Underlying mysteries
by Mark ~ July 13th, 2008. Filed under: abstracts, nature photography, philosophy, rock, wonder.
Rocks on a beach – all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors that we tend to look at simply for their outward appearance. I have a piece of this special Jasper I wrote about below – on the outside, it looks like a rather ordinary rock. . Not much different than one of those pictured in this pile. . But on the inside, it is an amazing transformation into swirling patterns and a magical record of millions of years of history.
I have been thinking about the superficial relationship many people have with their environment and its various elements lately. . Our visual interpretations can often be misleading. How much do we really truly understand what’s on the inside before making judgments?. . Do we want to crack a rock open to see what is on the inside, or simply take it for its outward appearance?. Is the appearance on the outside really telling the whole story?
As with many other things, with the more time we spend looking deeper, the more mysteries are revealed. . This is often a direct function of our own personal interest in any particular subject. Sometimes what is inside isn’t much of a surprise. In other instances, it may be completely amazing This mystery is part of what fuels the passion of many photographers Pointing out details that are often overlooked fuels the motivation behind my own work. Digging deeper, looking closer, and sometimes cracking one or two open to see what is on the inside is often worth the time and effort.
July 13th, 2008 at
For me it’s interactive. Once I started taking photos of the world around me, I noticed more about it. The more I notice, the more I find to take pictures of.
July 15th, 2008 at
Mark, this brought back great memories. When I was a little girl, my family lived in Arizona. We’d often take a road off the beaten path and hike along a dry river bed, where we’d find some amazing rocks. Big, ugly gray rocks. My dad would haul them home and we’d stand back while he covered one at a time with a towel, then hammer away until they broke open.
He opened thundereggs, and inside were beautiful, smooth agates in various colors. He didn’t just hammer, either; he told us about the importance of looking inside people and finding something special there–the way God looks inside us to see what makes us tick.
Thanks for a thoughtful post. It inspired me this morning!
July 15th, 2008 at
Thank you for yet another inspiring post. Thanks to you and Photo Buffet, I look forward to swinging a hammer in the near future.
July 16th, 2008 at
Beautiful image Mark, and your thoughts ring so true, nice post !
July 17th, 2008 at
Super…
July 18th, 2008 at
When I was reading that I couldn’t help but also relate it to our relationships with other people. Greats post make people think, not just read – well done.
Also love the turtle image that is one of the rotating header images, very surreal looks like he is floating in space
July 19th, 2008 at
There is beauty everywhere you look, really. Inside, outside, up, down. Photography is a way of allowing our eyes to explore.
July 20th, 2008 at
I started doing photography in the first place because I can see the beauty with in things and figured I would have a good eye for showing other people these thigns as well.
Thankfully Ive been pretty sucessfull. Ive always been a sort of nature freak lol, ya know, everything about nature, the seasons, animals, the sky, sunsets etc. It has always made me feel at ease.
Im one of those people that could sit in the middle of no where for hours on end, and the silence wouldnt even bother them
July 24th, 2008 at
Beautiful image Mark. You make a great point. The wonderful thing about nature photography is being able to highlight the often overlooked beauty around us. The day to day rush so many of us face inevitably blinds us to the natural wonders around us. Here’s to the endless pursuit of rediscovery and beauty.