Underneath

Week of March 7-13, 2011          Theme:  Underneath

"Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking

and sings while it is still dark."

~ Rabindranath Tagore

In an attempt to catch up on my Photo Theme Project posts, this entry is going to be short and sweet...well, short, at least.  I like that this week's theme, "underneath," challenges the photographer to explore taking shots of typical subjects from a vantage point that may be overlooked.  At least this is how I am interpreting the theme.  As I thought about subjects to photograph, it occurred to me that there is a difference between underneath and beneath.  It is subtle, but there is a difference.

Some underneath subjects should probably stay hidden:

Underneath my desk.

I took this picture with my iPhone, under fluorescent lighting.  I'm thinking it needs to be tweaked just a bit.

Adding the "Neon" effect in Picnik makes the drab photo a bit more interesting.

Nature provides some unique underneath photo opportunities:

"A book of verses underneath the bough,

a jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou."

~ Edward Fitzgerald

I think I would get along just fine with Mr. Fitzgerald.  For this evergreen bough photo, I reached into the branches as far as I could with the camera facing upward and clicked.

I found a tree with some really neat looking fungus at its base and decided to try and get a photo from underneath the fungus.  It didn't work.

Spring flowers are patiently waiting somewhere underneath the snow.

I like how this dragonfly wing creates a heart.  Isn't that sweet?

Architecture and signage can also be fun shots taken from underneath:

I like the contrast of the bright blue sky with the neutral building.  I also like the horizontal roof lines and how the curve of the light fixture is mirrored in the curve of the doorway.  The shadow that is cast on the metal adds a little interest.

 

The vivid colors in my stop sign photos display nicely.  I like how the green street sign is reflected on the stop sign above.  For some reason, I like the angle of the second photo better than the first.

It was a little harder to get just the green street signs without the stop sign.  I tried to crop out the stop sign at the bottom of this photo, but I didn't like it as much as the original.

The day I took the architecture and street sign photos was a beautiful almost-Spring day.  Signe and Quincy joined me for walk, while I snapped some pictures.

Basketball is heating up with NCAA March Madness.  I cannot say that I am a fan, but I enjoy an occasional game of P-I-G.

Several years ago, we traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  While there, we toured Independence hall and saw the Liberty Bell.  Steve was able to get an underneath picture of the bell.

I chose the birdhouse photograph at the top of this post as my entry for this week's Photo Theme Project.  I like the underneath feel of the picture and that it is a new perspective of our birdhouse, which I pass ever day.  I also like the color of the sky and the tree entering the photo on the right.  I think the tree gives the photo perspective.  I chose the Tagore quote to accompany the photograph because it suggests the faith/feeling that lies within (or underneath the skin of) the bird.  And, I just like the quote.

Related Links:

3 Workouts to Improve Your Photography

Next Theme:  Spring  (In Minnesota, this may be a bit premature, but...YEAH!, nonetheless.)