There is a joy that I find in keeping a large part of the image to the viewer’s imagination in photography. The story half told leaves room for dreams and subjective visions.
Day 92 of 365~
Image taken in Paris
Tag: bokeh
One of the wonderful phenomena to watch in Shanghai parks and on its riverside in the early morning, is the congregation of retired men sending their well cared for and brilliantly crafted kites high into the city sky. They do this for long hours watching the extensions of their souls soar into worlds unknown, higher and higher above the noise of the city where all is calm and harmonious, into a state of freedom where they too one day wish to be…
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The gift of color
I heard once that babies smile the first time they see a rainbow through their tears and it makes them want to cry again to see the miracle of color. Beauty can be so overwhelming that it does make us cry, and life is one beautiful miracle after another. How sad it is that we sometimes forget.
A warm world is where I want to be, where smiles animate the stiffest of faces, where hugs disarm the most guarded of people, where trust draws out trust, and where no one will find themselves with no one to turn to on a chilly day.
… so is our soul to our body, that would otherwise roam the world aimlessly…
Manna-hata, the original name of Manhattan from the Lenape language, translates to the land of many hills, but I also heard it referred to as the island of drunkenness. Perhaps all that has happened on that small island if put together and condensed to one single film, it would be the strangest movie ever made. Magnetic city, it will always be that to me.
Some experiences remain etched in our minds not because of their importance, but sometimes because of their simplicity. I was riding the roosevelt island tram one evening (you know this strange red cable car that crosses over at 60th street to the island), and next to me sat a beautiful old lady in her 70’s. She said hello and then she said “pearl necklaces”. On seeing my puzzled face she went on to say: “the bridges, they are so beautiful at night, don’t they look like pearl necklaces?”. Since that evening, I can only think of pearl necklaces when I see a bridge lit up at night as the Queensborough bridge was on that evening. That lady had the gift of seeing beauty and art in everything and she left me so inspired.
Every desert houses an oasis, and for New York City, central park is just that vital. One of the largest and most visited urban parks in the world, the park has bucket loads of charm to offer. Even when you don’t have time to visit during the rush of life, knowing that it is there, a slice of uninterrupted natural life in the middle of all the concrete, is a release of stress. Funny how despite all the gadgets we create, the technological advancements we champion, all it takes is little walk in the park to confirm our sense of being.
I still remember riding my bike to work in Soho with wet hair and arriving with jingling frozen dreadlocks from the blistering New York City wind that blew in the maze between the tall buildings, and then suddenly the first tulips appeared and with them the slightly more mild and beautiful weather that makes the city so special in the Spring time. At this time of year, you feel hope very strongly as it floods the place with the promise of Spring and warmth emanating from every single flower on every city street.
La Liberté éclairant le monde~Liberty enlightening the world
Quite the words to be met by upon arriving in New York, words that embody the essence of the statue of Liberty, the great lady that stands tall with her torch and tablet there on Liberty island since 1886. Liberty: the ability to have agency over your own actions, freedom, free will, determinism, aren’t these some of the promises that drove millions to pack up their things and sail to America?