30 Days of Perception: 21 - 30

Day 21: Reciprocal
"Hello little leaf, said I, you've found the perfect soft place to land! If I floated down from a tree, I would certainly look for a flowery landing!"
I just know that nature loves to be noticed and spoken too! An exchange takes place.

Day 21: Reciprocal
Whenever I walk along, especially on well-known paths, I connect with all the things I see. This rusting fence is a great favourite throughout all seasons when the scene changes accordingly. I say hello and run my hand along the rungs as I take in the changing scene. 
I feel that whenever I take notice of something, or someone, a silent exchange takes place. There is always a feeling of give and take.

Day 22: Silence and Stillness
I feel silence and stillness the best when I'm in nature, preferably in the presence of trees. they emanate serenity.

Day 23: Contrast
I love textures and colours and this capture expresses the contrast between them both. Even the soft netting plays a role in texture. 

Day 23: Contrast
Back to the park and away from the city's streets to be in nature and to seek out contrasts.
 I liked the contrast of colours of the bright pink of the chrysanthemums and the golden yellow of the Ginkgo leaves.
The contrast between the softness of the flowers and the grey granite steps leading up to another part of the park. We can also see a grassy slope covered in leaves and beyond that, 
a small slice of the pathway above.
Contrasts are what give a scene impact and presence and very often harmony.
 I like them very much.

Day 24: Patterns
Pattern perception, inspired by the natural world around us. Patterns are everywhere both in nature, in our bodies and in our behaviour. There's something reassuring about patterns, they give a feeling of equilibrium and inner harmony which can be seen in this sea-shell.

Day 25: Depth
A single bird sits on the crane. Beyond the city, the clouds part to reveal blue skies and gorgeous fresh snow on the surrounding mountains!
I love being able to see clear views of the horizon. It makes me feel uncluttered inside and free and encourages deep, slow breathing which is very calming. Such a view takes clears all the little thought forms from twirling inside my head! I feel renewed from head to toe and I have touched on the essential of existence!

Day 26: Rhythm
There is definite rhythm in the way the tiny black seeds are place in the pods, but also in the random way the seed pods seem to have fallen. It makes me think of jazz music!
As someone said to me: "seed-pod jazz!"

Day 26: Rhythm
When I look at the curves in these tablecloths, I see rhythm in the repeated curved shapes
like a slow dance with a sway to it!

Day 27: Change
This is a difficult challenge since the weather is uniform grey. The best I could do was to show photos taken through my kitchen window at different times of the day:
 Morning, noon and at night with the lights on in the building opposite mine.
These are the changes of lighting throughout the day.

Day 28: Wonder
I always wonder how leaves arrange themselves so gracefully when they fall from a tree. This particular one landed between two different patterns as if to draw attention to itself. It did! Wondrous!
I don't need a stunning sunset to feel a sense of wonder. The simplest of scenes all around me fill my heart with joy!

Day 28: Wonder
Seeing the eternal, infinite nature of everything around me.
When we truly see, we experience the spark of wonder that makes us connect.
I took this photo of the waxing moon early in the morning before it was really daylight.

Day 29: Interdependence
Whenever I prepare a meal or eat a fruit. I think about which country grows that food, how it grows and in which season. 
How dependent we are on the elements necessary to produce our food like: the quality of the soil, the rain and the sunshine. Then there are the people who harvest our food and the markets that sell the fresh produce. I am certainly grateful for all these different stages and feel a connection to each step and to the countries and the people
 which enables me to cook a delicious, healthy and tasty meal.
Just on one plate, I have pasta and Parmesan cheese from Italy, Chickpeas from Africa or Asia, Greek olives and vegetables from Switzerland and Spain. The basil topping comes from my own homegrown plant.
We are all interconnected and interdependent on each other.

The Italian pasta dish is called 'Cinque Pi' (Five Ps)
That means that the pasta sauce is made up of five elements beginning with the letter P:
Pomodoro (tomato)
Panna (cream)
Parmigiano (Parmesan cheese)
Pepe (pepper)
Pressemolo (parsley)

Day 30: Wholeness
When I think of the word 'Wholeness', I think of everything that surrounds me and that is part of my world: 
the sky, the clouds, the sunrise and sunset, the trees and the flowers, the buildings and everything I see that is part of me.
I am aware of all that and how I feel connected to all I see and experience.

Photography develops my awareness. It allows me to see things beyond simply looking.

***
This is the last part of the online course with Kim Manley Ort

30 Days of Perception: 11 - 20

Day 11 : Ditch the story
Enjoying the shapes, colour, textures and patterns
before I try to work out and analyse what I'm looking at.

Day 11: Ditch the story
Something so small, yet still worthy of my attention as I passed this rusty fence.
I paused in my walk to see what was there
and just looked and appreciated the simplicity of it all before my mind kicked in
to invent a story.

Day 12: Overlooked
From above I could see tiny raindrops glistening on one of the fir tree branches,
I bent down to see them better and was glad that I took the trouble to do this.
There are many things we may overlook when we do not take the time.

Day 12: Overlooked
Walking up the hill to go shopping.
I slowed my step to see how the fallen leaves were giving my shadow
an autumn design.

Day 13: Ground
I often look down when out walking as there is much to be seen.
I was particularly joyful to see the beautiful leaves catching the afternoon sunshine.

Day 13: Ground
After the sun disappeared, I returned home after my walk and saw what beautiful 
patterns had been created by the paving stones and the randomly fallen leaves.

Day 14: Space
This was a very unusual type of photo for me to take.
To give a feeling of space, it was suggested that we put our camera on manual settings
to create an intentional blur with a feeling of space.
This represents a stretch of grass in front of the building below mine.
We can just see a vague outline of the entrance.

Day 15: Periphery
We often focus on a subject which is very near to us
and yet out of the corner of our eye we take in the scene further afield.
I loved taking this photo of the beautiful autumn plantations down at the park
and could see the winding path to one side, inviting me to walk further.

Day 15: Periphery
When I go down to the park, I love to take photos of this fountain.
I particularly noticed the surrounding area in autumn colours.

Day 16: In-between
I pass the boxwood hedge every time I walk downtown
and on this particular day, a very luminous yellow leaf, caught between the branches,
popped out to say hello!

Day 16: In-between
I captured this in-between two pillars
as I watched the lights being put on the Christmas tree by a man on a special lift!

Day 17: Perspective
 The close-up of the train and the window reflections and then being pulled forward into the image by the leading line of the white foot barrier and then by the train itself. The strip of blue of the sky forms an arrow shape with the line on the platform.

Day 18: Subtle
The metallic road cover with a modern design had been decorated
delicately and subtly by fallen leaves in the late afternoon sun.

Day 18: Subtle.
The soft reflections on the window pane of the vegetation made
me slow down and stop on my walk.

Day 19:  Curious and Compassionate
When I follow the life cycle of a leaf from bud to decomposition after they fall from the trees onto the earth, or into water, where they slowly disintegrate. I feel compassion for the beautiful leaf at all stages of its life and growth and death which is a simple reminder of our own life seasons as we journey through life from the time of our own birth. There is beauty in all the stages of life, both in nature and in all of us.
This images tells me to embrace the change and all seasons!

Day 20: The field
My field of vision at this particular moment is my window in the evening.
It's getting dark outside and I have lit many small candles
to give a warm cosy atmosphere.
By focusing on the crocheted snowflake, I have created a soft blur with the candle flames.

30 Days of Perception: 1-10

Day 1 - Light
Noticing how the light also creates shadows and the beauty of it all.

Day 2 - Hear
The rustling of the leaves

I like to hear the reassuring homely sound of the tick-tock of my clock 
and when it chimes on the hour.

Day 3 - Smell
The sweet aroma of a candle to which I have added some Rose Geranium essential oil.

The wonderful smell of home-baking.

Day 4 - Touch
The petals of the Edelweiss flower are extremely soft to the touch,
as soft as velvet or cotton wool.
The tiny seed buds are firm, but when they open up, like the one on the right,
they are as soft and as fluffy as dandelion seeds.

Day 5 - Taste
The taste of a fine wine savoured slowly.

The taste of salt on my lips at the seaside.

Day 6 - Movement
A boat moving through the churning water as it moves forward
and the flying flag in the wind.

Water is a fine example of something that is often in movement
like these soft waves at sunset.

Day 7 - Intuition
Walking in my neighbourhood without a fixed destination,
just meandering intuitively where my legs carry me.
This single seedpod comes into my line of vision.

This single leaf wedged in a wooden fence which draws my attention to texture
and simplicity.

Day 8 - Emotions
It was raining and when it rains, I connect to nature very closely and with emotion.

Day 9 - Colour
For me, colour is one of the most important and well-loved element in photography.
I love to capture it. 
It makes me happy and fills me with positive energy.
In my home and in my life, colour is extremely important.
It plays a huge part in my well-being.

This pink Poinsettia plant 
Is a perfect happy colour for me!

Day 10 - Slow down
When I slow down, my breathing becomes calmer, I become aware. I visualize myself as a floating leaf in calm waters without wanting to be anything else at all.

***

I'm following an online course with Kim Manley Ort

Each day during the month of November, we get a new prompt.
I like these prompts which are so closely connected to our senses and make me
slow down and become more aware of all that is around me.

It's All About the Leaves

The flames of red Maple adorn the autumn sky.

The first three weeks of October were wonderful.
The temperatures moderate, the sunshine abundant and the leaves, well, out of this world!

The Beech Trees showed us their burnished leaves
and offered their Beech nuts to the earth below.

Golden tones rejoiced all my senses

The late afternoon sunshine illuminated this leaf on a picnic table in the park in my neighbourhood.

American Oak capturing the sunlight.

Blowing in the wind and ready to fall and create carpets of leaves.

This house, so prettily decorated with leaves and green shutters.

Late afternoon golden sunlight creating poetic shadows on walls.

Shady spots glowing with a feel of deep red velvet.

Red berries glisten, tempting the birds.

As we approached November, the much-needed rains came.

The atmosphere changed and some grey skies came to remind us that autumn was getting serious.

Blue skies and sunshine were more rare, but still we could glimpse the light
when we took the time to go on walks.

Catching the luminosity of the moment.

Although the overhanging leaves and seed pods are still green,
I think this is my favourite photo taken very recently.
It makes me think of an opening to a mysterious pathway that I would like to discover.
I shall use it as my header photo for the month of November!