Week 35 - Fire

Inside a church that has no electricity, a candle illuminates a spring that people believe will heal all ails. The spring is visible mostly because of the light reflected in the water, as the whole enclosure is rather dark. The icons on the walls are blue, and the small flame burns inside a blue ceramic receptacle, and the general mood of the place is something between mysticism and eeriness. I hope I managed to capture at least some of this...

Week 34 - Wabi Sabi

I loved this wooden hay rake from the moment I saw it because it is a good symbol of living in a village in Romania. The hay rake is a very important household tool and even today villagers know how to make wooden ones, and some still use them. I love the details that break the symmetry of this one, like the imperfect curves of the wood, and the fact that there are five teeth on the left of the handle and six teeth on the right. I am not sure that I managed to get the perfect wood textures and contrast, but I am still fascinated by this object, maybe because it feels like it has been used and loved.

Week 17 - Macro

This challenge was a bit of a chore for me so I have been postponing this post for a while, and lagging behind on the subsequent weeks as a result. I don't know why, but macro is just not for me. I really like what other people can achieve with macro photography, but moving a tripod around a subject to try and capture its most interesting minute details is not my cup of tea. I'll take waiting for hours in a spot on the street over it in not time!

The fact that I am trying to exclusively use my mirrorless camera added to my frustration, because I cannot get a decent macro shot with this camera and my kit lens. I tried a few close-ups, but in the end none had the intimacy of a 'real' macro, so I caved and got out the big guns: Nikon D300 and an old macro lens that no longer works in auto focus. I armed myself with all the patience I could muster, set up the tripod and started circling one of my blooming orchids. I did get a few shots that I consider decent, and in the end I ended up using a big colour and sharpness boost to create a 'symphony in pink' (I know, pretentious title):

What do you think?