Essay #5: Ellipse

Melts in your mouth, not in your hand!

My first time playing with an "infinite" background--in this case, a piece of white printer paper gradually curved up against the wall so there's no seam. I've always liked the effect but never had reason to use it myself.

Specs: 45mm 1/160 f/7.1 ISO 100

Essay #4: Rectangle

A male friend recently inquired why the majority of women he knows cite Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as their favorite book. Before you Austenphiles can become too vexed, he has read it. He just didn't see much literary merit in it--does social commentary on 1800s England hold any relevance today, however wittily written?

I know there are scores of critical texts lauding the brilliance of Jane Austen, so I'll avoid any panegyric here. I can only attest to my own reasons for listing P&P as one of my favorite novels. Yes, it's a love story, but it's really about, well, pride and prejudice. It's a story about the disillusionment of two people accustomed to thinking themselves superior to those around them. The center conflict for these two characters comes when Elizabeth realizes that her judgment about two men was entirely mistaken, a failing she would have laughed at in someone else, and Darcy realizes that he has been arrogant and rude, traits he finds abhorrent. These revelations allow them to relate better not only to each other, but also to others in their social circle. It's a timeless study of hubris and judgment. Plus, there's comedy, scandal and yes, romance.

Specs: 33mm 1/60 f/4.8 camera-mounted flash bounced off ceiling

Essay #3: Triangle

I hate ironing.

It's not the most despicable chore, but I avoid it when I can. Like a lot of other things that are good for me.

Irons heat fabric until the fibers actually are coming apart at the molecular level-or at least until the bonds are softened. Then it's pressed into submission so that the fibers' bonds reform flat and smooth (or in the perfect pant-leg crease). Stubborn fabrics, such as linen or cotton, require more heat to coax the molecules into loosening. Others are more acquiescing, like silk.

Maybe I hate ironing because I can identify with the fabric. But it's more likely that I'm just lazy.

Specs: 45mm 1/160 f/5.6 ISO 200

Essay #2: Squares

While going through some old boxes, I unearthed these bits of history.

Remember these? Back before discs replaced disks?

You may notice that the label on the top center disk reads "Photos." Yes, each of these plastic squares holds up to 1.44 MB of files dating from my first foray into digital imagery. At the time, I was primarily shooting black-and-white film on a Canon Rebel G. Then I got my hands on something marvelous: a Sony Mavica, a wonder of photographic technology that recorded 0.3-megapixel images (no, I did not transpose those digits) directly to a 3.5-inch floppy. Never mind that the image quality was poor and the camera was slower than a drugged slug. It took pictures! And it was digital! And you could pop the disk right into your computer without needing a pesky negative scanner!

I no longer have anything capable of reading floppy disks, but today I'm wishing I did. I'd like to open these up and reflect for a while, not only on how far digital photography has progressed, but on how my perspective has changed. Looking at these images, would I even recognize them as my own? Would I laugh (or cringe) at how poor the photos are, or would I be challenged to revisit the basic skills I first explored so enthusiastically with a low-res clunker? Would I approach those scenes the same way now? Did I see things then that I would pass over now? Answerless questions...unless someone has an old disk reader somewhere?

Specs: 43mm 1/100 f/7.1 ISo 100

Essay #1: Circles

What better starting point than basic geometry? So this week, I'm doing a study in shapes.

Photography is not just about playing with light, shapes and color--although that's where the bulk of the fun comes from. To me, photography is about perspective: seeing the world in new and beautiful ways. It's looking twice at that old plastic Slinky (everyone's favorite toy!) and imagining the possibilities.

Specs: 26mm 1/60 f/11 ISO 100