Saturday Evening Post: #38 “I accept what is offered”

Posted in Saturday Evening Post

Been a wet stormy day in our neighborhood.

So, I settled into the window seat, with a nice hot cuppa, a few good books, and watched the clouds chase one another across the sky.

First stop was T S Eliot “Ash-Wednesday”,
I rejoice that things are as they are

And another from Lao Tze,
“I am a guest in this world, delighted by my host’s generosity, I accept what is offered”.

A week back EE and I had set out on a very bright sunny morning to go to Point Cook Coastal Park to look for Flame Robins.

Did I mention sunny, oh, yes, it looked like a treat.  But by the time we had arrived on the ground, a huge grey cloud could be seen over the horizon and coming in our direction.  Within a few minutes a thick sea-mist had set in.  And with no breeze, it just hung in the air.

We found some robins, but the lack of light and the difficulty of getting close enough to get a clean shot meant that our time was severely limited to a few records of the birds at work.

One of my mentors used to talk of the two major influencers on a photograph.  The Elements, and the Intent.

Elements are easy. They are the ‘things’ and the camera settings we choose.  The Intent is what am I trying to say. What will the view perceive and what is the best way to approach and arrange the elements.

And what better way to challenge those opportunities that the use of the mist to eliminate all the unnecessary and concentrate on the intent.
As I’d not bothered to bring a smaller lens, out came the iPhone and a bit of a look about soon revealed some panoramic opportunities.  (I’ve talked here before about my fascination with the wide-wide view and really appreciate the simplicity of the phone’s pano feature).

The old gate was an obvious choice and I enjoyed the wrestle to find the right framing, and the best backdrop.

And I came across a small pine seedling struggling to exist on an old log of its previous generations. (Lao Tze would be impressed).

Here is how it looked, and here is a link to the final on Flickr.

Enjoy

One of my first options
What I really wanted was the old gateway to dominate the frame

 

And the first look at the seedling at work

And here is a link to the final that I shared on Flickr.

 

The eternal struggle for life

10 thoughts on “Saturday Evening Post: #38 “I accept what is offered””

  1. G’day David,
    Yes, that’s what we do: acceptance. My motto isn’t from Lao Tze but someone more contemporary, yet definitely influenced by The Master “I cannot choose the best. The best chooses me” wrote Rabindranath Tagore in his Stray Birds collection of thoughts.
    I’ve admired your photography of the pine seedling on Flickr – now the gate and the story complete the picture. Have a great Sunday.

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    1. Hi Adam,
      Thanks for the headsup on RT, I found an online copy of the poems, and really thougth this one fitted my day.
      “I Sit at my window this morning where the world like a passer-by stops for a moment, nods to me and goes”

      Made me smile.

      Regards
      DJ

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  2. It was a challenging day. Great to read and see the story behind the image seen on Flickr. Well done!
    It looks sunny, albeit a little cool out there this morning.

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  5. Great use of mist David, and an interesting photo. The fog yesterday in the city made the icons of Sydney quite spooky, giving them some interesting vistas, though it was gone by the time I went in. Have a great weekend and stay warm!

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    1. Afternoon AB,
      I used to work in Sydney, and can well remember those amazing foggy mornings when the tallest buildings grew out of the mist like some prehistoric creature waving its head. And with a touch of sunshine on them the feeling of life and growth gave a most intruiging feel.
      All good.

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