Urban contrasts - colour and structure

This photo is the beginning of a new series in which I will be looking at building a narrative using contrasting images. One of the themes that fascinate me in cities is contrasts. Rio de Janeiro is a city I know well and which is full of contrasts. Developing the theme over the next weeks, my first impression is about colours, structures and nature. To me tropical trees and flowers are a subject, I can never get enough of.

Camouflaged

The deer seemed to be aware of their advantaged camouflage and I noticed that they mainly kept  among trees and close to the shade of the trees. And then this deer calmly walked onto the street as if protected by the shade. The scene unfolded while I was photographing deer along the road and the photo was one not to be missed. And in case you wonder, the lorry driver did stop for the animal.

Black & white

As I go on exploring the impact of colour and patterns to the message of the photo I had another look at what happens to that message when I convert it to black & white. I took this photo because I was drawn to the impact the dead trees had on the landscape.

Light reflections

What I was after were the light reflections in the water, a theme that's fascinated me before. But the image seemed incomplete without the sun. So I dared challenge the camera and took the photo with the sun straight ahead of me. The photo was taken on Bowen Island, Canada, on an early evening as the sun started to go down.

Light

This is one of my experiments of taking a 'close up'. Sitting in my garden, with the light just in the right spot, I could not resist this one. For me insects and flowers have a kind of fascination I find hard to explain and fun to take photos of.

Elements

Working with a waterfall. It was set in full shade with the sun coming out from behind which did not make it an easy task. Working with this reality, I concentrated on the water gushing down the stones and the relationship between the elements.

Light study

Walking in the forest, I found the sun shining onto the spider net. I was curious how much detail would come out and how the scene would work out as a photo.

Urban wildlife

While walking in Rio de Janeiro's neighbourhood Leme, I came across the Marmoset or locally called Micos, little monkeys found along the Brazilian coast line. This species is said to have been introduced from the northern state of Bahia and have settled so successfully that biologists fear they are becoming a problem to local wildlife. In Rio they have become used to people and were utterly at ease in our presence. A couple of shots, I could not miss.

Light and shade

While back in London I'm still working through my photographic adventures in Rio de Janeiro. One of my friends invited me to visit Floresta da Tijuca, an urban forest surrounding parts of Rio de Janeiro. The light that day was amazing and I soon found myself studying the effects it created breaking through the taller trees.

Change of season

Back in London and finding the city utterly changed over the last two weeks, I went out this morning to visit 'my spot' to take note of the change. It's been two weeks since I stood at this spot in the park. There is such power and energy in Spring and I'm amazed about the sudden explosion of foliage and flowers everywhere.

Little Souvenirs

The tropical forest. I love forests and am fascinated by forests. And I find it quite a challenge to take a photo of a rainforest that reflects my admiration for nature. So I go out again and again and try to create a photo that shows the magic and soul of a forest. This is another of my attempts to create an image that shows that a forest is much more than the many plants within.

Our world

Our world. It does not stop to amaze me. Fascinated by the interplay of mountains and clouds, blue and white I felt this one goes with the theme but stands apart. A great lover of nature, I feel amazed of how peaceful and extraordinary our world looks from above. And with every photo, I'm again amazed about nature's beauty.

From above

 

Continuing to explore the perspective of looking down and trying to catch the intricate differences in texture and detail. This is a perspective of landscape photography I've grown most fascinated with and would love to explore further. Guess I need to make friends with a pilot who'd allow me to come along ...

Structures

Structures seem to be a recurring theme for me. I'm attracted and fascinated by the shades and shapes leafless trees make against the blue sky. At this time of year, when the sun shines directly on the bark, the light brings out the slightly greenish glow of the moss that covered the trees over the dark and damp months.

Spring

This seems to have been a long and dark winter and I was ever so pleased to find the little messengers of Spring extending their colourful greeting. A nice opportunity to go up close and take this focused and detailed shot.

Winter

Living in London, weather, as much as change of season, is an ongoing theme. Going back to the same part of the park where I took a picture the other week, I thought that this stretch allows me to follow up on the changes we go through in this part of the world, and to catch the different mood, colours, light and shades.

Winter structures

As snowy weather has settled in, I've had time to observe the impact it makes to the visual of the environment. The white has transformed the landscape. Looking more closely, I feel drawn to the patterns the snow is sculpturing into the landscape.

White landscape

By the afternoon it stopped snowing and I went out to look at different ways of working with 'snow'. What was my fascination with snow? How did it impact on the environment? I love the white, the texture, the way snow settles itself on other surfaces.

A bit of warmth

Fire, like water, is an element I can rarely resist to take photos of. It is the ever-changing nature of this element, that fascinates me. And, as I sat by the fire, out came the camera and I tried to 'catch' a bit of that magic.

Ending light

Playing with taking a photo converted into an abstract, this photo is about taking a sharp photo which may seem abstract because of it's content. Does the photo seem empty, or is it full? For me the picture leaves space for dreaming, and considering that today is New Year's eve, I thought it's a fine way to end 2012 and start 2013.