Photographic Tale of the Week - what they do to old cars in goldfield

"what they do to old cars in goldfield" by Bill's Explorations

With a new blog on the way and work in high gear during the summer months, the Essex Masque  is starting to feel a bit rusty. However, beyond a good story and an amazing composition, I am always looking for something that lends itself to the feel of the blog for the Photographic Tale of the Week. It is only suiting than that "what they do to old cars in goldfield" caught my eye. As with many of the featured storytellers and photographers who contribute to Pictures with a Story, Bill's pictures of the bones of American history, and many other beautiful shots, could all have been featured any other week.
This is what Bill has to say about this picture:

The famed International Car Forest of the Last Church outside Goldfield, NV. This unusual place is not easy to get to - hilly and deeply rutted gravel road - but well worth the trip.
Goldfield is a mining town that was once the largest city in Nevada. Now it is a decaying shadow of itself, full of decaying buildings, rust, and memories of its former self. In other words, it's pretty great....
Have a great sliders sunday all, and have a great 4th of July!

Find the rest of Bill's amazing work and stories here. 
As always, this is a photograph selected from my #Flickr group, "Pictures with a Story." See the now 320 other contributors by checking out the group, and feel free to join.

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Viewbug and Flickr. 

Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - LEECHES!!!!!

LEECHES!!!!! by Andrew John

Sometimes the beauty of photography is in its contrasts: the contrast between light and dark, soft and hard, foreground and background. It could be a purple flower, vibrant in a natural spot of sunlight in an otherwise dark green undergrowth. It could be the hard angles of a decaying barn set against the undulating green roll of surrounding fields. Or, in the case of Pictures with a Story - and part of my purpose for the creation of the group in the first place - the contrast of the final composition with the story of how it was created. 

I have been waiting for a photograph that is exemplary of this contrast, and with Andrew John's "LEECHES!!!!!" I have finally found it. 

The composition is like a golden dream - the tangle of reeds, mirror-like water, and beautiful, almost mythic woman are all blanketed in a soft glow. It gives a feeling both of warmth and an otherworldly aesthetic, taking us away from the often harsh sounds and sights of everyday life.

Now, contrast that with the story of how this photograph came to be:

On her way out to the log Caitlin stopped and started staring at the water, I asked what she was staring at. She said she wasn't sure, after about 20 seconds she shouted "LEECHES" and jumped up on the log. leeches were all over her dress and a few were on her leg but none managed to attach themselves. WHEW!

 

There were two blessings - one beautiful photograph for all of us to enjoy, and we got to read a wonderful story. Also, Caitlin didn't have to give up any blood for the shot. So maybe that's three blessings.

Check out the rest of Andrew's amazing photography on Flickr.

As always, this is a photograph selected from my #Flickr group, "Pictures with a Story." See the now 304 other contributors by checking out the group, and feel free to join.

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Viewbug and Flickr. 

Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.
 

Photographic Tale of the Week - Law and Order

"Law and Order" by Neil Moralee

I have several passions other than photography. However, I try to bring these passions and let them both strengthen and build upon each other. In some respects, marrying my passions (photography with writing through this blog, and writing, photography, and community development through work) at its most basic level allows me the time and opportunity to fit them in my busy schedule.
Perhaps my appreciation of photography and lifelong learning have inspired me to follow Neil Moralee's photography, and my Canadian pride to select this week's Photographic Tale of the Week. Much of Neil's photography - beautiful black and white, candid portraits of unique and interesting people on a global scale - is paired with a paragraph of learning for his viewers, ranging from military history to homelessness to brewing history.
This week's photograph, "Law and Order," (here is why I mentioned my Canadian pride) deals with police presence at the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, Ontario. Whenever I choose the Photographic Tale of the Week, it must first strike me visually. In this case, Neil's treatment of the light - the severe and dominating form of the officer under a concentrated light source contrasted with a dark, but tangible backdrop - is what made this an especially strong composition. The lesson paired with the photograph was something I never knew about the Toronto Police Service, but I will let Neil tell the story in his words:

Candid "low light" Cop shot, St Lawrence Market Toronto.
Note the Winged Wheels insignia on his sleeve.
The Toronto Police Service Winged Wheels Motorcycle Team is a precision motor-cycle demonstration team comprised of officers from the Enforcement Group of Traffic Services - Highway Patrol.
In 1990, then Chief of Police William McCormack authorised the formation of the team. Superintendent Gary Beamish provided the necessary drive and foresight into this unique and successful initiative.
The Winged Wheels Insignia
The WINGED WHEELS are named for the insignia proudly worn on the sleeve of the police officer's uniform. This crest, in one form or another, is internationally recognised as the badge of motorcycle officers.

View the rest of Neil's incredibly interesting lessons (fueling my passion for lifelong learning) and his incredible portraits (fueling my passion for good photography) on his Flickr photostream.
As always, this is a photograph selected from my #Flickr group, "Pictures with a Story." See the 300 other contributors by checking out the group, and feel free to join.

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Viewbug and Flickr. 

Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - Mountain Dweller

Mountain Dweller (#4) by Sarah Allegra

Coming off of an intense year-end process for work means that I have not been as timely about the Photographic Tale of the Week selection for my Flickr group, Pictures with a Story. However, the timing ended up being perfect for featuring Sarah Allegra's Mountain Dweller (#4) from her series of photos of the same name with model Teri Wyble. Sarah is the perfect example of my intention for the Flickr group - to acknowledge through text the richness of the story that goes along with a composition: whether it be our own journeys, the 'fictional / non-fictional journey' of photograph's content, or the process of the composition's creation. She is exemplary because, additional t creating incredibly beautiful and imaginative work, the words and stories behind the Mountain Dweller series is of Sarah's spiritual journey, the process of working with Teri - the model, and the rich mythology of Sarah's DreamWorld - "an ongoing photography project which explores the people and creatures who inhabit the land we visit during sleep." In fact it is so rich, that I will provide links below where you can experience Sarah's work and stories directly, rather than try to capture it in this post. This is what she had to say in the Flickr group:

She is one of the Aethereans; angelic, monk-like beings who live high in the mountains of DreamWorld where they can pursue their spiritual quests in peace. They are skilled healers and highly sought-after councilors. Many of the fae send their children to the Aethereans to be taught love, spirituality empathy, animal care, plant lore, sacred geometry and the mysteries of the universe.

Sarah has many online presences - feel free to visit them all!
Twitter  Instagram  Facebook  Blog  
Etsy Red Bubble  Website Flickr

As always, this is a photograph selected from my #Flickr group, "Pictures with a Story." See the 300 other contributors by checking out the group, and feel free to join.

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Viewbug and Flickr. 

Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - Your Just a Distant Memory

"Your Just a Distant Memory" by Keith (Kpryor23)

Considering my somewhat poor ability to remember things, every memory seems to be a distant one. Maybe that's for the best, living my life in the present moment or something like that. It's a good thing my partner can remember almost every single detail from her childhood, including the lyrics of songs that she sings to our four kids. If I were to attempt the same thing I would be sitting there with my cellphone looking up the words for songs I don't know the names of.
This feeling (of a memory recalled from a long time ago) is wonderfully captured by Keith in "Your Just a Distant Memory" - today's Photographic Tale of the Week. Perched at the edge of water, a pier and a figure - in a sea of bokeh - provide a phantom background to a wall of silhouetted oats - both porous and imposing with their slender concentration.

Here is what Keith has to say about it:

When I took this photo it reminded me of when someone try's to recall a memory from long ago. I think it makes an interesting composition with the depth field. including the pier, the person, and the oats.
Good night and Good luck

 

Keith is a self-taught photographer who enjoys learning and fine-tuning his creative approach. With a creative background and a degree in audio and video, he has developed his experience as a photographer and digital artist over the past five years. Over those years he has excelled in landscape fine art, and conceptual photography. He has developed his hand in digital arts and view the whole world as his canvas. Keith initiated a 365 photography project to explore his creative efforts and challenge his technical skills.
 You can find Keith's photography at the following sites:
Flickr Photostream
Website 
500 Px 
Facebook

As always, this is a photograph selected from my #Flickr group, "Pictures with a Story." See the 290 other contributors by checking out the group, and feel free to join.

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 

Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - Alone swimming in the rain

Alone swimming in the rain by Robert Ang

In spite of the danger of a sodden towel, swimming in a downpour seems so liberating. Instead of regretting a forgotten umbrella, lamenting a recently washed car, protecting a hair style, or maintaining dry clothing, immersing yourself in the water that can be such an annoyance is a wonderful experience. Is this a metaphor for many of those things in life that cause such fear and discomfort? Yes, yes it is.
 
Robert Ang captures this feeling wonderfully in "Alone swimming in the rain" where the figure, surrounded by the blue of the pool and the blur of the falling rain, is at once small and yet so powerful - so necessary - in the composition.

It was raining heavily this evening. Instead of going out to capture another sunset, I went to the balcony of my apartment and took this picture of a man swimming in the rain. If he was also singing, I could not hear him as I was high up above the swimming pool.

View the rest of Robert's photography in his Flickr photostream.  

As always, this is a photograph selected from my #Flickr group, "Pictures with a Story." See the almost 290 other contributors by checking out the group, and feel free to join.

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 

Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - Your fingers

"Your fingers" by Craig (Secretlyjustme)

You may not believe me when I say this, but when Craig's beautiful work "Your fingers" caught my eye (the title being the first line of an 8 line accompanying poem), I had no idea that April is #Poetrymonth. Okay, maybe I should know this considering my passion for all things literary, but I didn't. 
This serendipitous selection was beyond the convenience of conforming to a theme (image and poem). Rather, the selection of Craig's incredible photograph - of its play with perspective, contrast of motion and stasis, vibrant colour and shades of grey - was based on the merits of the beauty of the composition itself. 
Without further ado:

Your fingers
leave trails
of fireworks
on skin
and
time
told you things
you already knew

You are in luck. Craig, a self-described "thirty-something" and "drinker of whisky" (both of which I can relate to), has equally amazing images and poems in his Flickr photostream for you to enjoy. You must!

As always, this is a photograph selected from my #Flickr group, "Pictures with a Story," of which Craig is a regular contributor. See the almost 290 other contributors by checking out the group, and feel free to join.

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 

Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - Snug as a bug

"Snug as a Bug" by Kevin Pashuk

Compared to the polar vortex of the last several years, Winter '15 / '16 has been downright balmy. Just last weekend I took my kids to the local park and it was as busy as some days in the summer. But winter rears its icy head still, just to remind us that I - and this week's featured photographer, Kevin Pashuk - live in Canada. I don't know what is happening on Lake Ontario which is closer to Oakville where Kevin lives, but within the space of two days 60% of Lake Erie froze. - check out the CBC article here.

It is no great lake, but Kevin - a long time and consistent contributor to the Pictures with a Story Flickr group - perfectly captured the feel of winter in "Snug as a Bug," a great focus on a bird house roofed with snow, a series of small feeders and houses behind it in the bokeh of the background. Read what Kevin had to say about the picture - another great argument for keeping your camera with you as much as possible:

It's the middle of February in Oakville, and we have spent most of the winter so far without snow. Today it's snowing, and no one seems to be complaining.

This shot was taken out of my home office window when I was packing my computer up to take into work. The red birdhouse on my neighbour's fence just popped out. Luckily, I keep my camera close and was able to capture the view. The image was tweaked in Lightroom to enhance the contrast a wee bit, but you see what I saw this morning.

Follow the link below to Kevin's photography that "capture(s) the small, hidden vignettes of everyday encounter." I'm a big fan of the small and hidden in any towns that we happen to live in, and this is definitely what I attempt to do in Windsor - Essex.
Kevin's Flickr Photostream. 

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 
Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - War of the Worlds: Nature vs Machine

War of the Worlds: Nature vs Machine by Joe Steinman

My photographic memory - and by photographic, I mean when I actually seriously started taking photos with the purpose of building on my self-taught amateur skills - does not go much past November of 2011. This is not quite five years ago. I can only expect, by the quality and beauty of Joe's work, that he may have been doing it a little longer than I have.

In this work he has used the majesty of the clouds to really bring out an ominous scene, bringing to mind visions of an aftermath of some overwhelming violence. But I will let Joe describe it himself:

It was five years ago when I last made the trip down to Sand Key Beach in Clearwater, Florida. Recently, I journeyed down to my old stomping ground to take some pics at sunset. On the way down the coast, I couldn't believe how much it had changed. It was so built up, with numerous tourist attractions, hotels, hi-rise condominiums... even a tropical theme-based miniature golf course. It's almost like visiting a mini Disney World now!
 Shortly after I arrived at Sand Key, a storm passed through. In its wake, it left some stunning and awesome cloud formations. I turned my camera towards the construction sites looming in the distance, and the stark ground and billowing clouds reminded me of a scene like out of a World War II movie. How appropriate? It's like the scene represents the demolition of our serene and natural beaches, dramatized with explosive, theatrical pyrotechnics!
 Here is the story behind the photo:
________________
 On 7/9/15, I made a trip to Sand Key Beach in Clearwater, Florida to take some nature shots. The weather was quite turbulent with lightning, storms, and clouds. The cloud formations and light were ever-changing and sometimes eerie and amazing! I just kept shooting and shooting and took hundreds of shots. Fortunately when the rain got heavy, I spied an over-sized, partially collapsed tent on the beach nearby [what was THAT doing there?], so I was able to take shelter and keep my precious Canon and Sigma lens from getting too wet [I had left my camera bag in my car parked far away to keep it from getting sandy].
 I took this shot after the storm passed through, sitting on the beach on the sand in my short-pants... note to myself - next time wear a bathing suit at the beach! :). I kept the tripod low to the ground, and took many many shots with slight variations in this position. The rest was nature's work!

I am not yet to the point of presenting these Photographic Tales of the Week in interview format, though it is a thought. However, others are that dedicated and thankfully Joe has already been interviewed by The Photography Workshop. Check out the interview here.

You can also find Joe on his Flickr photostream.

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 
Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - The Head Waiter

The Head Waiter by Linda Sue Kocsis

Just look at The Head Waiter by Linda Sue Kocsis and you will not be surprised that Linda's works of art could be considered some of the most lively and fun contributions that run through the Pictures with a Story group. Just like a couple of the other photographers who regularly share with the group, I could have chosen really any of Linda's works to be featured and they would have been just as strong. I very much look forward to seeing more snapshots from Linda's incredibly creative mind, and I highly encourage you to check out the rest of her work in her Flickr photostream. Here is what Linda Sue had to say about The Head Waiter:

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go." ― Dr. Seuss
Photography Challenge: Victorian-Style Headless Portrait
This was another self-assignment that I did as an accompaniment to my recent long-haired Victorian self-portrait.
It's a tribute to those great old headless portraits popular in Victorian studio photography: www.google.com/search?q=headless+portrait+victorian&b....

My husband (who kindly modeled for me) really lost his head over this one!

©2016 Linda Sue Kocsis

Here is how you can find Linda Sue online.
Studio Candelabra

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 
Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first.

Photographic Tale of the Week - "March 2015"

"March 2015" by Nick and Karen Munroe

The part of me that didn't have to drive for half an hour to work very much missed the snow over the holiday season. Having four kids, three of them very much aware that the clatter of reindeer hooves should also be mixed with the crunch of snow, Christmas just didn't feel the same without the white powdery (or even granular, or slushy) stuff as background. Maybe that is why I gravitated towards Nick and Karen Munroe's "March 2015" shot of a very dreary - and snowy - landscape for this week's (and a half at this point) Photographic Tale of the Week, from the Pictures with a Story Flickr group. 

Maybe it is just the aspect of my personality that finds beauty in the foggier, greyer, and oppressive aspects of life, but this shot is truly a beautiful one. It is all the more familiar since Brampton is a brief 368 km jaunt away from where I live - yes, I am Canadian and tend to think that these distances are short. 

So while I do not want to contribute to anyone's Seasonal Affective Disorder, I do encourage you to enjoy this wonderful shot and read what Nick and Karen have to say about it:

The dreaded winter cold has found me and sapped all my energy, housebound and unable to go exploring I find myself reflecting back on the year that was 2015; going through my photos files from last year. I have pulled a few of what I consider to be hidden gems... as I like to call "found on second sight."
 This photo is from March of 2015. it was taken at Brampton's Heart Lake Conservation area: which was covered in a thick blanket of dense fog. The line between earth and sky was so obscured as not to be visible. Karen and I wandered through the mist as the park around us faded into a surreal place of white fog and dull grey shadows.

Find the rest of Munroe Designs Photography work at the following sites:
Flickr
Facebook

Browse through the Essex Masque blog (you're on it!) for other Photographic Tales of the Week, as well as other randoms that I post. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and my photography on Flickr. 
Please note that, as ever, do not use the images of the featured photographers without their express permission. I always contact them first!