Wordless Wednesday

Milkweed seedhead, Image: Su Leslie, 2017. Edited with Snapseed and Stackables.

 

Imagining a past for the cabin by the river

Slightly sinister? Abandoned cabin, Waikato River at Aka Aka. Image: Su Leslie, 2017. Edited with Snapseed.

In our travels recently, the Big T and I discovered an abandoned cabin, floating on pontoons in marshland on the edge of the Waikato River. Some windows are boarded up, and others broken, but the cabin doesn’t look at though it’s been long abandoned.

It sits a short way from the end of a narrow country road, just visible from the road. A walking track leads toward the river and passes close by the cabin; floating slightly crookedly on its pontoons.

I’d love to know the story behind this little building, but will probably have to content myself  imagining stories about it; re-editing the image to change the content and mood of my stories.

Forlorn and long abandoned? Cabin floating in marshland, Waikato River at Aka Aka. Image: Su Leslie, 2017. Edited with Snapseed and Stackables.

Slightly more gothic? A winter’s tale of loss and disillusionment. Cabin, Waikato River at Aka Aka. Image: Su Leslie, 2017. Edited with Snapseed and Stackables.

All in the artist’s mind? Or remembrance of a long-gone childhood haunt? Abandoned cabin on the Waikato River at Aka Aka. Image: Su Leslie, 2017. Edited with Snapseed and PhotoLab.

This week’s brief for Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge is to experiment with photo-editing and processing.

You can find out more about the challenges at Lens and Pens by Sally.

 

 

Six Word Saturday: fading until just the memory remains

Sweet peas brought by a friend. I’m reluctant to throw them away. Image: Su Leslie, 2017

DP Photo Challenge: Shine, take 2

Double-exposure. Late afternoon sun shining through the trees. Image: Su Leslie, 2016. Edited with Snapseed and Fused.

Photography is all about light; about capturing how and where, and the intensity with which it shines.

In the montages here, two shots of the same view are overlaid. The first shot was in focus, showing trees silhouetted against the sky. The second shot was out of focus, reducing the image to blob and bokeh.

The difference between the two montages is largely an effect of the intensity of the light electronically shone in the editing process.

Double-exposure. Late afternoon sunlight through the trees. Image: Su Leslie, 2016. Edited with Snapseed and Fused.

Shared as a contribution to the  Daily Post Photo Challenge. This week’s theme is shine.

 

Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: mind the cognitive gap

Edited with Snapseed, Stackables, Fused and Pixlr. Su Leslie, 2016

During a storm last week I noticed a single leaf stuck to my office window. I took a couple of photos; one capturing the condensation on the window as well.

I’ve been messing around with both images; trying out different filters, and double exposures in a couple of Apps (Pixlr and Fused).

Double-exposure; leaf on glass. Edited with Snapseed, Fused, and Pixlr. Su Leslie, 2016

While I’ve enjoyed playing with the various tools, I’ve also felt some frustration at the results. I know from experience that my learning always proceeds like this; initial enthusiasm followed by a period of confusion and frustration as my abilities don’t match my expectations.

Double-exposure; leaf on glass. Edited with Snapseed, Fused, and Pixlr. Su Leslie, 2016

Generally, reflection and time away from the problem help me process what I’ve learned, figure out what what’s bothering me and, if I’m lucky, work out what to do next.

This stop-start, round-about process of learning and assimilating used to really stress me. I thought I was the only person who wasn’t “getting it” in a straightforward, linear way.

Then a few years ago I did a degree in library science and discovered there is a whole literature on how people find and process information. What I’m doing — what we’re all doing — is sense-making. Odd how naming something legitimates it!

Edited with Snapseed and Stackables. Su Leslie, 2016

As for my leaf. In the end, while I like the colours and textures of some edits, I really just prefer the pared-back shot above. What do you think?

This week for Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge (at Lens and Pens by Sally) the focus is on editing and processing.

PS: The post’s title references Professor Brenda Dervin’s work on sense-making — and of course the wonderful London Transport public service announcements.