“Seashell Burst” and Other Archetypal Forms

I call this image "Shell Burst" because it reminds me of the proverbial "Sunburst."  The sun has been a metaphor on numerous levels for the human species since the beginning of time, so it seems to follow that any image resembling a sunburst might conjure subconscious archetypes.  This closeup of a gorgeous fluted conch in relation to an adjacent shell makes a meditative still life that to me, is a tribute to nature's gorgeous diversity.
I am impressed by the delicate ridges of shell that encircle the center, and I'm reminded of the repeating, self-mirroring forms in nature that are expressed in the mathematical algorithms of fractals as well as in so many natural forms.  The self-replicating forms of ferns and other plants are perfect examples of the impressive genetic codes that determine each species of life on earth, and the same majestic display of order within diversity goes on at the highest heights of mountains as well as in the depths of the oceans that comprise our globe.
What are some of your favorite examples of repeating forms?


Note: You can click on each photo to see a larger version. All images and text on this blog are copyrighted material, and may be used only with written permission, except where syndication rights have been granted. All other rights reserved. Please visit my sites listed in my sidebar if you would like to see my paintings and more of my photography and digital art, or make a purchase.

Earth's Ever-Present Voice

Broken Conch - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Peculiar Mix - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Stranded - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Shell Heap - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Basking on the Boulders - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Surf - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Flap and Flutter - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Alone in the Surf - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Earth's Ever-Present Voice

Nature speaks
and I must listen.

In inklings and intimations
She speaks to me,
diffuse and subtle
yet powerful and sure.

Her Voice comes in the
crunch of gravel and seashells underfoot,
in the hissing of sand
blowing sideways across the beach
in a gale
that stings my ankles
and whirls away.

Her Voice is in the
rakish angle of an emerging fin:
a diver following his own Muse,
deep underwater in
ironic search for treasure.

Her Voice is in the arc and call
of seagulls circling shoals
for late-day food
and even in the roaring engine of a lobster boat
making headway towards the shore.

Her Voice is in the sparkle of
quartz-laden pebbles
strewn on the beach,
each etched with its own
pattern of experience,

smoothed but striated,
glistening with minerals
while soaking in Eons,
the wear of centuries

and in the tumult
of children playing on the beach,
their laughter ringing
on the teasing wind.

Her Voice rises on the foaming tide
as it sweeps the shore,
engulfing seaweed, shards of glass and
millions of grains of sand.

Her Voice rises on the
scream of the gull
diving at the jetty,
extending its claws to claim a place
on the crusted rocks,

and in the flickering of sunlight
on all the detritus and
natural objects of the shore.

Her Voice is in
the singing of my heart
as I absorb
infinite dimensions of splendor

and in the stirring of my soul,
reveling in the
wildness and the freedom.

It is the Voice of Earth
calling to me
in intimations and inklings,
subtle and tentative
but always sure.

I must stop and listen.

Questions for My Blogging Friends: Is this poem too long? Should I cut a verse or two? Do you find the repetition of the phrase "Her Voice" to be boring or cumbersome? Your advice would be deeply appreciated! I look forward to any constructive comments, both positive and negative. Thanks for your visit!

All images and poem c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Sibilant Songs of the Shoreline: Surf, Shells, Seagulls, Sand, and Sky

Early Bird - Image c Lynda Lehmann 2010

Winging It - Image c Lynda Lehmann 2010

Feeding Time - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Alone Among Strangers - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Anticipation - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Blue Sky, Blue Water - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Nested in the Sand - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Gull Walk - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Beach Baubles - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

Inevitable Beauty - Image c 2010 Lynda Lehmann

What's sibilant at the seashore? The hissing of the foaming surf, the shrill screeching of gulls, the satisfying intervals of silence and solitude.

Okay, you've got me. The words I've used to DESCRIBE those natural phenomena are instances of sibilance, whereas the phenomena themselves, are not.

Nevertheless, every time I go to the beach with my camera, nature reveals her little secrets to me, sights and sounds and smells (there I go again) that fill me with joy. It seems that by looking through my camera lens, I've made a pact with beauty. Each time I see more than the time before. No exotic foreign scenes, just everyday sights of the shoreline. Each time, I feel so rich and enriched: my cup of beauty is full again!

I see the entire animal kingdom in the clannish squawking chatter of the gulls, moving mostly in unison against the waves, in vigilant outlook for their next meal. I see the cosmos in a brightly colored scattering of shells, the treasures of ages in a golden, iridescent conch half buried in the sand.

It's an addiction. Framing an image in your viewfinder or LCD screen can do two things. It can actually insulate you from the walking/hiking experience because you loose yourself in the intention of getting satisfying photographs to document the experience you're only HALF having, lol....

Or, by the concentration of your focus on aspects and segments of the surrounding environment, you actually sense and see MORE of it! Most of the time it's a wash (no pun intended) and what I lose in the directness of the experience, I'm compensating for by the poignant visual moments--those shining little moments of thrilling epiphany--in which I entirely lose myself. Nature spins its magic around me and I'm in FLOW for as long as I go with it.

At one point I had hundreds of gulls taking wing around me--and for a moment I was immersed in a universe of fluttering wings whose "whooshing" sound filled the beach and drowned out the crashing of waves and the hiss of sea-foam. (As you can imagine, I was immensely grateful that none of them dropped on me...)

I watched in awe (through my lens) as one sedate gull was knocked over backwards by a wave. He had to use his wings to straighten himself and scramble back into his sitting position. If a gull can look surprised and flustered, I think he did! But maybe I'm anthropomorphizing too much....

I've been carrying my tripod lately. It becomes quite heavy to lug over long distances on sand or muddy trails. But it's worth the benefit of better photo quality--and I'm finally training myself to carrying it religiously. I've been shooting at narrow apertures, as small as F 11 and even F 16 on sunny days, to facilitate depth of field. Although JPG noise continues to be a problem, even when I use a noise filter in the processing.

Here are a few of the many images I shot the other day. My favorite shots are "Anticipation," "Nested in the Sand" and "Blue Sky, Blue Water." My greatest joy is finding beauty and tranquility in everyday scenes, including local beaches and parks. Most of us are fortunate enough to have a park, or a stretch of forest, or a garden, somewhere nearby. Do you have a favorite sanctuary where you habitually go to find natural beauty and peace?

NOTE: I would like to thank all those of you who voted for my photo in the Newsday photo contest. I believe the winner had literally thousands of votes, and was a shot of a child hugging a marine mammal. I haven't been able to find it again to verify this, but it was an adorable and heartwarming photo, well deserving of the votes.

All images and text c Lynda Lehmann. If you would like to view more of my art or make a purchase, please visit Lynda Lehmann Painting and Photography or my gallery at Imagekind, where you can choose from several sizes and paper types or buy my prints plain or matted and framed.

Sounds of Water

This short video presents sounds heard at the beach. First you will have to forbear the roar of a boat engine. But after that you will hear footsteps fading away on the spongy sand, the cries of seagulls and the sensuous, soothing sounds of flowing water. You can hear the peaceful sounds of children playing on nearby swings, their voices drifting in the background.

And of course, you can enjoy the patterns the water makes as it flows in from the open bay onto the beach, or over rocks and seashells. At one point, you can see the water flowing in an almost regular, diamond pattern, a configuration created by its deflection off the natural objects in its path. This makes me think of all the transferable and transforming energies in the universe, and patterns of physics, and those found in fractals....

You may notice at times, that the water seems to be bubbling out of the ground, perhaps from underground springs as much as from local drainage patterns.

I love to watch the ribbons of sunlight reflected on the water's undulating surface, and changes in the texture and rhythm of the waves.

I hope you enjoy my little nature video. One day I'll make another version with better editing! At present, I haven't the slightest command of my video editing software, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from sharing a bit of nature's beauty.