I have often expressed that I have a hard time naming photos or artworks. Today, I spent hours playing with some of my images that I posted on my other site ART BY RITVA. It feels like I spent the same amount of time naming it. I had options like Menopause and Hot Flash, but I ended up with “Magnified Elegance”. This is the final version at this time.
Naming means an extra layer of meaning and context to the piece. The title can give the viewer insight into the intention or create a different emotional response. All in all, naming artworks is an art in itself and can be just as fulfilling as creating the piece, but it is not for me, it is a pain in the butt.
If interested, check the post and see my other color versions of it. It’s truly a delightful process to work color schemers of my artworks that is what I really enjoy.
As stated summer is a state of mind and age is just a number.
Usually we are somewhere in warmer weather at this time of the year, away from the cold and dark winter, we usually fly to catch some sun, D- vitamins and new places to be refreshed and relaxed. And when we come you can already notice the increased light that is more visible in February.
Well you need the catch the rays where every you can. 😂
Ann-Christine has tasked us with illustrating a favorite quote or poem. I also did this, and in the end decided to enter my other take as an entry to Lens-Artists Challenge, but since I had already done this I decided to post it separately
I selected this quote to convey positivity. We all need a little bit of that in our lives. I added few more smiles than requested, but it is a smile ☺ of joy.
“Laughter and smiles are essential factors in a joyous life” ~Maya Angelou
Happy faces and lovely smiles are like rays of sunshine on a cloudy day, illuminating the world with their warmth and brightness. The simple act of smiling has the power to uplift spirits, spread joy, and create a ripple of positivity. When we encounter a genuine smile, it’s as if a little piece of happiness has been shared with us, making the day feel a little brighter and the heart a little lighter.
I have shared this image before, but now edited the tone of the shot and also made a monochrome copy of it. What I like about this is the father’s traditional shoes – his whole style of dressing compared the the children walking with him.
I took this shot several years ago in Paris, but something in it appeals to me. I think the leading lines, depth of field and composition works. Too much analyzing 🙂 ?
He presses his finger against the glass And marvels at the colors that swim past He wonders what they think and feel And if they know he’s watching them He wants to join them in their underwater realm He is happy with joy
I have a soft spot for black and white photography, it is expressive and minimalist in and very mood enhancing.
For the last six days my son was visiting with the youngest of our grandsons, so I have not been very active here, as there was someone wanting attention. An so much more cooking to do than normally.
I did get a chance to get some photographs taken, as I had a lovelu and cute boy to aim my camera to. After the first time, he said to me: Mummi, if these are not good we can take more tomorrow. (Mummi – grandma in Finnish)
and we did the light in my bedroom was better than the the ones I took in the living room. He is a good sport, and a real pro in front of the camera. After some shot he would say to me, let me see? and came to look at the shots on the camera. I am not going to post all of them the first time I took 90 frames and second time 125 frames. Most of them are OK.
“There is strong shadow where there is much light.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Boy, who can resist this smile!
“There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.”
Compare the color version versus the black and white one.
This last one was from the first time, we took in the evening and the light was low
It’s April and it still looks like winter, feels like winter even though next to a wall where the wind doesn’t blow you can feel the lovely warmth of the sun.
My grandson said to me, I will never forget the mountain next to your home 😀 ( it is a hill ) he always wants to climb it no matter what season it is. Today he conquered it with his father and grandpa
I have a soft spot for black and white photography, it is expressive and minimalist in and very mood enhancing.
Not finding the book you want? I had just done my civil duty at the library, voted. I sat waiting for my husband to lend some books.
I liked the line of the windows and the shelves making a leading line. So I set the camera -phone to the floor level and took this photo of three people, they seemed to be nicely situated in also in this lowpoint photo. I also got a shot of the person sitting by the desk reading.
“The eye is always caught by light, but shadows have more to say.” ~ Gregory Maguire
two men and books
“There is strong shadow where there is much light.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
A boy
“There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.”
Compare to edit, color versus black and white version. But I also with the shadows.
We went toenjoy a day at the beach. There we also saw these girls posing on the beach, slightly different kind of photos they were aiming for. They were well aware of lots of people taking photos of them. I even got direct looks and smiles 🙂 I took few and had fun editing them in different styles.
I have a soft spot for black and white photography, I also have a sweet spot for tmy grandkids. I can sit for hours and I watch them play and fight…no thats not true, I cannot watch them fight 🙂 I end up telling them to stop.
They are lively and to get them to sit down and giving me a chance to get a photograph of them is not that easy. This time I did not give them an opportunity to refuse. I sat them by thhe window so I could use the natural light and get nice contrast and shadows, Then I edited them in this moody way, I know childrens photos are not usually edited this way, but I liked them. What do you think?
Portrait #1
“There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.”
I have a soft spot for black and white photography, I was once again reminded about the importance of exposure, light. It is the key element in these photos.
There’s so much grey to every story – nothing is so black and white.
Roy’s solo rendition of “Crying” that night was flawless. Lang pours even more emotion into that song than he did in her subsequent solo performances of it, and her voice is unbelievably clear and strong. Two spectacular talents.
ArtByRitva – Crying
I was alright for a while I could smile for a while But I saw you last night, you held my hand so tight As you stopped to say, “Hello” Oh, you wished me well, you couldn’t tell
That I’d been crying over you Crying over you Then you said, “So long” Left me standing all alone Alone and crying
Roy Orbison was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as operatic. Many of Orbison’s songs conveyed vulnerability at a time when most male rock-and-roll performers chose to project machismo. He performed while standing motionless and wearing black clothes to match his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses, which he wore to counter his shyness and stage fright.
k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter A mezzo-soprano,Lang has contributed songs to movie soundtracks and has collaborated with many musicians. I love her voice.
At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!
At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!
I am getting desperate, but I am crabbing to straws….Melanie or Melanie Safka, is an American singer-songwriter.
With her sweet, captivating voice, quirky yet insightful songwriting and bubbly, upbeat, free-spirited hippie persona, pop and folk singer/songwriter Melanie totally epitomized the whole “flower power” counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s.
Oh, I wish that I could find a good book to live in Oh, I wish that I could find a good book Well, if I could find a real good book I’d never have to come out and look at What they’ve done to my song
At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!
Today I am taking an easy way out AGAIN , I have spent so much time listening to music I like and find a song to go with it, and it is hard. I like wine, and I Like UB40 Red Red Wine!
I actually thought I’d have tons of pictures of wine, but surprisingly I didn’t. Have to drink some more to get few photos 🙂
The song in my opinion says what we need today – Red Wine
At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!
Today I am taking an easy way out, I have spent so much time listening to music I like and find a song to go with it, today well I have photos and will find easily a song to go with them. Viva Las Vegas! Song for my old hometown
So if I assume we all know Elvis Presley 🙂 Iwon’t be wrong
At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!
HIM (sometimes stylized as H.I.M.) was a Finnish gothic rock band from Helsinki. Music critics have referred to the music of HIM as gothic rock, gothic metal, alternative rock, alternative metal.
Oh girl we are the same We are young and lost and so afraid There’s no cure for the pain No shelter from the rain All our prayers seem to fail
In joy and sorrow my home’s in your arms
In world so hollow It is breaking my heart In joy and sorrow my home’s in your arms In world so hollow It is breaking my heart
The band has referred to its music as “love metal”, the title of the group’s fourth studio album. According to Ville Valo, the term “love metal” was coined as a response to people having difficulties categorizing HIM’s music. Regarding HIM’s reputation as a “goth band”, Valo stated: “We can’t do anything about that [label], but I think we are a special shade of goth, more tender than others. In Finnish tradition, our music is very melancholic.”Valo has also described HIM’s sound as “sentimental, hard-hitting rock music”. The band’s intent has always been to combine more melodic and melancholic elements, with its heavier influences.
Lyrically the songs of HIM largely deal with themes of love. According to Valo: “I feel like there is no subject more important for a song than relationships. It’s the only thing that moves me.”Valo also takes inspiration from literature, but only certain aspects of it, explaining: “As a guy who writes songs, I get excited about an idea, or a book, or a sentence. I don’t necessarily get excited about the whole of Tolkien, I just get excited about Uruk-hai. Just a little detail that just makes my mind work overdrive.” Valo’s lyrics have been described as “oozing with blood-dripping hearts and gothic melodrama”.
At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!
Thinkin’ about the world as it is Why must we go on hating? Why can’t we live in bliss?
Yusuf/Cat Stevens wrote “Peace Train” as a call for unity and understanding on his storied Teaser and the Firecat album of 1971.
Now I’ve been happy lately Thinking about the good things to come And I believe it could be Something good has begun Oh, I’ve been smiling lately Dreaming about the world as one And I believe it could be Someday it’s going to come
Now I’ve been crying lately Thinkin’ about the world as it is Why must we go on hating? Why can’t we live in bliss?
‘Cause out on the edge of darkness There rides a peace train Oh, peace train take this country Come take me home again
Oh, peace train sounding louder Glide on the peace train
At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!
Jukka “J.” Karjalainen is a Finnish singer-songwriter. His first album came out in 1981.”He states that his music is a mix of “Blues, Rock´n´roll, Folk, Country, Soul, Funky, New Orleans stuff.”
Karjalainen is one of Finland’s most popular singers and songwriters of all time. Karjalainen is one of the most significant pioneers and developers of 1980s Finnish rock.
Karjalainen has written and composed all the songs he has recorded, with a few exceptions. Karjalainen started his recording career with blues, folk and country-influenced music, which was colored by the brass instruments of the Mustat Lasit group with their soul tones. In the 1990s, he moved into a more pop- and rock-influenced direction
At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!
Baker Street, I have no photos of that street, but I went to Helsinki during the weekend and these are from there. Also a dream of countryside This was very popular back when I lived in Australia, so it always brings back memories from that period of time.
Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty wrote it for his second solo album City to City, released in 1978.
Named after Baker Street in London, Rafferty wrote it during a period when he was trying to get out of his Stealers Wheel contracts. He was regularly travelling between his family home in Paisley and London, where he often stayed at a friend’s flat on Baker Street. Everybody was suing each other, so I spent a lot of time on the overnight train from Glasgow to London for meetings with lawyers. I knew a guy who lived in a little flat off Baker Street. We’d sit and chat or play guitar there through the night.
This city desert makes you feel so cold It’s got so many people, but it’s got no soul And it’s taken you so long To find out you were wrong When you thought it held everything
He’s got this dream about buying some land He’s gonna give up the booze and the one-night stands And then he’ll settle down In some quiet little town And forget about ev’rything
At the ‘How to Survive November‘ monthly theme we will combine photo and sound. You can select a piece of music to your taste and find a photo to portray the song or you can make a drawing, painting or collage. The picture can be from your archives or you can get it fresh. Enjoy and have fun!
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography 