Mmm… Madeira once more! My husband bought us tickets for one more trip to Madeira – the hiking paradise of our youth. There are endless hiking possibilities along the levadas carrying water to the city. The scent, the sound, the solitude. Unforgettable.
This is only a short Thursday entry, because there will be more posts from this charming island.
The last time I was there was with my children and my mother. We walked several levadas, not the most difficult ones, because my mother was 75 – but even if she was agile, I wanted us to be safe. And she loved it. Our forest walks at home used to be frequent and long. But, in Madeira the added sound of water swirling in the levadas is very soothing.
As in Portugal in general, the Azulejos are beautiful history tellers.
A must was always the Botanical Garden – and other gardens of course. Madeira is a flower Paradise – so there are many reasons for loving this island. Every time we visited, there was a new pattern in this open space. This summer it was geometrical.
A visit to the museum of their greatest son, Cristiano Ronaldo, was of course a must for my husband. But I rather enjoyed it too. The statue of CR was much debated when it was set up. I must say I didn’t like it then, but the one we saw here couldn’t have been the same – it looked much more like him now. Maybe they had to make a new one because of all the criticism??
Finally, the promenade we have walked so many times. It was good to see it again. Walk it again. Even if the city had changed very much in later years, this part felt warm and familiar.
Thank you for walking with me, there will be more of levadas, gardens and city walks in a couple of Thursday posts. Looking back sometimes is good for the overall perspective of your life.
Happy July 4 to you who celebrate, and hope you all are having a beautiful week!
By definition atmosphere is always what the individual objects that occupy places are not. Light, air, materials and sound.
– Stefan Vujić
Atmospheric is the character, feeling, or mood of a place or situation. It might be the mood of the mist, the collusion of clouds, or just a stunning structure. Ambience is another word for the mood a place or setting has.
The kind of music I like depends very much on my mood. – Frida Lyngstad
Let’s start with the ”natural” mood settings. A summer sunset by the sea settles your mind. It doesn’t have to be blue colours – grey is perfect too. And the sound of the waves plays an important part. Somehow I believe we search for the surroundings that lifts or matches our own mood.
Love is the flower you’ve got to let grow. – John Lennon
Love is in the air. Maybe your man or your lady brings you flowers, sets the table and lights the candles to welcome you… Although I believe atmosphere is not as pragmatic as it is poetic.
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. – Aristotle
Yesterday’s late Autumn walk with silent friends. Mist is mostly an autumnal fenomenon, created by the warmth of the day and the chill of the night. But, we’ll stick to the poetic mood. The soft light and the quietly munching sheep set my mood right for the end of the day.
I like the muted sounds, the shroud of grey, and the silence that comes with fog. – Om Malik
By the sea, Autumn brings many days of fog rolling in. In me it creates both a tension and a feeling of being hidden from the outside, troubled world. It is an inward looking mood.
Don’t tell me how good you make it; tell me how good it makes me when I use it. – Leo Burnett
Advertising is good at creating perfect atmospheres for us to take the bait…We visited a big beer company in Amsterdam – I don’t have to say which one… Instead of showing the process (which we got a professional presentation of in Ireland with another company), we were presented with a full show with party light and music. And beer. I guess it was all for engaging the younger generation.
While we still are in the mood for a party – let’s add a carnival mood too!
Like sunshine, music is a powerful force that can instantly and almost chemically change your entire mood. – Michael Franti
In September we went to Amstedam for the Dahlia Festival, where every piece of the pageant was made of dahlias (except the carriages). A fiest for both eyes and ears. Happy people makes happy spectators! (Find some mischievous happiness in the header/opener, where some boys enjoyed shooting water at us from a bridge.)
I have lived with several Zen masters—all of them cats. – Eckhart Tolle
For atmosphere and mood – this was a perfect setting at the Cat museum in Amsterdam. A combination of light, art, furniture and details. And if you know some cat lovers, cats on the table is not unfamiliar. Real cats too… I guess you have noticed there is a special atmosphere where there is a pet in the house? The first thing you will see (except for Milo) when you visit My home, is a sign saying: ”A home without a dog is just a house.” But, I assure you he is not allowed on the table…
Perhaps I am old-fashioned, but black and white films still hold an affectionate place in my heart; they have an incomparable mystique and mood. – Ginger Rogers
As a photographer, you might also use the possibility of setting the mood you want in your pictures – either with the natural environment, lamps, software or other means. An easy way is just converting a photo into B&W or sepia tones to set another mood, like this theater photo. I could almost see Greta Garbo and Clark Gable passing by in the lobby…
I love kids. I just love kids. They put you in a good mood and they are so full of life. – Carmen Electra
Very little changes can make a difference too. A park in Amsterdam housed some rabbits for the children. I smiled as I saw this little girl, who so gently patted her friend. An animal lover with the right feeling. I could easily see myself at her age.
By desaturating the colours a bit, I felt the photo fitted both my own nostalgic mood and the warmth between these two friends.
I hope you will be in the mood to join this challenge (pun intended) – as we search for special atmospheres you have met or created. A big thank you to Patti for making us see beauty everywhere – and somehow I feel this week’s challenge is a natural way to follow up. Mood and atmosphere are very individually seen, but so is beauty. I am looking forward to seeing your posts! Be sure to link to my original post and to include the “lens-artists” tag so we can find your images.
Next week Sofia will lead us, please go to her lovely blog for more inspiration! Until then, stay calm and kind.
I was truly inspired after the visit to Sofiero – here is some more of this!
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What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are time and light.
— John Berger
Backlighting is dramatic. It often creates silhouettes, yellow halos around the subject, and/or a brilliantly bright background.
Therefore, backlighting is great if you want to create stunning, eye-catching effects. Here are a handful of specific images you can make with backlighting: Street and portrait silhouettes, bird-in-flight silhouettes, portraits and macros with beautiful background bokeh, landscape silhouettes and sunset/sunrise landscapes.
One of my favourite subjects for backlit photography is flowers. Then I rely on the sun as the light source.
Essentially what photography is is life lit up.
— Sam Abell
However, the sun is not always shining…and some plants bloom only when it is dark, so this night blooming cactus was lit up from behind with a soft lamp.
Another favourite is autumn leaves and autumn scenery. Some years we have very little sun and/or little colours in the leaves, but when everything comes together – the results can be stunning.
Winter offers different possibilities when there is snow and ice. Light and shadow can show off for example fur, uneven ground and a shining layer of frost or snow on top.
If we look at things where backlighting is a must, we will find for example aquariums, various screens (phone, TV, computer, camera, etc…). Stained glass windows are perfect examples of how backlight always have been used. And they are still, today, eye-catching beauties.
The camera is much more than a recording apparatus, it is a medium via which messages reach us from another world.
— Orson Welles
Backlight is a versatile instrument in making pictures really come alive, even if they are only silhouettes or very dark. For landscapes it can be magical.
I am not interested in shooting new things – I am interested to see things new.
— Ernst Haas
My home and my garden are always in my lens – and often in backlight. If you photograph the same things every year, you must vary your approach!
Photography is a love affair with life.
— Burk Uzzle
Finally, I was presented with some lovely roses from my husband last week – I could not leave you without them! The sun is shining in through my windows, and on top of that, I made a double exposure.
Many thanks to Patti for having us try Still Life last week – a really challenging subject, but we all rose to the occation! So many interesting and unusual answers!
Now I hope to have given you a taste of backlit photography, and we are looking forward to seeing your images and posts. Tag with Lens-Artists and link to my original post. Hope to see you soon, but until then, please be as kind as ever to others – and to yourself.
Next week it is Sofia who is hosting on the theme Mood. Places, photography styles, situations or portraits where moods are recognisable.
Leya 
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