One of the wonderful things about the dynamic world of social media, is that every day I see pictures posted from all over the world. With a quick finger swipe, and a tap, tap, tap, I can see gardens and trees... oceans and rocks... you name it. I love these snapshots of natural beauty, but since I live in the city, these photos can cause a little pang of sadness; my access to green and open spaces is somewhat limited, and sometimes that gets me down.
However, I find that when I look at this concrete jungle through the camera lens, I discover beauty all around me.
No matter where you live, there will probably be times when the scenery you see everyday will feel a little ordinary, but perhaps with a little change in perspective, and a camera in your hands, you can discover something new. And that is something that we scrapbookers are good at; finding beauty and meaning in our everyday mundane surroundings. (Why, we're so good at it, we even devoted this months gallery to everydaily.)
Lines and Shapes
When I walk around different parts of New York City with a camera, I suddenly notice all the beautiful lines and shapes created by the pavement, brick, benches, bridges, and buildings.
In this photo of a park bench, I loved the way the slightly weathered, rectangular wooden slats looked against the grey, concrete ground. There are even some shapes created by the lines and cracks on the concrete.
Here's another park bench, with the ground below (and some feet), and in this one I managed to capture rectangles, circles, and hexagons, oh my!
Pointing the camera a little higher up from the ground, I discovered this little scene, with wonderful vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines. This shot toook a few tries to get it the way I wanted, and I cropped part of the photo to keep it to the most straightforward geometric shapes.
Pointing the camera higher still, I captured this row of old buildings, and I fell in love with all these windows, and the diagonal lines of the fire escapes.
Contrast
Even among all the grit and grime, there are little bits and bursts of natural life that peek though. It's fun to find those little bits of nature, and photograph them while still capturing the less than stellar background view.
So, whether you are a country mouse or a city mouse, the next time you are feeling like you've seen everything there is to see around you, grab your camera, and take a look around your world. What shapes can you find? What lines do you see? Can you find contrasts between young and old, beauty and grime, old and new?
Happy Clicking!
