Eerie

This picture was taken from one of the terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. The site is already amazing by itself but I got lucky to capture this shot of the sun rising over the trees and seeping through the morning fog.

Where Earth Becomes Abstract

 Some places in Yellowstone stop looking like a landscape and start looking like a painting.

I found this scene in a small, almost overlooked patch of the park, where water, rock, moss, and mineral deposits had created a world of their own. The colors seemed impossible: deep blacks and greens giving way to ochre, rust, gold, and electric blue. What looked from a distance like an aerial view of vast, unfamiliar terrain was actually an intimate piece of the Yosemite landscape.

I was drawn to the way the water had carved its own pathways through the surface, creating islands, borders, and continents that seemed to shift depending on where I stood. The longer I looked, the less it resembled something geological and the more it felt like an abstract painting made by the earth itself.

Yosemite is often photographed for its monumental scale, but some of its most compelling moments happen when you stop looking at the mountains and start looking closely at what is beneath your feet.

 ...in the middle of the aftermidnight...

Poetry and music share rhythm, emotion, and structure, so in a way, poetry could be seen as a song waiting for a melody. But at the same time, poetry has its own unique power, using just words to create music in the reader’s mind.

"I am afraid my heart will get walled in by your high towers of steel and glass
While I dream alone, a multitude of stars twinkling in my eyes
This world rapidly shrinks as the discontent grows until we face an impasse
Where we stare in fear at each other, stuck in our own pretty lies."*

*Excerpt from "...In the middle of the aftermidnight...", now available on Amazon.

The Fishermen

Two fishermen stand quietly on their narrow wooden boat, dwarfed by the vast, silver waters of Koh Samui, Thailand. Heavy clouds loom overhead, casting dramatic shadows.  The scene is raw, stripped down to its elemental forces; man, water, and weather. A moment of stillness against nature’s immense and indifferent canvas.

Where have I been?

I cannot believe it's been a year since I posted to my blog. And it's not because there is nothing to blog about. On the contrary, as usual, I have been swamped. Last year, I published my second book. It is a play, a comedy, written in French. I would love to see it staged, but I don't know how to make it happen. Yet! 

This year, I have been working on my third book, which will be my second collection of poems. I plan to finish and publish it before my birthday in March 2025. I have been working on the book cover, and you can see what it looks like in the picture. Unless I change my mind again… 😁

I have put photography on the back burner for the time being, but here and there, I take out my camera and go on the hunt for a great shot. Like I said, I'm as busy as usual.

The Parisian fashionista

Le pas assuré et déterminé, le manteau virevoltant dans la douce brise de l'après-midi, elle semble flotter au-dessus de l'asphalte de la jungle urbaine.

The Devil Is In The Details

I speak several languages, and unfortunately, I am bound to make mistakes in almost all of them, no matter how fluent I am. On top of that, punctuation positions can be different unbeknownst to us. For example, where you place a question mark after a word in English is not the same in French. It comes right after the word in English, while in French, you need a space between the two. I also wrote in French on my US computer and keyboard, prompting auto-correction of words that did not need it and that I did not catch. When proofreading a manuscript, these tiny mistakes are tedious to rectify but necessary. I often find "mistakes" when I read a text, and I do not want my readers to wonder how I could miss some in my book.

After months of corrections, the book is finally ready and is available for sale. Hopefully, we caught most of the errors, and very few, if any, remain.

Nymphaeales

From the dawn of civilization
Thought to be the womb of gods
Or the seeds of resurrection
We marvel at your ancient pods

Quintessential floating beauties
Dazzling by your colors
And your oversized peltate leaves
You inspired many painters

Travel

There are no greater riches than the memories you gather while roaming the world.

'Tis the season

This magical moment of the year

When trees forego their greenery

For a fantastic array of fiery shades

Soon they will cry golden tears 

And for a few months, resignedly, 

Wear a coat of pearly white flakes.

The Shopper

I do not do a lot of "street photography" because I am not comfortable taking pictures of people without them knowing. It feels like an invasion of privacy. But once in a while, I see something that I have to capture. I loved this lady hurrying passed me and crossing the red shadow from the store window lights.

Call Me Jack

"Jack of all trades, master of none." For a long time, I saw that as a hindrance. To me it meant that I was good at a lot of things but great at none. I wondered if I should focus on one single things and be the best at it. Now, I embraces all these talents that, in the end, make me who I am and give me my unique outlook on the world. I just have many strings to my bow. I like the newer version of this saying which gives it an entirely different meaning. "Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one."

Color Me Not

I love unusual doors, old and new. They can be as important a piece of architecture as the construction itself. What struck me about this old door was that it looked like it belonged in an old black-and-white photograph. But as you can see, it is surrounded by the brightest, ochre color. I find the contrast extremely beautiful.
#aroundtheworldin80clicks

Billowing Clouds

Ansel Adams was one of the most outstanding landscape photographers and one of my favorites. Looking up to someone can be a great motivator but also an inhibitor. I always hope that my pictures show something special. However, as soon as I compare them with other photographers' work, I cannot help but feel a bit defeated. It can be daunting to admire others while keeping confidence about what you produce.

The Man And The Dog

While wandering in the quiet and deserted streets of Starigrad, I came upon this man and his dog. Those two organic forms, surrounded by lines on all sides, immediately grabbed my attention. The windows, stairs, walls, and even the street are all comprised of lines that seem to pull your gaze in one direction.

The Gate

Sometimes it's not what it is but what it can be. I saw this design on an iron gate during one of my walks with my friend Lykke in Paris. She probably wondered then why I was taking a picture of the gate but did not say anything. Like with most photos I take, the "something" that I see is not always apparent, even to me. What was I trying to achieve when I started to work on this piece? To be honest, I do not know. I started with "cleaning" the picture and removing any item that took my eyes away from the ironwork. I then played with colors and eventually ended up with several colored versions I envisioned as a series. 

When Lykke saw the piece, she immediately recognized the gate.

Deceitful Beauty

"The night is nothing but an unresolved moment 

A time when ugliness seems to stop breathing 

The cloak of dark beauty immerses all for a few hours 

It slows down the delusion and the cruelty 

Hiding the truth at least until sunrise"

- DIFFERENT FACETS OF A TEAR: Poems, thoughts, and other blah blah blah by Daniel Joseph Peccatus

Simple Beauty Series

Ferns always remind me of home and growing up, playing at my grandmother's house with my siblings and my cousins.
#aroundtheworldin80clicks

Simple Beauty Series

There is so much beauty in nature. The delicate but strong spiderweb is no exception.
#aroundtheworldin80clicks

Trompe-l’œil

I love working on things that require focus, attention to detail, and precision. This piece is made by drawing thousands of triangles of different sizes and off centered one from the next, creating all those amazing shapes.