Month: September 2013

Weekly Photo Challenge: From Lines to Patterns

/ esteban / 2 Comments

I’m back with another try at the Weekly Photo Challenge from dailypost.wordpress.com.  This week the challenge is “From Lines to Patterns.”

From lines to patterns. We see lines and patterns in the world around us, in nature and things man-made. Sometimes we don’t realize they’re there: on the street, across the walls, up in the sky, and along the ground on which we walk.

Today’s challenge is inspired by Evan Zelermyer‘s stunning urban, abstract, and architectural images from his “Shape, Line, Texture, Pattern” post published earlier this week. I’d love to see your interpretations of these elements, so grab your camera, get outside, and snap a great shot of shapes or lines that you stumble upon, or a cool texture or pattern that catches your eye.

 

The photo you see above, attached to this post, was taken at last weekend’s Redman Triathlon, held in Oklahoma City. What you see is part of the corridor that lead from the biking transition area onto the marathon course.  I thought the shadows through the plastic fencing, as the setting sun cast shadows through it, was an interesting pattern.

I was in OKC with my friend Mark Steichen to encourage my godson Jon Mills as he competed in his first “iron-distance” (I hope I used the term correctly) triathlon, a crazy 2.4 mile swim, SONY DSCfollowed by a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a full 26.2 mile marathon.  It was terrific to be there with Jon’s family and friends to cheer him on, on a beautiful late summer day.

Jon has been such an inspiration to me.  I met him during my first years as a campus minister at the University of Tulsa, where he was a student.  Over the years it’s been my privilege to see Jon grow in so many ways, including tackling the rigors of medical school, getting married and starting a wonderful family.   Jon was my volunteer swim coach for a few years as I tried to improve my skills (i.e. not drown), and he allowed me the honor of being his sponsor when he joined the Church.

So even though the photo of the shadow lines is really nothing special, it symbolizes for me how the lines and lives of people crisscross over time.

Weekly Photo Challenge: An Unusual POV

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I’ve been vacationing in New Mexico this week, in the areas of Santa Fe, Taos, and Abiquiu.  I was born in New Mexico and next to Oklahoma, it’s my favorite state.

This was the perfect place to try this week’s photo challenge from the folks over at The Daily Post @ WordPress.com.  This week the challenge is “An Unusual POV“, (point of view, that is):

Challenge yourself to rethink your ideas about what subjects are appropriate, and then challenge yourself again to find an unusual perspective on your subject.

Go out and take photos and share a shot that reveals a new and different POV.

 

Part of my time was spent in Santa Fe, thanks to a free place to stay courtesy of my good friends Matthew and Tracy Pepper.  A free place here is not an insignificant thing, especially since my visit coincided with Las Fiestas, a 300+ year old annual event that celebrates the peaceful return of the Spanish after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.   I’ll write about that in another post, but let’s just say that it added to the iconic opportunities to take photos for this challenge.

I also spent a few days at Christ in the Desert Monastery, deep in a canyon near Abiquiu.  The area, famous as the home of painter Georgia O’Keefe, is absolutely stunning in its natural beauty, solitude, and spirituality.

I took a lot of photos during my week here, trying to keep an eye out for “unusual points of view.”  The photos you’ll see on this post are the best that I could come up with.  I have to say that this really did challenge me.  What I saw in my head was in many cases not realized by the photo.  I still have much to learn.

The one that I think is the best is the one at the top of this post.  I gave it the title “Take My Hand.”  You can also see it in the gallery below.  It is the statue of St. Francis of Assisi that stands just outside the Cathedral Basilica, just off the main plaza in Santa Fe.

Vote for the Runner-up!

The shots in the gallery below are some of my other attempts at unusual points of view.  I encourage you to pick your favorite as the “runner up” by leaving a comment on this post.  Be sure to let me know what in particular you like about it.  I think it will help me improve my technique for these types of shots.

Vianney Day in Halopa – Videos

/ esteban

A few weeks ago I wrote about a hike by the students and staff of St. Fidelis Seminary into the mountains to the village of Halopa.  This was to honor the feast of St. Jean Vianney, the patron saint of priests.  You can read that post here.

I promised then to post some video of that time with the villagers of Halopa.  I had to re-edit this after my first attempt to upload to Vimeo because I hit some size limit on the file.

I wanted to share as much of this as I could with you, to give you a sense of what it was like to be guests of the village and what the Mass, especially the music, was like.  I ended up splitting the video into two parts, which you will see embedded below.

Papua New Guineans are very proud of their culture, and the unique culture of their village.  You’ll see this expressed throughout.  Some people may roll their eyes at the dress of the people, and the processions during the Mass, but I’ve come to appreciate how important some of these things are to bridging the gap between very different cultures.

The hike up and down the mountain to Halopa was very tough, but the time spent in the village was really great. I’m happy to share it with you here.

Vianney Day – Halopa – Part 1

 

Vianney Day – Halopa – Part 1 from Steve Nelson on Vimeo.

 

Vianney Day – Halopa – Part 2

Vianney Day – Halopa – Part 2 from Steve Nelson on Vimeo.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Sea

/ esteban / 5 Comments

I’m a newbie to the Weekly Photo Challenge, thanks to my friend Maria who clued me into the idea.  You can see her posts here. This week’s challenge:

Sea. What kind of emotions does the sea or ocean make you feel? Do you remember the first time you went in the water? Had a wave crash on you? Felt the sand burn your feet? Do you feel more peaceful around water? Do you hate the beach? What’s the most interesting thing about the sea for you?

I took this theme as a challenge to go out and shoot some new shots that reflect “sea”.  Being far from the ocean here in Oklahoma, our “seas” are the wide open plains and grasslands.  I call this shot “Haybergs,” hopefully suggesting a little bit of the feeling of openness and solitude one feels when standing on a secluded beach.  

Yeah, that’s a bit of stretch for any real ocean/beach lovers who might be reading this.  Work with me folks!

As you may know, I just returned from eight months of living/teaching on the north coast of Papua New Guinea.  The ocean was literally less than 75 yards from my room at the school.  However, I have to confess that the ocean has never touched me the way it does others.  It’s too lonely for me, although there are times when a sense of solitude and oblivion can only be had when standing on a beach with the waves rolling in.

I much prefer the mountains which always seem full of life, full of potential, and the awesome touch of God.   I like being able to totally immerse myself in it.  Without always getting wet, that is! I do like taking photos of the ocean, though.  

Here’s a montage of some of my shots from Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.