TheCuriousCamera took a break but is back now – just like Spring! I love when Spring finally arrives and the world suddenly becomes brighter and more colourful.
Copyright: TheCuriousCamera
I love the different blue tones in this photo as they have such a soothing effect. I am transported back in time, blue dreaming of the cool shade and the sound of gently lapping water as the gondolas float by on Venice’s busy waters.
The proud horse in the photo is part of the equestrian statue depicting Charles I in Trafalgar Square, London. I love the contrast between the horse’s smooth, solid bronze and the faded white clouds in the bright blue sky. Tourists and locals alike spend a lot of time looking up at statues, admiring and photographing them, so I wanted to find an unusual angle. The horse is accentuated so that the viewer does not know immediately at what they are looking and must imagine the rest of the scene.
This photo has many layers. Your eye is immediately drawn to the striking mural of the kissing couple; the vibrant colours explode out of the wall towards you but the bright stripes also draw you in to this intimate scene. The painting beneath is equally impressive but in a more subtle manner. While one is designed to be viewed from afar or high up, the other invites you to stand and immerse yourself in a vision of old New York City. Once your eye moves past the paintings, however, it notices a bright green letter in the background behind the mural of the couple. Is this art too? Or merely graffiti? I also love the sneaking plant tendrils on the right of the photo, that creep into the frame from a plant off the High Line. What else do you see?
I saw this cracked, old door in Trastevere in Rome, Italy. The winding, narrow streets of this characterful neighbourhood are full of wonderful details, such as this mail-opening on someone’s front door. I can imagine how beautiful this door looked when it was freshly painted with the stark white letters flush against the shining, welcoming green. Yet now I imagine its history; I think of the weather it has endured, the people it has seen in the street and all the “lettere” that have arrived in its mouth.
It’s only when you look closely at logs or the bark on trees that you begin to see their multitude of layers within which their secrets lie. I love the way the light falls on the hiding holes in this picture. The wispy cobwebs zigzag between the edges of the ligneous warped maze and I wonder what else is beneath the spidery ladder.
Along the Via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome, Italy, stand a couple of different stalls. Many of these moveable mini-stores sell tourist paraphernalia and front a reasonably generic identity. As I walked down this busy road, however, the bright colours of this one stall attracted my attention. Dozens of admirers had gathered in front of this vivid, vibrant stall which sold an abundance of fruit. It wasn’t until upon close inspection that I realized there was actually plastic fruit (can you spot it?) interspersed among the natural products! Despite the imposters, the stall heaved with fresh and ripe fruits and was truly a beautiful sight to behold.
As you walk down Portobello Road in London, you cannot help but get distracted by the plethora of intriguing stalls. This stall, with so many beautiful old cameras, caught my attention with its design of order amidst the bustling market street.
The weather is beautiful again today and as I sit in the sun, all I can think about is how refreshing water is during these sunny days. I took this photo in Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter’s Square) in the Vatican City, Italy. The day on which I captured this fountain was much hotter than today and the slight breeze that blew the droplets across the square and onto the sun-kissed pedestrians was a welcome feeling.
The other night I saw one of the most beautiful full moons I have ever seen. As the evening ticked into night, the orange-hued moon glowed low in the sky. I couldn’t believe how big and how bright it was; this radiant orb truly created a spectacular sight.
I saw this woman as I walked around Greenwich Village in New York City. She was standing all alone against the brick building, just gazing at the street in front of her. I took this photo portrait because I love the linear lines in the scene. The woman and the lamp post stand parallel to each other while the ladder directly above her extends the viewer’s eye upwards to the bars of the fire escape and the windows. The criss-crossing steps create visual variety yet the simple colour scheme and emptiness in the foreground create an overwhelming sense of solitude and silence.
What a beautiful Spring day! Spring is definitely my favourite season; I love when the flowers bloom and the world suddenly seems a bit more vibrant. This is a branch of a magnolia tree that I have been walking by all Winter and, finally, now as Spring arrives, it is in bloom. I just love it, I think it’s simply wonderful.
There is so much at which to look when you visit Portobello Market in Notting Hill, London. The street is packed on a Saturday morning as the stall sellers on the street try to attract your attention and sell their wares. I noticed this woman deep in thought, as I walked through the crowd. She stood for a long time surveying the ribbons, cords, tassels and ropes that hung from this cluttered stall, a still figure amongst the flow of pedestrians. I took the photo from this angle because I liked the way her face was framed between two similar but different materials that complemented the colours which she was wearing.
It is a beautiful Spring day today. When the sky offers the brightest Carolina blue colour, as it does today, I love looking at the rooftops of buildings and seeing their stark outlines against a watercolour backdrop. As I did this today, I thought of this photo. The United States Capitol is one of the most magnificent buildings against a brilliant sky; its white facade gleams and it cuts an even more powerful presence than normal. I chose this angle instead of the typical front shot because I really like how proudly the American flag seems to fly and also how the viewer is prompted to imagine what the statue of Freedom sees in the distance.
I took this photo in Zermatt, Switzerland up on the Gornergrat summit. There was a flock of these black birds swooping and soaring high in the mountains and occasionally landing to perch on the railings and this sign. I love the contrast between this bird’s jet black feathers and the pure, white snow and the way its head looks directly towards where the sign is pointing.
It’s a grey today and I felt like I needed some colour to brighten the day. I thought of this cherry tomato tart that my father made last summer. It was delicious; the cherry tomatoes were delectably sweet and cooked to that perfect point where they softly explode in your mouth. I love the way the tomatoes are gently wrinkled and you can just make out the sprinkling of pepper. And the colour…those bright red and orange hues are enough to enliven anyone’s day! Here’s to looking towards Spring and Summer…
I love this photo because of the silence it evokes. Some pictures are just louder than others – more vibrant or more complex – and some are just quieter. This photo combines the chaotic with the simple. The busy banks of this Amsterdam canal are stocked with cars and hundreds of bikes tangle together on the bridge, while the canal waters are undisturbed and peaceful. My eye focuses on the bridge’s arches and the smooth, silent waters that calm the scene. The lone bird, framed in the middle of the canal, seems almost aware of its solitude and together we share this moment.
I saw this little seagull as I walked around the Serpentine river in Hyde Park. As I shivered despite my multiple layers of clothes, the seagull just stood there dipping its feet into the icy cold water. I love the grey and white palette of colours that contrasts nicely with the seagull’s bright orange legs and black tipped feathers.
For Remembrance Day (Veteran’s Day).
Taken in Ypres, Belgium.
Lest we forget…
This is part of a bike that I saw in Amsterdam. It was leaning against a bridge – one bike out of thousands in the city – and I noticed it because of this intriguing word tattooed along the bar. I decided to take the photo in black and white because, for me, these colours are reminiscent of nostalgia and the bittersweet feeling that sometimes accompanies nostalgic longings. What makes you think of nostalgia?
TheCuriousCamera 