365 Project - Day 321

"Surprise yourself every day with your own courage." Denholm Elliott

This single cabbage head has been the gift that keeps on giving. I chose to attempt a high key image of these leaves as the final piece of work with this particular cabbage head. I have only shot a few high key pieces of work and I need to do more. It is important to me, in working with high key, that I am intentional about getting it right in camera such that I do not rely on post processing to adapt the image to high key. This was shot with natural light and minimal post efforts. Funnily, the thing I was most happy about was that the image was clean and I did not have to remove any spots!!

Being comfortable is a good thing. Doing the same thing in repetition builds skill and strength. If we want to grow to broaden our skills and increase our success, however, we have to be willing to step out of our comfort zone and have the courage to risk new or different things. Jim Rohn put it this way, "If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary."

In my case, shooting natural settings and dark backgrounds or low key lighting is simpler than high key. Frankly, low key is also more my style. High key is a scientific exercise that takes a lot more planning. Neglecting to attempt it, though, means I am missing opportunities for creative growth, aha moments and surprise blessings. I am quite fond of Denholm Elliott's quote above - it would be exciting to push myself to be more courageous each day, in big and small ways. I'm in!

Today's Photo: High Key Cabbage Leaves

"Stay alert, stand firm in faith, show courage, be strong." 1Corinthians 16:13






EXIF: Nikon D750
ISO 400
85mm
f5.6
1/3s

365 Project - Day 309

“Eat healthily, sleep well, breathe deeply, move harmoniously.” Jean-Pierre Barral

I have decided I should try to live the above, with the following addition: live faithfully. As I think about this, though I am not a fan of cabbage, today's photo seems to illustrate all of these. I was not looking for a cabbage head to photograph when I was grocery shopping the other day, but if you can fall in love with one, I did this one. I loved everything about it: the colors, the texture, the layers (some tight, some lose, some delicate, some thick, some small, some large) and the flow.

I have served my family a set of meals this week, unusually rich with vegetables. No one has complained yet. Here's what I'm hoping ... if I eat more healthily, my sleep will also improve. I will breathe more deeply and more often (meaning with less stress involved) and that will make all of my movements, internal and external, more harmonious - one of my favorite words. Faith is easy and hard, but when you remove the things you control and simplify life, faith is easiest.

I am coming to believe that a simpler, less cluttered life provides more space for the Lord to breathe in and through me. Then He shall shine.

Blessings.

Today's Photo: Simply, lovely cabbage

"One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet." Proverbs 27:7







EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 200
50mm
f4.8
1/8s

365 Project - Day 119

I recently saw a black and white museum photograph of a cabbage leaf and was immediately committed to this project. I chose to begin, however, by photographing red cabbage, one of the most photographed vegetables. I was excited as I cut through the middle of the cabbage with its vibrant color and intricate design. I was not, though, thrilled with that awful cabbage smell, but once I peeled back the first layer and exposed it to the open air for a few minutes the odor went away. I took several photographs and when processing the photos I noticed something special about this one.

The complexity of the natural design of the center slice of cabbage immediately reminded me of the complexity of our lives. What a thrill, then, to find the arrow formed by the leaf and its reflection in the mirror. If you look closely, you'll also notice that the blemish on the right is barely visible in its reflection. Finally, pull back a bit from the cabbage and the complexity appears to simplify into nestled curves rather than haphazardness. Our lives are similarly complex, with curves, twists and turns and bruises, but also with beauty, vibrancy and simplicity. Could it be that all of this is necessary to position us for the success we are intended to live? Imagine that our lives are designed with ordained complexity -- meaning while life seems aggressively messy to us, God is in control. Yes, it may be easier to live blemish-free, straight lines, but if so, perhaps we would not be prepared for our successes.

I've been studying Ecclesiastes and I find it a wonderfully perplexing book of the Bible. I have read several chapters over and over in many different versions and I find myself not much wiser than in my initial read. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon, the son of David, is struggling with the meaning or meaninglessness of life. Yet, he acknowledges God's constant presence. Each day's events may not make sense and life can be particularly confusing day to day, but when we look back over a series of events during a season of our life, we can see the pattern(s) more clearly.

So, given there are some things we cannot change in God's design, perhaps we need to live and learn in both prosperity and adversity, trusting that all things work together for good and His purpose moves forward regardless.

Best wishes!

Today's Photo: Move forward on purpose

"Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked? When times are good, be happy; when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future." Ecclesiastes 7:13-14







EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 320
85mm
f5.6
2s