Do You See What I See?

THIS FELLOW CAPTURED on a Gastown street in Vancouver, BC, was taking professional photographs of a model posing. All around him were more casual photographers eager to record moments in their lives and surroundings. More and more people take pictures because technology has made it so easy nowadays. I sometimes wonder what compels us not only take pictures but to show them ... sometimes to the entire world online. It seems we record our journey to store memories as well as expose the wonder and sometimes horror in our world. Some selfless photographers reveal atrocities towards people, animals and our environment through their pictures. There is also art in the natural world when ordinary things become accidental paintings when given a second look through the lens of a camera. Here are a few photos I took mostly of common scenes that from my perspective have a touch of uniqueness.

I have always had a taste for the chocolate and vanilla colors swirling around the birch trees that are so prevalent in BC.

A bug snacked on a leaf and chewed an opening into the pattern.

This transforming natural arch at Elgin Heritage Park frames the horizon differently each season. Here is how it looked in March.

There are shy buds tucked away in the greenery.

Bold buttercups climb upward to compete with the tallest grasses.

This pristine rose quietly opens to the sunlight.

Another rose has equal charm without the showy petals.

A pond that is sluggish and scummy on one side ...

can be picture perfect on the other.

These daises remind me of young girls pulling petals to the rhyme, "He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me ... ."

It was a delight to discover this gorgeous bride and handsome groom getting their pictures taken at the park in June. They didn't mind me taking a photograph and I hope they don't mind being here to illustrate that weddings are one of the nicest reasons to snap a picture.

I was reminded of the couple this weekend when I spotted preparations for another marriage underway at Camp Alexandra in Crescent Beach. The bright decorations predicted a sunny outlook for the event.

I could not have predicted this wee creature, no more than an inch long, scurrying across my path on another walk. At first I thought it was a dried up leaf with a stem that the wind blew in. But on closer inspection I found the leaf had eyes and tiny pink feet. I did not linger over it too long as it was petrified to a standstill. However, I am glad I had my camera to capture (a strange new species?) or most likely an ordinary field mouse that is uncommonly small.

Meanwhile, the wedding decorations I photographed earlier were hauled away the next day. Like so many key moments in life, the event was dismantled but its images can still be enjoyed by family and friends over and over again through the hundreds of pictures taken.

Some people carry a torch for the one that they love and some people carry a torch literally for sport. People are drawn to Olympic flames like moths with their cameras. The fact that folks cannot get a clear focus of the caldron from outside the arena at the 2012 Summer Olympics in Britain reminds me of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, (Photo, 2010). I am lucky to have this shot of the caldron from inside the wire fence that obstructed the view.

It would be eye opening had there been cameras not only during the ancient Olympics in Greece that inspired the current games but throughout history. If we could see what truly happened, our view of the heroes and villains and winners and losers might be different. The camera is a powerful tool that has now been handed to the masses.

To enjoy more sights from around the globe, link to Our World at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

See more BC scenes at Penelope Puddlisms: BC Life Is A Whale Of A Ride.