Swamp Angel

Lighting far the pale fright of the faces,
And downward the coming is seen;
Then the rush, and the burst, and the havoc,
And wails and shrieks between.
It comes like the thief in the gloaming;
It comes, and none may foretell
The place of the coming—the glaring;
They live in a sleepless spell
That wizens, and withers, and whitens;
It ages the young, and the bloom
Of the maiden is ashes of roses—
The Swamp Angel broods in his gloom.

－Herman Melville, excerpted from the poem The Swamp Angel

“Swamp Angel”, Fujifilm X-T1, ISO 200, f/11 at 1/30th sec., 116.1 mm

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earl harris photography
Photographing people, places, pets and ponderings
throughout Central Florida.

Blue Angel

“Even when muddy your wings sparkle bright wonders that heal broken worlds.”
― Aberjhani, The River of Winged Dreams

“Blue Angel”, Fujifilm X-T1, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/180th sec., 135 mm

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earl harris photography
Photographing people, places, pets and ponderings
throughout Central Florida.

A Dark Lamp

“In a dark time the eye begins to see.” – Theodore Roethke

I won’t bore you with my blathering today, but you’ll want to be sure to stop by again tomorrow. I’ll be giving away a free garish and ghoulish hi-res Halloween desktop wallpaper download I put together… But don’t be frightened! 🙂

“Dark Lamp”, Nikon D800, ISO 320, f/2.8 at 1/4000 sec., 50 mm

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Another Day

The heart doth recognise thee,
Alone, alone! The heart doth smell thee sweet,
Doth view thee fair, doth judge thee most complete,—
Though seeing now those changes that disguise thee.
— Elizabeth Barrett Browning, A Dead Rose

Today’s photo is one I shot downtown earlier this year, but hadn’t gotten around to editing until just recently. This is one of those cases where I knew exactly how I wanted to process the photo or, rather, how I wanted it to look once it was processed. More precisely still, I had a good idea of what I wanted the photo to communicate, paired with a stanza of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s beautiful, reflective poem, A Dead Rose.

“Another Day”, Nikon D800, ISO 320, f/1.8 at 1/6400 sec., 50 mm

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Yaksha

Yaksha: What is the most wonderful thing?
Yudhisthira: The most wonderful thing is that even though every day one sees countless living entities dying, he still acts and thinks as if he will live forever.
—Mahabharata

Today’s photo continues the series I initiated yesterday from my visit to the local Buddhist monastery. This Thai yaksha, or yak, is one of two such figures standing in front of the Buddhist Theravada Temple on the grounds of Kissimmee’s Wat Florida Dhammaram. The yaksha are giant mythological guardians whose job is to keep away evil spirits.

“Yaksha”, Nikon D800, ISO 250, f/8 at 1/160 sec., 210mm

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Photographing people, places, pets and ponderings
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Many of the photos on my blog are now offered on Etsy.

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Michelle

“Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.”
— Charlotte Whitton

I chose today’s photo from my library in acknowledgement of reconnecting with a former Utah coworker and friend, who also happens to be a fellow photo enthusiast. I can’t say exactly why — and I hope she’s not offended by this — I feel like this photo and its colors somehow suit her. The quote certainly fits, as I often found her smiling face to be the sun that blotted out the shadow that was behind her.

I hope you enjoy the photo.

“Michelle”, Nikon D800, ISO 800 f/10 at 1/200sec., 300mm

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Stumps of History

“The unrecorded past is none other than our old friend, the tree in the primeval forest which fell without being heard.”
— Barbara Tuchman

I couldn’t help but imagine how different this place must have been when a tree occupied the space where there is now only a stump. It’s cooling shade most likely comforted hot and weary workers and animals. I can imagine a tire swing suspended by a rope hanging from the lower branches, that swing occupying for many hours the attention and energy of those too young to help with the work but too old to need a mother’s constant care. I think of the birds, squirrels and other creatures that must have found shelter in that tree either temporarily or as a home for a lifetime. What is now a stump once supported, nourished and enhanced life. Although the present quickly passes, what’s past is present.

“Stumps of History”, Nikon D800, ISO 640, f/13 at 1/1000 sec., 58mm
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Idol Hope

“Whatever controls us is our lord. The person who seeks power is controlled by power. The person who seeks acceptance is controlled by acceptance. We do not control ourselves. We are controlled by the lord of our lives.”
― Rebecca Manley Pippert, Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World

“Idol Hope”, Nikon D800, ISO 200, f/8 at 1/125 sec., 78mm
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Photographing people, places, pets and ponderings.

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Wickham Park Pavilion, 3701 Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL

Best Friend

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”
—Proverbs 12:10 (NIV)

Someone glued angel wings onto the back of this dog figurine before placing it at the grave of their loved one. I liked the way this particular token of remembrance provides a glimpse of the character of the person at rest here. I couldn’t help but find significance in the dog’s upward gaze toward the heavens. I look that direction a lot, too.

“Best Friend”, Nikon D800, ISO 320, f/2.8 at 1/4000 sec., 28mm
Click the image to view larger size and available print options.

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Photographing people, places, pets and ponderings.
Booking family, personal, business and pet portrait sittings throughout Central Florida

All of Me

“These wounds won’t seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There’s just too much that time cannot erase”
— Evanescence, My Immortal

As you can see, I spent some time at the local cemetery again, pondering and perusing the grave decorations. I came upon a few decorations I wanted to photograph for inclusion in my series A Grave Image, and will share those in my next few posts. There is something oddly cathartic for me in the making of these images; something that makes losing James take on a broader context among so many other monuments and tokens commemorating life, friendship and undying love. I find community and understanding in these visual testimonies placed here by fellow members of the fraternity of grief into which I’ve been involuntarily swept up and irrevocably indoctrinated.

I’m pretty happy with the way this turned out. She seemed to take on a life of her own during post-processing and the final image emerged without any forethought of creative intent on my part. I hope you like it.

“The Third Angel”, Nikon D800, ISO 320, f/2.8 at 1/2500 sec., 28mm
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Photographing people, places, pets and ponderings.
Booking family, personal, business and pet portrait sittings throughout Central Florida