A World Made of Happy Moments

One lightless morning, when the sun didn't seem to ever consider coming out from the clouds.
One drab, colourless day -  bitter cold, tired and sore, when sleep was still beckoning me, I chose to go dreaming.
One day when I was crazy enough to think that in a world supersaturated with perfectly post processed photos, there will be space for dim, dark and lightless photos from the Grasslands. Little did I know about the magic that was going to unfold quietly, just for me.
I ventured out of my circle of warmth and comfort on this cold, dreary morning, not really expecting anything. I could already tell that it wasn't going to be a spectacular sunrise yet something called out to me.
The kangaroos were already out, waiting for the sun. Like me. They scattered away quickly, startled by my quick pace. A mother with her joey lingered around and we studied each other for a while. Then they took shelter under a tree waiting for that sunrise that wasn't rushing at all.
The world was asleep. The sun as well; and I was starting to ask myself whether I should go back to bed instead of chasing Morganas. But then it hit me: I was out there because I like to dream. I dream of a world where everything doesn't have to be perfect, where we should make happy memories, rather than aim for fame. I have nothing to show for fame, but the memories of this Saturday will always be with me. For a few brief moments, I have enjoyed magic, all by myself. I had the sunrise on my left and a beautiful, big rainbow on my right, arching high above my house. The other end was stretching lazily over the hills. And then the Sun did come out. For just a brief moment; it smiled shyly through the trees and chose to go back in the clouds for the entire day.

Sunrises, Rainbows and Light

It’s all in a day’s work; and if you blink, you might just miss the wonder.

My favourite times of the day are those still minutes just before sunrise. It may be that I love that brief moment of quietness – the anticipation of the day ahead, long before anyone else is up.  Alone with my thoughts, waiting for the sun.

The stillness is really just an illusion. Before I even realise, the Grasslands talk back to me: the birds fly high towards the light. The kangaroos, like me, are quietly awaiting for the sun to spread its warmth. My trees are always there. I close my eyes and for a fleeting moment I dream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every morning I take a peep over the fence. Or if I am lucky, I even get to venture in, if it’s a weekend morning. My Grasslands are truly magic: for all this time, a few thousands of day dreaming moments and there are no two identical photos in my ever-growing collection. Similar, perhaps, but always different in colours, tones and shapes. It’s always the same main 3 trees that I seem to concentrate on, but oh how different they look, bathed in different hues of yellow, orange and mist.

I find warmth everywhere around me; these beautiful Fall days get the most spectacular colours out. I don’t have to go far – there’s lot happening in my very own yard.
I am a true daughter of Eve – even with all these beautiful Autumn colours, I still seem to find the forbidden fruit. It’s just a crab apple, but its shape does not remain unnoticed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

The light changes fast from one moment to the other and as I said: you blink – you miss it! I love how the rainbows seem to appear out of nowhere lately; it’s like we’re playing hide ’n seek. The rainbow wins. Always. By the time I get my gear ready for a good shot, it’s practically gone. I learned that lesson, so I try my best hand held shots. It may be my journalistic formation, but I actually prefer hand-held over tripod any time. While I am grateful for my new fancy tripod, I still find it cumbersome and tiring. These days I seem to tire very quickly, out of everything really.  So if I can get away without it, you bet I will.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also need to brush up my photoshop skills – what a great shot could this be, without the power lines.

 

 

Let's Go Chasing Rainbows in the Sky! Double Rainbow, That Is.

 I was very lucky to spend a lot of my Easter Sunday daydreaming, surrounded by the things I love most: Trees and Kangaroos.
Truth be told, before and after the Easter Eggs hunt with my kids, I was actually working on a photoshoot. However, in between the shots I had to do for my work, I found myself drawn more and more towards exploring. I was chasing the light, as always, but today light has played hide and seek with me all day, putting on display the most amazing hues and tonalities. You see, this is the magic of my grasslands and here is how it works: once you get enthralled, you keep coming for some more. And it always seems that I am getting little (or big) signs that can only tell me “Follow your dream”.  

While taking a few shots of the kangaroos I realized that they didn’t run away as they did a few days ago – I can only think they were maybe interested in my music. Synesthesia plays a big part in who I am as a creative and the way I work. Usually, when I get immersed into  a concept, I tend to relate to a particular artist, song, album or theme and it might or it mightn’t reflect in my work. But it gets me through the tedious part of the job. Today, good old Freddy Mercury was my companion through a concept shoot meant to display the work of a graphic designer.

Here is a very interesting coincidence that left me speechless while listening to "Mr. Bad Guy". For those too young to know Freddie Mercury's song, the lyrics go: "let's go chasing rainbows in the sky..." Next thing, I look up and this happened. The most amazing double rainbow was unfolding right before my eyes. I kid you not, I almost dropped my camera.

Now putting aside this unexplainable coincidence for a bit, here are some lessons I learned today: don't ever bracket when chasing for running kangaroos. And the 3d tracker although a great idea, is slowing down the AF considerably, when trying to shoot a burst (3shots, didn't even try for the 5 shots). The two combined - bracketing and 3D tracker...slow death.
The other important lesson is that I really need to learn how to take better shots of rainbows.