Eye dazzler

When I look at a building or architectural element in detail, I frequently wonder about the intention of the architect or designer.  Did he or she consider how the sun would fall on the structure, creating a constant interplay of light and shadow?  My husband, an architect, assures me that they do.  Current wisdom and knowledge of Stonehenge and the Sun Dagger on Fajada Butte at Chaco Canyon reflect the knowledge of and changes in sun angle throughout the year.  Is it also true of a ramada or sun shade design?

Fellow photographer Steve Immel and I recently spent a day photographing several parts of Santa Fe, including Museum Hill.  I had not been there for roughly fifteen years, and seeing it again, as if it were the first time, I must compliment everyone who was involved in the design and construction process.  A great deal of thought was put into the design of each building, and in connecting the various museums, providing landscaping and seating in both sun and shade.  Our mid-morning visit was littered with eye-dazzling light and shadow, courtesy of ramadas in the courtyard.

The joinery between the stuccoed pillar and beams in the photograph below almost looks Mayan to me.

A stunning bronze titled "Apache Mountain Spirit Dancer" by Craig Dan Goseyun, draws your eye in for so many different reasons.  Here is a close up of the dancer's skirt, composed of pieces of extruded metal which create flowing shadows of their own.

As spring progresses, shadows are changing, and the sun is moving at its fastest pace of the season.  A reminder to myself and fellow photographers that an early start in the morning, a break at midday, and more shooting late in afternoon and evening is the best shooting schedule.

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image

Doors

As we slowly shift seasons from winter to spring, with the change that is constant in life, I think of doors and the allegories they represent.

Doors of some sort have been used by humans (and other animals) to keep the cold and heat in or out, to protect food and material goods, and to keep predators from entering.  Doors hold mystery and uncertainty, as in reality, one does not know what lies beyond a strange door.  In movies, protagonists are locking doors behind them, but frequently leave doors open, which invariably allows the villain to enter.  In modern society, one of the most common references or sayings is "one door closes and another opens."   So doors also represent excitement and possibilities.

Every time I photograph a door, a story unfolds in my mind and I want to enter.  The first two are from beautiful Brugge or Bruges (Dutch and French spellings), in Belgium.

I was really mystified by the door below on the Greek island of Crete.  

The door at the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and the doorway in Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico are incredible demonstrations of modern and ancient form and function.

A wooden doorway at Fort Ross State Historic Park in northern California, opens to a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean.

What stories doors hold!

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image