This evening my husband and I took a walk around the block. We had some tiny errands so we headed out with four full bags–two were just trash that needed to be dumped in the bin down the street. Two were full of second-hand clothes to be donated in a donation bin on the corner. Then we walked around another corner to get a house key made. I stood outside because the shop was small and there were already a couple of people inside. The photo above shows my view.
I stood and watched the traffic go by, and then I noticed the green palm tree in the planter in front of the shop. Each day in September, for my 1SE (One Second Every Day) app, I took a video of something green growing in Manama. This seemed like a lovely opportunity with the palm, but also the red metro bus, a wailing siren and ambulance coming, and our church lit up in the background. There was even an almost full moon above. I grabbed my husband’s phone inside the shop just in time to catch the scene.
The palm stretches and reaches up, like the sound of the siren and the movement of the traffic – I got a chill up my neck when I played it! (Perhaps my sound was up too loud on my laptop 🙂 It is fascinating the difference I have made between the still photo without sound (which seemed serene and bright/happy) and the video with sound – though of course, they are one and the same. This is fascinating! Thanks!
Thank you, Maureen. That was an interesting comment. I looked again at the picture on the top and, of course, I can’t forget the sound because I was there. However, it does show how powerful all of our senses are, and with photos we often just get to have one, sight, engaged.
Sometimes technology helps us notice the ordinary so we can see it’s extraordinary. I tried the one-second app but may need to revisit it. Maybe the best thing to come out of the pandemic is walking one’s neighborhood. I have a couple friends who post photos from their walks every day. One concentrates on flowers and one on patterns.
I like having a focus. It’s been fun in September to watch for growing things. Maybe I was tired of the hot and long summer. I may long for patterns in October. 🙂
I agree with Maureen–The difference in the experience of the photograph versus the video is stunning. It’s amazing how much of an impact introducing sound has. Kudos to you for tuning into the world around you.
Thanks, Molly. I’m so glad I put the video clip there too. Thanks for your kind words.