Shadow Shot Sunday: Dogwood Park

As British Columbia's main port, Vancouver attracts immigrants from every part of the world, many of them coming from South Asia. In countless neighbourhoods, including my own, this migration is reflected in the numerous nationalities that co-mingle on our streets.  

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I love living in the midst of this cultural diversity, and particularly enjoy when my Indian friends and co-workers prepare for weddings by decorating their hands and feet with mehndi. There is a unique and striking beauty to the art of drawing patterns and designs with henna that is simply breathtaking.

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On a recent walk through Dogwood Park in nearby South Surrey, my attention was caught by the dappled shadows that patterned the dusty trails. 

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They struck me as being

 similar to mehndi,

 though paling by

comparison with 

the complexity and

detail found in

the traditional

Asian adornment.

 

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This off-leash dog park is

 a favourite for our Sunday

 jaunts. The lacy canopy 

offers wonderful shade

from the hot summer

 sun, a treat for dogs

and people alike

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If dogs could smile,

you would see

Meeghan with a

grin on her face

every minute of

the time we spend

 in this park!

For a variety of wonderful shadow shots, do stop by Hey, Harriet and check out Tracy's Shadow Shot Sunday. You'll be very glad you did...

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http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/

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Arizona Shadows

Those of us with restless souls have our bucket list of places to see before we die, corners of our wide and wonderful world that call out for us to experience them first hand. Travel can make home seem even sweeter when one returns from afar with hearts and minds made large by a glimpse into other lives.

 I was lucky enough to realize my number one dream of a lifetime when I got to Africa a few years ago, an experience that changed me irrevocably.

But wonder does not only exist in far-away lands…it can be close at hand or just a road trip away. Last year took me to a place I’ve yearned to visit since seeing photos of it that literally stole my breath away in astonishment.

 In northern Arizona, not far from the border of Utah lies Antelope Canyon, an extension of the glorious canyon lands for which Utah is renowned. Though I believe I have some facility with words, I can find none to properly describe the magic these slot canyons wove into my psyche for all time.

For now, I will allow these photos to speak for themselves, but I promise there is much more to come…

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I'm linking this post to Shadow Shot Sunday, hosted by the wonderful Tracy at the link below. You will find delights galore if you drop by for a visit...:)

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http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/

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Shadow Shot Sunday: Relics

 I like all things weathered and worn, (tilting swiftly into that category myself!).

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Where some in my neighbourhood are offended by this local property turned into a vehicle graveyard, I consider it a gluttonous feast for my photographer's eye!

Coming across it late one day with the afternoon sunlight slanting through the trees, and a dappled coat of shadows blanketing all, I shot frame after frame…as eager and pleased as if I’d found a palace to photograph!

Some time ago, I vehemently refused to sign a petition, begun in an effort to force the owner to clean up his lot...heaven forbid!

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 In my staid suburban enclave of subdivisions virtually indistinguishable from one another, this jewel of a yard adds a much-needed note of whimsy and individuality that stands out and makes one take notice.

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I say it’s time beauty at all ages was admired…even we weathered and worn relics need our day in the sun, after all!!

I'm linking this to Shadow Shot Sunday hosted by Tracy at Hey Harriet. I know you'd enjoy stopping by the link below to check out other shadow shots!

http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/

Shadow Shot Sunday: Utah Shadows

If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that I fell in love with Utah after a road trip there last year. Its breadth and topography left me gasping with awe at each turn of the road. In all my travels, I have never seen its like before...it is, quite simply, a photographer's dreamscape.


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Among many possibilities on the trip, Utah offered endless opportunities for shadow shots. The light had a radiant quality, clear and unfettered, that spun swirls of shadows across the red soil and undulating rock faces.

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It seems certain I will once more succumb to the call of these great canyons and cliffs, and the

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wide grassy valleys... I know I would never tire of watching shadows shift and form anew as the sun moves across the sky...

I am linking this post to Shadow Shot Sunday, hosted by the gracious Tracy. You can be assured of a treat for the eyes if you pop in for a visit!

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http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/
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Sandy Shadows

All week long, our little dog waits patiently for Sunday. While she is walked several times each day, Sundays are for adventure, given over to shady groves, woodland trails and the joy of new things to explore!
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We're fortunate to have many parks within easy reach. A favourite with us all is on the edge of the Fraser River, underneath the Patullo Bridge.

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Its main appeal is a huge mountain of sand that borders the park. It is not picturesque sand in an idyllic beach setting, but is strictly utilitaran...a great mound piled onto an empty lot in an industrial site to prepare the ground for construction.
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No matter...Meeghan and I love scampering through sandy dunes of any sort, (though it's more accurate to say she scampers and I plod clumsily behind her)!

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I love to watch as long afternoon

shadows mark deep, dark creases across the dunes. The drifting sand with its peaks and swirls mimics perfectly the landscape of the world's great deserts.

I grab my camera to get pictures of Meeghan as she and her shadow lope happily across the rippled sand.
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There is something about this sand that reminds me of the moon with its cool, pocked surface and oddly shaped formations. Of course, my imagination has a tendency to run away with itself.
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I see much beauty in this cluster of weeds, the light tracing spindly shadows outward from each plant, as if penned by a calligraphic hand.
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The shifting silver sand and sharp shadows are a perfect place to explore the play of light and dark that I so love.

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Many thanks to 'Hey, Harriet' for hosting this Sunday event! To see more shadowy shots, do drop by her page at...

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http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/

Egyptian Shadows

As my last post was of Egyptian skies, I thought to continue with more of this country's beauty for Shadow Shot Sunday.

There is a wonderful luminosity to the light in Egypt as it reflects off handhewn columns and ripples over sand underfoot. Everthing the sun touches here turns golden, contrasting sharply with the dim inner spaces that sunlight doesn't reach.

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Ancient temples are this photographers's dream, affording perfect studies in sun and shadow...

light against dark.

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The Temple of Horus at Edfu

I became fascinated by patterns formed as sunlight struck the ornate pillars and swept across deeply etched hieroglyphic images.
Kom Ombo Temple, Aswan

Moving along pillared halls was like walking with giants. I marvelled at the height and breadth of the columns, each one precisely carved by the master craftsmen who built these temples many centuries ago.
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Karnak Temple, Luxor

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Kom Ombo Temple, Aswan

As if the decorated columns were not sufficiently beautiful, they are topped by magnificent capitols,carved into breathtaking swirls and flourishes.
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These temples were once painted in brilliant royal hues of blue and red. Occasionally, one lifts one's eyes to spot a majestic falcon on an archway overhead, wings spread wide to protect his pharaoh, feathers still bearing traces of the blazing turquoise and gold that once made it soar.

How astounding it is to stand in these decorated halls built for the glorification of kings and gods!

Hypostyle Hall,

Temple of Luxor,

Luxor

Medinet Habu,

Mortuary Temple of Ramses III,

Luxor

Time and pollution have faded the brilliant colurs and worn gouges into the sandstone, but nothing will ever completerly diminish the magic or the magnificence of Ancient Egypt's treasures...

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Many thanks to 'Hey, Harriet' for hosting this Sunday event! To see more, do drop by her page at...
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http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/
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My Shadowy Self

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If truth be told, I often feel like a shadow of myself.

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I believe the real me to be bold, fearless and self-assured.

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Shadowy me is never quite sure if she’s good enough.. clever enough…so she hesitates, procrastinates and makes excuses.

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The real me trusts her talent and is able to produce work that is meaningful, be it a poem, a photograph or a small piece of art.

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Shadowy me vacillates and creates nothing she considers unique or worthwhile.
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There are those wonderful days when the two of me meld seamlessly into one. Together we become strong, connected and inspired…able to utilize the skills and knowledge gained from years of experience. The sense of living up to potential is surely one of life's greatest rewards.

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It is true that such days do not occur as frequently as I might like, seeming serendipitous in their random appearances. But I treasure them when they're here, and they have come more often this year, bolstered by the support of the creative, blogging community that has accepted me as one of their own.

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I will always be grateful for the large, generous and inclusive hearts that have helped me move out of the shadows and into the light...

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Many thanks to 'Hey, Harriet' for hosting this Sunday event! To see more, do drop by her page at...

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http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/

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My inspiration for these shots comes from the amazing Angela Cartwright. My photos are a mere shadow, (pardon the pun!) of her wonderful work. I advise a nice long visit to her site for a lovely dose of art and photography!

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http://acartwrightstudio.blogspot.com/

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Leafy Shadows

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I love everything about the Fall, from its crisp, cool air laced with the scent of wood-smoke to the brilliant array of colours our Canadian forests take on

as September works its magic

on the painted landscape.

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This is that perfect time when the old resides with the new. I can catch the russet hues of maple leaves pulling on their winter coats, or capture the quiet green cloaks many plants still wear since pulling them on in the spring.

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It is a brief interlude...a respite of short days, before long, chilly nights and cool winds cause my beloved leaves to curl up tightly into themselves,
and become mere shadows of their former glorious selves.

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In the face of impending and inevitable change, my camera and I do our part to capture the beauty of the changing Autumn landscape. Turn away for a moment, and it will be winter, with its own charms and challenges.

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The cyle of seasons is cause for celebration no matter which mantle Mother Nature dons, and I will always be there with my vain attempts to capure that breathtking beauty.

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As if such wonder could really be contained...
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Many thanks to 'Hey, Harriet' for hosting this Sunday event! To see more, do drop by her page at...

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http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/
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