Low Spirits - a photo on Flickriver

Low Spirits

            Barely six weeks since I discovered this autumn tableau and already it feels like a year. This was back in the warm and fuzzy part of autumn with picturesque foliage and a sense of softness in the air. That's one reason I lingered at scenes like this, and actually spent considerable time seeking them out. This phase is just so fleeting you really have to push hard to avoid squandering it. At this point in the year, it's as if the curtain of sensitivity has been jerked back to reveal a barren landscape illuminated by the harsh glare of the solstice sun, and even that only if you're lucky. Most days are soaked with an impenetrable overcast that persists for the feeble nine or so hours of daylight we receive now. I don't mean any of this as complaint; each season brings its own aura, and I've grown very adept at rolling with the punches. Photographically speaking, the opportunities of changing seasons are endless. With autumn photos, it's often difficult to resist the temptation to project them in richly saturated colors. Sometimes that works better than others. Here I felt color actually detracted from the scene. Color wasn't needed here to convey the season; it's clearly an autumn shot. In fact the leaves seemed secondary to my feelings as I took in the scene. As I stood here my mind was acutely aware of the sense of family I sensed. Not the first time this has happened viewing a family plot. The cornerstone of these is usually a central and prominent 'family' stone that bears the surname, but does not actually represent a grave. That stone is surrounded by smaller markers at the graves of the individual family members. It's difficult to shake the mental image of the family in life, seated together perhaps at a dining table. And now arrayed here, in death, but still together. Another year gone by, amply represented by the fallen leaves and blackened stones. The seasons just keep changing.
   

Taken on: November 2, 2018

Tags:

transition

life cycle

returning

texture

autumn

bleak

dreary

grim

stark

fleeting

energy

atmosphere

eternal

family

searching

imagination

life

death

love

living

sharing

separation

legacy

glimmer

memorial

memories

past

history

childhood

passage

bonding « less

Groups appears in: • Graves, Tombs And Cemeteries

Camera: Nikon D7000, f/8.0, 1/125 sec, 82mm (=123mm), ISO 500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7000
Lens:	18.0-200.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Focal Length:	82mm (35mm equivalent: 123mm)
ISO:	500
Exposure Bias:	+1 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CC (Macintosh)
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