Photographic Tale of the Week - "Naked Wrist"

"Naked Wrist" by Blue Funambulist

First, I feel a bit guilty for not getting this up earlier. One of the inevitable repercussions of waiting for a while after announcing privately to the featured photographer / storyteller is that the photo itself is no longer an option for the Picture With a Story cover photo. Blue Funambulist's "Naked Wrist" would have been perfect for this. So without any further rambling from me, here is the story behind this most excellent work of art (in more ways than one as you will read):

It was supposed to feel like liberation, but actually it hurts. After more than eight years wearing handmade braids on my right wrist they finally got off. Two cuts, no blood. My tendency for keeping memories alive and the fixation for giving extra-sensorial meanings to certain self-made things has made this more difficult, for sure. However, the bigger problem comes when they exhaust their possibilities. One, was not as certain, felt and concrete as it should be. And the other, which always was the one, was not beating anymore. The sense was lost, and I needed to show myself clearly and physically than these things can happen in Life. However, in this slightly thinner wrist, now there is a completely white skin portion. Full of absence.

Somewhere in the Baltic Sea.

Blue Funambulist is a Spanish photographer whose "feelings and thoughts through art is the best thing that I have to share with the world."
Follow this link for Blue Funambulist's Flickr and Facebook pages.
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#52weeksofWE - 52 of 52, Beginnings

See what I did there? You thought I was going to end on a down note.
Feel free to interpret this in any way you want.
Thank you very much for spending the year in the digital #52weeksofWE gallery with me. While I did not necessarily take a shot every week, I am very happy to have been able to host others. I think we have done a very good job of capturing some of the beauty of Windsor - Essex, and I hope you had fun doing it.
At this point, because I am behind in lots of other things - and starting some new - I am not going to continue into 2016. Feel free to keep posting to the group, but there are several other groups that are Windsor - Essex based and open, so I won't be insulted if you don't. Also, if you have any suggestions for continuing on some sort of challenge that doesn't involve me having to post 52 weeks of themes on my own, I am open to suggestions as well.
Finally, some have suggested a meet up at some point. It was actually suggested during the fall, but my new baby stole the show during that time of the year. However, if people are interested feel free to comment on this photo, send me a message through Flickr, or send an email to essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom and I will try to coordinate something.
Thank you very much again. Hope you had fun. And who knows, I may start it up again in the future. 
All the best,
Patrick 
 Submit your photos on Flickr or Facebook, and send the picture files to me if you want them to be featured on my weekly reflections: essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom

#52weeksofWE - 51 of 52, Terminus ...

Not expecting such a downer during the week that contains December 25th? Have you never experienced the Ghost of Christmas Future? 
Honestly, though, in spite of the picture I have selected for this week's theme - not to mention the theme itself - this doesn't need to be a negative experience. The terminus is merely the end of something: a line; an appendage; a road ... It can also be where things end together, like an "all roads lead to Rome" idea. Have fun, and Happy Holidays! 
 Submit your photos on Flickr or Facebook, and send the picture files to me if you want them to be featured on my weekly reflections: essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom

Photographic Tale of the Week - "It was a light ..."

"It was a light ..." by Bogdan Udrea

I will often blab on about something to do with having a cold, or a baby, to introduce the Photographic Tale of the Week, but I'm not going to do that this time. Bogdan has been displaying his works on the virtual walls of Pictures with a Story almost since the beginning, and I really could feature every one of his compositions on a weekly basis. It just so happens that I finally selected this photo for this week, and I am happy I finally did it. I very, very much encourage you to follow the links to his photography and see the rest of his pairings of beautiful images with the text that "reflect my inner feelings, my struggles, adapted in a cinematic way." They seem to me like cinematic stills, capturing powerful details of what it means to be a person in this world.
Underneath the picture in Flickr you read:



"It was a light that could barely be seen and hoped for it to turn into a curtain of sparkling fireflies. They say that comes with time."



When I asked Bogdan if I could feature him, he further elaborated on his compositions:

I am trying to put in words what the actual scene means to me, meant to me at a point, or what thoughts I have looking at it ( some of them remind me of popular scenes from movies - the words are quotes)

 Bogdan is 24 at the time of this post and is an engineer. I don't think it will be any surprise that he lists off movies, photography, psychology, and dark tones as his passions.
Again, I highly recommend that you find the rest of his work at the following sites.

Flickr
"Various" Blogspot

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#52weeksofWE - 50 of 52, Christmas in Mid-December

Were you expecting some sort of Holiday theme on week 51? Surprised you!
With the balmy weather and cold December rain, here is the opportunity to really get your pre-celebration on for Christmas, and all the holidays that conglomerate around this time of year. 
Now, you ask, what will be the themes for the last two weeks? The suspense is building ...
 Submit your photos on Flickr or Facebook, and send the picture files to me if you want them to be featured on my weekly reflections: essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom

Photographic Tale of the Week - The Photographer

The Photographer by Britt W

The appeal may be obvious for those of you who live in a similar climate as mine. Though the tail end of fall / incoming winter has been mild, we have still had snow and cold, blustery days. If I go down to the great lake beaches where I am there is going to be a very good chance that I will not have the same opportunity that Britt had when she captured this photographer. 
This is what Britt had to say about "The Photographer":

I was catching photos of surfers and the brilliant sunset on the Bonzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii, when I noticed this photographer standing in an extremely photogenic spot. I just had to snap his photo. I love sunset silhouettes!

Check out more of Britt's photography here.

Make sure to check out the rest of the Photographic Tales of the Week on this blog. Also, visit the Pictures with a Story Flickr group where I have selected them from. 
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#52weeksofWE - 49 of 52, Street Life

While we may enjoy our houses, restaurants, and indoor retail experiences, a city is all about its streets - and in my humble opinion, though the car is convenient for getting from A to B, a walk-able or bike-able city is a healthy one. Not to mention the best way to get to know a place. Now we are starting to wrap up #52weeksofWE, and I think a shot of the street life of Windsor and County towns is a good way of getting the feel of what we have been celebrating for the last 48 weeks. Even now that we are getting into the cold weather, the streets are still active and photogenic. Snap away!
Submit your photos on Flickr or Facebook, and send the picture files to me if you want them to be featured on my weekly reflections: essex.masqueATgmailDOTcom