Far and near: Ten

D300 - 12 mm, 1/200 sec f/20, ISO 200

Grounded to the ancient sands...
treading in the footsteps of others.

Strawberry girl

Time is not easily tracked...
by the shifting of the sand.

Strawberry girl

Sands of time, barely marked
by our passing.

piacere

We'd better think of the past like footsteps on sand:
as vivid as they may seem, they are completely inconsistent.

A. Chincarini

Far and near

So..... there we go again. My apologies to all my faithful readers for I have been rather absent from the blogosphere lately. Hopefully this new "challenge" will stir your imagination (and mine) well enough. Enjoy it here, for the deadline is on Saturday, May 16th.

Far and near: Nine

D70 - 105 mm, 1/320 sec f/8, ISO 640

Cotton candy, moth balls, crystalline, silver whiteness make-believe.
Trees whispering and walking in a land of fantasy and reality.

Judith Ellis

Summer and winter, love and hate:
Often they seem the same to me.

Maggie Quam

Storms of emotions, like candyfloss
So sweet, yet so dangerous.

Annina

Wind, frozen in time, captured in mid flight.
Angry at being caught, turned to the hard crystal stillness of ice.

Annie

In your spun sugar dreams,
Stray liquorice sticks in bloom fade into venerability.

Nathalie Boisard-Beudin

Growing against a colorless grain
The orchard bears nought but grey-shrouded pain.

Leslie

Sometimes dreams are woven
not in the sky, but on the ground.

Piacere

Ready to receive,
from the generous earth,
to the generous earth.

Claudia Turolla

Under springtime Sun
Earth is the bride.

A. Chincarini

Far and near

May your poet inside
be now ready to fight
and if newcomers come
let them try, I don't bite!

Those who dwell on this sphere
let me summon you all
Let the game begin here,
and then let it not fall...

[deadline is on April 5th, 2009]

Far and near: Eight

D70 - 80 mm, 1/2500 sec f/25, ISO 200

One by one they opened their eyes
And found they could see in the dark.

Catherine Vibert

Reflections of light on deep dark waters
symbols whose key has long been lost.

Anonymous

Fish of light,
Swaying with the wind.

Nathalie Boisard-Beudin

Remembrance of first light
never fades.

Piacere

Constantly and everywhere we are reminded
we are but thought.

A. Chincarini

Far and near

Dear readers,
here we go again with another "far&near" call for inspiration. This time I chose a rather difficult shot: it is the picture of sunlight reflecting off the water of a small mountain stream. Abstract images aren't easy to grasp, so it's ok if you won't come up with anything.
That said, deadline for this issue is set to March, 8th 2009.

Merry thinking

A.

Far and near: Seven

D300 - 24 mm, 1/100 sec f/16, ISO 250

Shadows like your cool breath on my neck
Sucking me into another world.

Nathalie Boisard-Beudin

I am saving the shadows you waste.
I am building a brilliant escape.

Charli Henley

Rising into the unknown,
pursuing the light.

Amy

The climb is just as easily made
in shadow as in light.

Piacere

Start at the bottom, but taking one step at a time
Find yourself rise above it all.

Inky

Light is purer,
After the effort

Claudia

"Evolve!" is the imperative on the path of return.
If I do not dare, who else will?

A. Chincarini

Far and near

I recently received a friendly request from a reader of this blog. Her wish did make my day and I am happy to comply.
Let my kind and scrupulous readers voice their talent on this new image. Your and my curiosity will be satisfied not sooner than Monday, February 9th.
As usual, you are all invited to participate. Newcomers please read the "far&near" collection early posts for details.

Far and near: Six

D300 - 300 mm, 1/500 sec f/32, ISO 200

I long to dive into the water after you.
To touch your flame, to feel your life.

Maggie Quam

Said England unto Pharaoh, "You 've had miracles before,
When Aaron struck your rivers into blood."

Kipling
posted by Anonymous

How can you shine
if you won't let go.

piacere

I wish I were a seagull
when the evening comes.
Silently.

A. Chincarini

Far and near

An unsettling image is ready here to unleash your poet inside. Time is tyrant as a deadline is set on Saturday, December 6th.

Far and near: Five

D300 - 105 mm, 1/250 sec f/2.8, ISO 250

A stream of intersecting thoughts
run free
with direction.

A.N. Rodriguez

Whispers line the path, so smooth in a sea of pebbles
It’s silent now, a mystery, but full of answers I don't yet know.

Kristin

I stumbled upon the pathway
of the rest of my life

piacere

For only when looking back, do we realize

the shortest path is seldom a straight line.

A. Chincarini

Far and near

New call for inspiration worldwide!
Please find your battleground here, and participation rules here. Deadline is set to Tuesday, October 28th.

Merry thinking...

Far and near: Four

D70 - 24 mm, 1/350 sec f/8.0, ISO 200

Time, eroded
by winds of change.

piacere

Cosi` alto e incrollabile,
da qui temo solo la mia solitudine.

Claudia

Freedom I experienced
as I let the wind take my soul.

A. Chincarini

Far and near

Thanks to your support, there we run towards the next edition. Newcomers will find here how to send their contributions, while "professionals" can swiftly click their pointer on this location...

Deadline for sending your two lines is set to Friday, October 3rd, 2008.

Far and near: Three

E4300 - 24 mm, 1/125 sec f/4.9, ISO 100

Footprints, I trace
I walk
But you are no where in sight.

A.N.Rodriguez

"Be verwe, verwe quiet.
I'm hunting wabbits."

Elmer Fudd
(thanks to Linda S. Silbermann)

Only barren remains

of life’s pristine start

piacere

Steps in a muffled world
my memories of you.

Andrea Chincarini

Far and near

Third edition of this little game. Deadline is set to September 2nd, 2008.
Hoping to stir your precious inspiration, let me point you here for this new winterly photo....

P.S. Newcomers may find out how to participate by clicking on the "Far and near" tag in the collection panel.

Far and near: Two

D300 - 24 mm, 1/80 sec f/4.0, ISO 1100

Public solitude,
So much to study.
Spa time far away.

Linda S. Silberman

Silently waiting.
Uneasy feet.

Andrea Chincarini

Far and near

Those wishing to participate will find here the new photo to serve you as inspiration. Should you need further information on this little contest, please read the "Far and near" posts by clicking on the related tag on the right panel.

The deadline for this second edition is set to August 1st, 2008.

Far and near: One

D70 - 28 mm, 1/30 sec f/5.6, ISO 900

Sweet tea simmers while Gregorian chants play in the distance
Rosewood walls whisper faint scents of yesterday's peace

Linda S. Silberman

Feeling empty and alone, yet
Free and content to rest a moment longer.

Maggie Kacer

How often do we seek far away
what we later find we had at hand.

Andrea Chincarini

Far and near... off we go!

Dear Readers and fellow Bloggers,

I must say I am flattered by your enthusiasm and prompt response to this little "experiment". I would really like to keep this as relaxed as possible, as it is meant to learn from us all, not to judge anyone's point of view.
Feel no pressure whatsoever, as we surely have enough of it in everyday life. For this reason I plan to hold this odd contest once a month, although the frequency may depend on your response.

A few rules:

a) anyone can participate, even in anonymous form.
b) keep your comment short, two lines at most.
c) when sending me back your work, please state how you would like to be credited (for instance it may be your blog name, your real name, initials, etc)
d) a deadline is set for publishing purposes only. Even if you're "late", I'll add your work to the published post anyway.

I would set the first deadline to Wednesday, June 18th.
You may send your work at: hontonidesuka [at] yahoo [dot] com
(the email is spelled to avoid robot spammers)

Without further ado, please find the first photo to undergo your keen scrutiny here .... and may the muses inspire you!