Skywatch Friday: What it Is


I was thinking about context in terms of text the other day and how important time and place are to understanding a story. I had my little camera in hand when I had this thought, so that got me to thinking about context in relation to images. Specifically, I thought about cropping out the junk that interferes with my idealized view of the view, what I want it to be. That's when I took this picture in Hartford on Sunday:


I wanted the Bushnell's golden dome without the other stuff, but the other stuff wasn't going anywhere on my account, so here is the Bushnell in the age of (gasp) electric street lights and electric traffic signals.

I decided I liked all this flattening out of all the reality that fit in my viewfinder into one pleasant experience because the truth was, I enjoyed the whole scene, not the tower with contemporary reality brushed out. Thinking of how thing are where they are got to be a bit of fun for me. For example, here is Hartford's overzealous crossing guard with his sword unsheathed and the horse ready to go. 




From July 22, 2012
But no. That's the Marquis deLafayette, who has probably been there longer than the intersection. His purpose is not to direct pedestrian traffic but to be Lafayette in the middle of the road. Because important people don't move; we move around them. He did, after all, play a key role in securing French support for our revolution and for bringing an end to that necessary war
From July 22, 2012
Nevertheless, in the context of context of contemporary urban life, poor old Lafayette seems to be riding a carousel horse with that street light running through the horse's rump.

 It is what it is because of the way we see. What we see seems so very often to be in question. 

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13 Comments

  1. I think it is amazing how our mind edits for us. When I look at a subject that catches my eye I often don't see the details around the subject until I look at a photo. I then wonder how I missed them. I wonder why I didn't try harder to edit them with positioning of my shot. I usually like the memory shot best.

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  2. What an excellent post with great photography and a woman who is grounded in reality of today ~ thanks, namaste, (A Creative Harbor)

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  3. You are SO right, Sandy, and I love your photos and observations regarding our world and how we see it! The statue of poor old Lafeyette on his carousel horse with the street light running his rump is the perfect start for my day! And I hope you have a good one -- day that is!

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  4. Ha. I love the carousel look. Your right, our perceptions depend on angle, whatever we choose to leave out, and sometimes what we're predisposed to see.

    Nice thoughts Sandy.

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  5. interesting concept...we see life the same way with a modern attitude or a more gracious gratitude with thoughts of history and what went on before we arrived on the scene.

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  6. very realistic shots Sandy.

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  7. I can relate to this post so much. I like the shots very much.

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  8. You always have an interesting "point of view" to present. Things "are what they are" except when taken out of context or the "big picture" is not shown--that can sure change our perception. Have a great weekend, Sandy Mickie :)

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  9. I love this essay! I am often unpleasantly surprised at what shows up when I download, but then I am grateful that I saw it once without all the clutter ... it's wonderful how our eyes and ears work with our mind -- and we are lucky that we automatically edit out a lot of stuff.

    Once in a while, on the other hand, when I download a photo I see something I missed "in real life"... once when I zoomed in on a bird photo I saw some baby grebes riding on their mother's back. I've been looking for that again ever since.

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  10. I love the statue. Sometimes it's hard to get the angle you want without the interference of other objects.Being a horse person I can appreciate Lafayette on this beautiful horse.

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  11. i do like that top shot! every day views can be beautiful, too. :)

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  12. Now you've got me thinking about cropping out the "junk" the interferes with my idealized view of...history. I suspect we all do that, which is why each one of us can look at the same event but see it differently. :)

    Your posts are so thoughtful, Sandy!

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  13. The shot with traffic signal makes an interesting composition.

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Thanks for being here.