lighter and edges darker to make the frame more obvious.
This photo was taken on a rainy day. Or a sunny one. I honestly have no idea if it was a sunny day first before it turned into a clouded one or vice versa. Either way, I found this interesting. It just looks as if the sky is opening up or closing down. Thanks to the houses below, it just seems like a zipper opening or closing. Sounds a bit childish, I am fully aware of that fact but it just looks like it and I don’t want to describe it in any other way. I mean describing it as a curtain opening or closing would work as well but I just don’t think it looks like a curtain. It looks more like a blanket. I digress. The colour of the sky also makes it seems like a glimmer of hope in very dark times. In my interpretation, I would even go as far as saying that the curve like shape of the dark clouds, just looks like it is slowly going away instead of closing down on that colourful sky. As mentioned, I just found it interesting. First I did not know clouds could do that. Second, it is just fun to see that every dark day has its ray of sunshine. Or vice versa I am not sure. I guess it is up to anyone’s interpretation.
This is a picture where I just played around. I am not proud of the fact that the sun was this blinding, making parts of the tree look invisible in this picture but the sunset colour gradient just looks so nice in my opinion. The fact that it rained prior to this photo only makes it look better because the trees and the streets are reflecting the sunlight. To a certain extent, I took away the same message from this picture as I did from the previous picture. There is always sun after rain. Always light at the end of the tunnel. A destination at the end of a gruelling journey. Somehow I wish my younger self could learn those messages. That everything would turn out just fine. However, I would never expect my younger self to understand something my present self does not really grasp.
A quick fact about that bell tower. I hate it. Just the constant ringing of the bells every morning, lunchtime, evening, every single day is annoying, to put it mildly. Funnily, the timing of the ringing does not make sense at all. First time… seven am. Excessively early in my opinion but just early enough to give me a headache. Second time at twelve in the afternoon because clocks no longer exist and there has to be a reminder of the time. Third time… seven pm. Just when one thinks it is all over then comes the seven-thirty bell which rings for seven minutes straight. I certainly don’t understand why it is ringing at seven-thirty out of all the times it could be ringing. Don’t get me started on the other times, the bells start ringing. On every special occasion such as Sunday church, weddings or funerals. The constant loud ringing of the bells is pounding and distracting. Never above 100 decibels so I can sue but always loud enough to mess with my mind. For the fact that that bell tower is such a pain in the arse, I am just glad it at the very least is good for something. My tiny little feud with that, not animate bell tower did not stop me from taking pictures of it. It is also the only thing outside my window not giving me much of a choice. I digress. My point is that bell towers are annoying but makes for a good centrepiece.
It is always a pleasant surprise to see the sunset in the evening. After a stressful day, it is just nice to look out the window and see this colourful masterpiece painted in the sky. The best part about sunsets is the fact that they are ever-changing. Each picture I took looked different even though only a second has passed between the takings of each picture. It has always been hard for me to choose just one picture of the sunset when there are so many great ones. Another thing I love about sunsets is the colours. Colours where I thought they would never go together, go together perfectly in sunsets.
Honestly, I am a bit obsessed with leafless branches and beautiful sunsets. That is the only reasons I wanted to share this picture. I somehow just love the colour scheme of the sky and the silhouettes of trees.
Cherry blossoms are amongst the flowers that I adore. Mainly for their beauty and simplicity. What I did not know however is the fact that my parents have some in the garden. Don’t get me wrong, I did know those trees are in the garden but I always thought that those were apple trees. Turns out, I was wrong and those trees also carry short-lived cherry blossoms before the apple season. The sad thing about all this is that I only found out about those cherry blossoms on those cherry blossoms apple trees a week before they withered. I made plans to take more pictures of those flowers but the weather was miserable and the cherry blossoms perished when the weather was finally nicer. It was a bit depressing to see something so beautiful decay. However, it is the circle of life and honestly, I don’t think cherry blossoms would be one of my favourite flowers if not for their seasonality. I believe I take the sight of other more mundane flowers for granted and therefore never appreciate their beauty. If cherry blossoms are more common and not limited to one season only, then I would probably get sick of them soon as well. Sounds a bit cruel but that is just how my mind works.
In all honesty, I don’t only like the cherry blossoms for their beauty and simplicity but I also like them for all the things they mean to me. For me, cherry blossoms represent the arrival of spring and inadvertently the arrival of my birthday that I became to dread. Most importantly, cherry blossoms just remind me of home. I have no idea why but it just does, which leaves this nostalgic longing feeling in my gut every time I see them. Not only that but they remind me of the beauty of that place I used to call home. A keepsake of all the cherished memories of my childhood. To a certain extent, just the sight of cherry blossoms is calming for reasons I can´t explain. Reasons beyond my comprehension. Therefore, taking pictures of those cherry blossoms was so important to me. The reason why I was devastated to find them withered on the ground. Cherry blossoms will always carry a sentimental value behind their beauty. A small piece from home in another country.
This picture also shows me how certain things can go together. For example, green and pink. Never thought that those two colours would fit together. On other cherry blossoms trees, there normally are not a lot of green. It just came as a pleasant surprise that green and pink can fit so nicely together. Or maybe I am just a bit biased.
All my pictures are available for download. Just follow the link below:
https://pixabay.com/users/aureliajh-18994837/
More pictures will come soon.