Friday, June 29

Spanish Moss

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Meaning-making has become a collective thing. Truth is consensus. Problem is that we now live in a world of different whirls of consensuses... Um, izzat a word?

Old fashioned - I like my truths when they come with some wrinkles and jowls. I want them tested over more than the latest news cycle. I want them dressed nicer than any given rap or rock group. And it's good when they have the patina of endurance.

There's a feeling of comfort in peering at a grand old truth nestled among bundles of swaying moss - dangling from ancient oaks. Wisdom is not a monopoly of the elderly. But cautious analysis, is frequently found in mature places. And perhaps that's where we get our understanding of elegance?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Picturewise: I enjoy the colors, the summer and the cozy feeling of being hidden but still able to see. However, I feel a bit crushed by the moss.

Textwise: I couldn't agree more. (How many exclamation marks do I have to make here?) I wish I was able to phrase it like that... Oh well, English is only me 2nd language, so at least I have an excuse...

Ted said...

Our eyes have funny memories.

Have you noticed that they adjust to almost any image and very quickly make it appear normal? What I mean is that the moss in this image as I over worked it... looked fine to my eye after a moment or two of acclimatization. My eyes lied. They told me, "Yeah Ted, that looks good. That looks natural. Do that!"

And yet, when I just brought this image up... WHOA! That moss is WAAAAAY over the top. This is why graphic artists force themselves to take breaks every twenty minutes or so to walk away for ten minutes and let their eyes readjust to the normal.

You're right Thomas... this got spoiled. But instead of reworking it... I'm going to leave it up as a warning.... Boys and girls... Don't trust your eyes!

Debra Trean said...

Your words out describe your beautiful capture. This is so pretty so relaxing and so beautiful. I would love to have a tree like that with moss but in the high desert it won't happen. I can almost feel the humidity in the air from this image. Beautiful I like that moss!!!

John Roberts said...

I actually like the "heaviness" of the moss because it reminds me of the way Spanish Moss used to be in New Orleans when I was a boy. Now, air pollution has about killed it all. You can still see it hanging heavy and thick in rural areas away from the city.

I believe Ansel Adams wrote about not trying to capture reality per se in his photographs, but rather his personal vision of the scene, what he saw in his mind.