[Categories: Photography, Photography 101 Forever
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The Lens Artists Challenge is hosted this week by Miriam.
Guest host Miriam invites us to reflect: “I am fascinated by the reflection photographs in the lakes, the rivers, the building windows, the sunglasses, the mirrors, and the puddles.
Consider, if you will, an additional side reflection. Synonymic, perhaps. Meditation, rumination, deliberation, cogitation, contemplation, observation, opinion, consideration. Why so many -ion’s? A pursuit of study for another time perhaps.
Contemplation, and brooding thought, is what I have in mind. In a serious vein. Just don’t take me seriously, no one else does.
Reflected paving stones recede in the distance, overlaid with a fraternity brother’s name (Patrick Scully) inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. He believed in what we were fighting for, was off to join the war, and was dead less than a year later. ‘…as of May 2018 there were 58,320 names…’ on the wall. “The horror… the horror…” Col. Kurtz, movie Apocalypse Now, loosely based on the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.
Next, an empty chair sits in the ‘observation corner’ of a house, no longer occupied by a great friend and a great thinker, who departed suddenly and prematurely in life. One never knows…
To me the following sculpture reflects the pathos of loss. It is The Lion Monument or the Lion of Lucerne, in Lucerne Switzerland.
The furrowed brow and look of pain exhibits a sadness:
Ah well, don’t get too down about all this. Just consider, if you will… for a moment or two.
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Do you follow the well-marked path or the road less-traveled?
Enjoy.
Kudos to the tireless leaders of the weekly Lens-Artists challenge.
I like the philosophy as well as the photography of this post, John. The furrowed brow of lion monument tells a great story.
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Thank you Miriam.
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You’re welcome, John.
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Love the lion sculpture.
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I think it is an impressive sculpture.
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Yes.
Thanks for sharing.
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A moment of contemplation can be very good for us John, as long as we don’t let it overwhelm us. Your post is a lovely tribute to those gone too soon. You’re right….live every day, one never knows.
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Thank you Tina.
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Reflection makes us stronger, doesn’t it. Opens up more pathways in our consciousness, grows us some wisdom (hopefully). Not at all the same as brooding I feel. Thank you for this thoughtful post, John.
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Thank you for your contemplation!
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🙂
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Thank you, John, for a thoughtful post. Love your approach…and the Lion of Lucerne is a great favorite. I remember standing there for some long minutes, contemplating the beauty of the sculpture. And the sorrow emitted. You also mention one of my absolute favorite novels – or one of the books that have impressed me most – Heart of Darkness. Thank you.
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Thank you for your thoughtful comments.
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You’ve captured the lion perfectly in that last shot, John.
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Thank you Sue.
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Your thoughts makes me pause at each photo and just like that, they become extraordinary. The lion really looked in pain . I wonder what his story was?
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You can find the Lion of Lucerne story on the internet.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Monument
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Swiss guards, France, French Revolution and the sad lion. Thank you John for that link. It was very informative.
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