WabiSabi
Imperfect, but poetic in its beauty
Imperfect, but poetic in its beauty
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Sep, 2023Views
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Awards
Top Pick 2023
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
I walked into a friend's house because we were meeting for a lunch and it was my turn to drive. This sad little plant was in her living room and I was immediately drawn to its eastern Asian feel. I have a weekly photo assignment with another photography group and the week's assignment happened to be imperfect beauty or "Wabi Sabi" (??), the Japanese concept of finding the beauty in the imperfect and transient. My friend lives in Ocala, Florida.Time
Because my friend and I were meeting for lunch, this was taken at 11:30 in the morning with the full Florida sun streaming through her front window, but filtered by her gauzy drapes.Lighting
The sun in Florida has been relentless this summer but as soon as we turned the page to September on the calendar, the days seemed to cool a bit. There were no overhead clouds on this day so the sun streamed through the front window (immediately to the left of this houseplant), but filtered by the white, gauzy drapes which softened the light.Equipment
It's said the best camera you have is the one you have with you. I wasn't planning on spending time photographing during the afternoon because I was meeting my friend for lunch. Consequently, I was thankful to have my cellphone with me to take this picture. I have an Apple iPhone 14 ProMax. The picture was handheld and no flash was used.Inspiration
I always have my current photography assignment at the forefront of my mind because I have a fear that I will not be able to meet the weekly assignment requirements before the end of the week. I was thinking about traveling to an abandoned building later in the week to capture some images but when I saw this at my friend's house, I think I almost squealed with delight. It just seemed so perfect in its Zen feel. I pictured Japanese watercolor paintings on bamboo paper so I took out my phone from my pocket and starting shooting away.Editing
There were larger, droopy leaves all along the now naked stalk that I removed in post because I thought they detracted from the smaller leaves at the end of the stalk. This image seems less busy, more purposeful.In my camera bag
My cellphone is almost ALWAYS with me.Feedback
I didn't plan this shoot but I am thrilled to have encountered it in the course of my day. Be open to happenstance and take advantage of beauty wherever you may find it.
