All the Red Soldiers

I use to play with tin soldiers. A surprising revelation from a girly-girl. 

I loved the feel of the cold metal, the shiny uniforms

painted red and blue.

Line them up STRAIGHT, no slouching, no convex/concave lines.

This is perhaps my first memory of 

symmetry.

"...beauty resulting from structure.... objects divided into equal shape, size or length.... repetition of similar parts."

Oxford Dictionary

I haven't thought much about straight lines past those childhood years. (Well, unless cutting a child's bangs STRAIGHT counts.)

I actually like RANDOM. SPONTANEOUS. UNUSUAL.

Then I discovered a special website devoted to photography and writing. 

Kat's   Exploring with a Camera. 

Every few weeks Kat posts an informative article meant to enhance our photographic skills, see things in a new way, be open, spontaneous. 

And this is how I came to think about "things that are similar, equally divided, matching and repetitious."

(The equivalent of my tin soldiers.)

Reflections

Reflections mirror back what we can not always see. 

 Reflections give us a second opportunity to see what is and what isn't.

 Reflections show us the path to the Sun.

Why do people wear 20 pound cameras around their necks?

We were walking in 110 degree heat in New York, two days ago, my Big Mama camera chafing at my sweating neck. My shoulders aching from the weight of camera and bag? Steaming heat hitting the black camera, magnifying its intensity. Is it really worth all the effort I asked myself, mopping my brow.

Despite my moaning and groaning I knew the answer was "Yes."

Every time I take my camera out of its bag, I know there is something I want to try, to learn, to experience, to acknowledge, to honor or to just have fun being goofy.

There are moments I just want to get up close and see how spectacular the the tiny details in life can be.

I love ethnic food. There isn't much I haven't tried...well liver, spiders and snakes are definitely excluded. A photo reminds me of what I savored, how it looked and tasted, and can I possibly duplicate it at home.

 Have you ever seen a child whose face wasn't beautiful? The innocence, the openness, the curiosity, the sorrow, the fear, the joy, the surprise....a child's face can express it all. I want my lens to capture the emotions.

 We can't all live by the beach watching sunsets tag after sunrises. We can't all listen to the seagulls whine for tidbits, nor see the hermit crabs scatter in a sideways skitter. But when we are at the beach, most everyone, including me, pulls out a camera and hopes to capture the moment and take it and a seashell home for remembrance. 

Welcome to Sharon Furner Photography