Light and Shadow, Part 1

I am still thinking about the things that inspire me.  Most of my inspiration seems to be visual--I see something and get an idea--a color combination, a shape or pattern, a texture, or just something beautiful that takes my breath away.

In addition to texture, I find myself greatly attracted to the interplay of light and shadow.  Whether it is dappled sunlight on a grassy lawn, creating lighter and darker shades of green, or translucent flower petals or leaves backlit by the sun, or the silhouette of trees against the sunset sky, I find the contrast of light and dark to be very satisfying.

Last year, I found these trees silhouetted against a backdrop of backlit ferns:

I love the way ordinary things glow when the sun hits them.  This is a front yard I photographed on one of our walks, spotlit by the sun.  Notice the mottled greens in the grass, and the bright green of the tree leaves:

How I love our walks on spring days!  Check out the translucent petals of these flowers against the blue of the sky!

Every Spring, I watch expectantly for our magnolia tree to bloom.  Whenever the sun touches these lovely flowers, it seems to make them light up as if they had votive candles inside.  They glow with vibrant color, and I love the gradation of the brighter pink at the base, shading up into lighter tints at the top!

What a difference lighting can make.  On a day trip to the beach, I captured the following four images within about an hour and a quarter.  The first is a storm over the ocean:

The next portrays the sunny beach, in between storms:

Then came another storm:

And finally, the sun set:

Four different light effects, within two hours on the same beach!!  Amazing, isn't it!

I have more images to share, but had better save them for Part 2.

The Tendency Towards Texture Part 2

Before I show some examples of my own explorations of texture, I have a few more inspiring textural images to share.  The first one is some kind of lichen (I think...?), that I found growing on a tree.  The tendrils remind me of some of the fuzzier yarns I have seen.

This next photo shows a decaying tree stump, with cracks and smooth, patterned depressions (carved out by some sort of bug...?).  It fascinated me.

I see texture in clusters of flowers, too.  Here is an example:

I enjoy the pebbles on the beach, or even just in a neighbor's yard.  I'm not sure if I'm more drawn to the texture or the color here!

Speaking of the beach, I found these shiny bubbles contrasted against the coarse, dark sand:

 And here is foam on the water, reminding me of a damask tablecloth:

Here is more texture on water--isn't it beautiful?

And of course, I must include some pictures of the ubiquitious glowing leaves--see the different sizes and shapes?

Of course, leaves don't have to glow to get my attention:

Even in the winter, they can distract me from my walk:

By now, I'm sure you thoroughly pity anyone who has ever had the unpleasant and tedious duty of taking me for a walk.  Kudos to my youngest, who has borne the brunt of the burden for a number of years, now, with patience and grace!