Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Creekside

It was the contrasts of this place that drew me to make this shot. The stillness of the shroud of snow vs the bubbling activity of the small stream. The warmth of the creek bed vs the cold starkness of the winter landscape around it. The falling snow cast about by the whim of the winter breeze vs the purposeful path of the flowing waters.

Life is that way. Full of contrasts. Makes for an interesting picture.

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Photograph © 2008 James Jordan.

9 comments:

HeyJules said...

I love the way you pulled the focus to the foreground by darkening and blurring the background - that is really interesting! Did you also change part of the photo to b&w or is that just my imagination?

Anonymous said...

Heyjules, thanks. Much of the background darkened as a result of it receding away into the deeper part of the woods, although I did tweak it a little as well as added the gaussian blur. The color was not touched. The snow effectively made everything but the creek itself black and white!

Wanda said...

Oh I swear I saw the snow melting and the water moving....that is so real...beautiful. And I love that passage from Eccles.

Anthony said...

I agree with wanda, the text is great. The shot, though, is beyond words!

You do great work.

Pleased to include you in the newest edition of Surfer's Paradise, a special Blog Village only edition.

I hope the link serves you well.

Unknown said...

Lovely shot.
I'm in Chicago so we're almost neighbors.

Otto K. said...

Beautiful, James.

Anonymous said...

Really nice photo, I love it! :)

Anonymous said...

Well done photo - except now Im cold lol. I like the post and the poem....

Andree said...

I enjoy this photo for all the reasons spoken of above. But what really impresses me is the water: it is not black. When my brooks thawed, the water was black no matter what i did. This is a beautiful photo. My Lens Day — Wet is here.