Dear ,

Today's issue of Picture to Ponder evolves around choices, accepting what is, making things complex or receiving with ease.

Given the abstraction of most of the images, I am including a Nature photo also, for those whom I assume expect to see nature photographs here.

Explanations are below the pictures.

Today's Picture to Ponder Photos -

Today's Photos Story and Description -
Not exactly related to the abstraction theme here, the top photo is a view looking up at a Melaleuca tree in San Diego. Colors, lines and patterns seemed to fit the photos below, so I've included it here. Aesthetically there is a visual unity.

I was particularly caught up with, and loving, the paper thin, velvety peeling bark of the tree.

The tree is also positioned such that the "goofy" face profile in the lower right, almost "hanging" from the limb, is looking down and wondering about the photos showing up here on the rest of the page.

The next photo, taken with my iPhone, is a view out the window of a plane I was on this weekend. I was sitting in an aisle seat and could not get closer to the window. The sky was very bright and most of the photos I took did not come out.

Although the photo was very light, over saturated, I was intrigued with the patterns in the lower half. I went into the FX Studio app to see if I could sharpen it. Instead, I started playing with effects and saved two versions which I put together on one canvas, for ease of viewing here. I love the abstractions in these two. Although the image is the same in each, the colors give off a different feeling.

Once I was home, I uploaded the photo into my computer and Photoshop Elements to size it for Picture to Ponder presentation. Surprise, surprise; two clicks in Elements - "Auto Smart Fix" and "Auto Levels"- produced the exact results for which I was looking, the clarity of the patterns in the ground below.

Self-Reflecting Queries -
Today, I invite you to consider the following:

When you see something that you like, yet something seems to be "off", do you simply accept it, reject it, or attempt to alter it in some way?

Do you keep it simple or do you make it complex?

Also, referencing my assumption that you might want/expect a nature photo from me, how much of what you do is based on your thinking you know what another wants? Do you take the time to check this out with him/her/them?

Finishing up today, I glanced once again at the top photo and was jarred by the intensity of the blue in the sky. Could it have been that way? Am I able to change the sky and keep tree as is? These are amongst the questions I asked myself?

So I tried another quick fix "Remove Color", thinking I could work within it, and instead wound up with a black and white photo. (There is also a click for "Black and White". Thus I thought "remove" might be different.)

Now, as I look at the photo, new images pop out. Other elements become important. I could keep going in the same or other directions. What about you?

The bottom line question is "When do we stop? Do you have measures of satisfaction for you?"

Then I glance over at my monitor and the sticky note I have on it catches my eye, "Done is better than perfect!." It's a quote by Bob Jenkins, author of "Take Action! Revise Later: A Simple Guide to Success in Business", on Amazon in paperback book form or Kindle format.

So, I stop and proceed to call today's issue of Picture to Ponder complete insofar as content and photos!

As always I invite you to have fun with the photos and queries. Please share on the blog your experiences with then and what comes up for you.

Reader's Comments are welcome -
To post them on the Photography and Transformation blog click on the small word "Comment" at the end of NY post. A window will open, asking for your name, email address that will NOT be published, a URL if you have - Your name will be linked to that - and a box with space for you to "Leave a Reply" will be there to type in your response. Then remember to click on "Submit."

If posting on a blog is not your style, please continue to send your comments directly to me. Learning what you are experiencing means a lot. It is part of the reward, for me, of publishing Picture to Ponder.

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Inspirationally,


Sheila
sheila[a]picturetoponder.com
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