How Much Do You Need?
I don't know why, but I have barely been out in the garden with the camera this year. But, since I didn't have much else to do this evening, I went out and too a few shots with a macro lens.
It is overcast and quite dark, so the idea wasn't to capture high clarity images, more just to get the sense of what is out there on offer. The peonies are starting to bloom, and the poppies have lost their petals a couple days ago. We planted some mint and some thyme, and there is a basket of lavender that sits at the front door with a beautiful smell that drifts in whenever the door is open - while it sits next to some rosemary - which was planted for its color, not because we eat it.
Our garden is a shambles and while we do have some nice plants dotted around the place, there are also a lot of wildflowers running rampant, as well as thistles that border the property and a host of other weeds. We keep them, because they at least add some depth and color. But, I like the daisies and the clover that are growing in clumps around the grass.
In time, we will hopefully sink more effort (and too much money) into landscaping and making it a more practical space to live our summers within, but for now as the way it is, there is some charm too. Definitely not to everyone's tastes, but while there is some order, there is enough chaos to speak of the owners - a little disorganized, a little distracted.
Distraction.
It is where so many of us live these days. But I get it, I wouldn't mind being a little distracted - letting the wildflowers run rampant. Or, perhaps it is because of that we look for distraction, where we haven't built enough order and we are trying to escape the mess that has become our world, and our lives.
I don't know.
But, in the twilight, I found a little peace, walking from flower to flower, seeing if it offered anything up for me to yield. Something for my camera, something for my mind. It doesn't take much to get relief, to get respite. Nothing special, just some space.
Time away.
Was that enough time?
Only you know.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Olympus EM-1
60mm Macro
Being alone in your thoughts can be both a beautiful or detrimental kind of place.
I think this is why people avoid moments of silent reflection - they know they are a mess. A lot of people can't seem to be alone with their thoughts for too long now - thank god for smartphones to always offer something to distract.
I am almost always alone but somehow seem to distract myself. With books. It can get really loud for someone who's not okay. The best way is... listening to music. I'm not scared of being alone when I'm working though. In fact, I enjoy it. It helps me focus. And I daydream too. That also gives a measure of balance. But other times, I just want to put the lid on and not hear/feel anything.
Have you ever wondered if it is the shutting it out that ends up making it worse over time? Of course, we all need some space sometimes, even from ourselves, but I often wonder if we are making ourselves too weak emotionally/ psychologically by avoiding too often.
I have. I have also come across stuff like this somewhere. Some small pamphlet about psychological trainings. Maybe it's why I can't stand just doing nothing. I wonder if there's a remedy
I agree. I experience that first hand.
Lavender is supposed to be very calming I hear. We had some mint at our old house. I was gifted it and I planted it not realizing how invasive it is. Before I knew it we had mint everywhere! Now I know better! Beautiful shots. I took some photos of my garden this weekend too. It's not much of one. We are travelling too much this summer for me to maintain one properly.
Mint can grow wild - the trick is to really like mojitos. ;)
We have ours in a pot, so it should be pretty easy to contain.
It is always a tradeoff, but I like to be able to do a bit of everything. Though, at the moment, not too much in the garden. Happy travels!
I usually have at least one tomato plant, but I didn't even do that this year. The only thing I planted was garlic and that happened last fall.
Good point about the mojitos!
Sick shots! I went around with hidden's cam the other day (that's @ hiddenblade's cam for anyone wanting to misunderstand that) and I realize how hard it is to take good shots, always feel like I'm not worthy of using her camera, haha.
Will have to post and let others point out things I did wrong some time. :D
Cheers mate. It is definitely worth playing around with a camera, especially when you are away on travels and get to spend time looking at a lot of unfamiliar stuff. I am sure Hidden can give you some pointers, but you should post! :)
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See how macro photos turn a garden into another world.
Macro is amazing. I constantly forget. This week, I plan on doing some more macro adventuring when there is a bit more light, or perhaps with the flash to see what I can find.
Was it enough time?
Never enough. Well, not this time, but it was welcome. :)
Very nice shots. I have found playing with my camera lately it does allow me to apppreciate the details of nature a little more. Do I not see pay attention to these details normally because of the distractions? I would say so. Taking the time to focus on one subject in greater detail, while putting blinders on to the rest of the world for even just a few seconds is sort of calming.
I also think that we aren't looking for them, as we are on other errands. It is like a resolution thing - we don't zoom in enough as we fly past.
This is very underrated. Burnout is real and having the discipline to put your mind in a different mental space is very important.
I agree. Burnout is likely just mismanagement and misunderstanding of ourselves. Perhaps if we reflect a bit more and work on building new strategies, we wouldn't burnout as much.
I don't think there will be anyone who will not find peace walking from flower to flower. At the same time, the pictures are so wonderful. I love them!
I think paying attention to anything in nature in detail brings a kind of calming effect.
I'm in gardening groups on other social media and the longer I'm there, the more I see this as nothing but a good thing: Support the native species (assuming they are not invasive)! Great for the bees and all that
We have one invasive species at least. I cut it out with a passion... It is terrible. But, it is generally pretty good in Finland for wildflowers, as there is a lot of nature around and most places are not overly tended.
That macro lense really does get good shots. I really liked the ones with the drops of water but I especially like the ones of the buds. Really well captured man 👌
Cheers. With a little more light, they would have been sharp, but I was handheld. With a tripod next time perhaps :)
They turned out great and look very authentic, sometimes if shots look too polished they lose that authenticity in my opinion..
Taraz! Who knew you could take incredibly gorgeous photos? I'm so used to seeing text blocks of 1,000+ words to wade through. 😂
Please accept my backhanded compliment. !LOL
And consider sharing your awesome talent with pictures a little more often. 🙏
lolztoken.com
They spend all day checking people out.
Credit: reddit
@tarazkp, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of @consciouscat
(2/8)
All my photos are mine, though not all are incredible ;)
Normally, they come with 1000 words as well :D
😁 I can handle reading 1000+ words much more easily when the text is broken up with photos 😄
Glad to see you having 'any' free time at all and choosing to shoot and share your shots here with us! Thanks browski. Excellent work too btw.