Stathi Stathi,See your Sea, Volos, Greece, 2010.
First Gallery Challenge: See your sea
This is an Open Call invitation to all of us, so as to participate and create a challenge concerning photographs. The idea was an inspiration, after JD's and Little Kate's poet challenge and I thought that we who love the art of photography lack in challenges, which can only educate us and make us better.
Stathi Stathi, Theater, Volos, Greece,2011
I think photography is a visual poetry, and images, with their silence in words, can communicate feelings and thinkings, some times better than words. It is known to all that "an image says what a 1.000 words can not''. This is the reason, that I thought of making a gallery challenge. This, along with my need to meet other photographers, and all with the passion of visual communication.
The rules, are very easy. On the FIRST GALLERY CHALLENGE the issue theme is sea and how we see sea. So, upload your images, give them your name, a title, a date and a place, and give also a feeling description of your work. What your images make you feel, do your images have a poetic inner voice, why are your favourites.
Tag your post with OC GALLERY CHALLENGE and please be kind enough to take the time and send me a message for posting your work ,cause I am going to gather this first collection of photographs made exclusively by OS members on the, SEE YOUR SEA COLLECTION. Who knows, maybe we can see our work in a gallery exhibition, if a gallery finds us.
My photographs here are sea depictions of a winter sea and they are all from my hometown, Volos, here in Greece. I was in a black and white sentimentality, so even my eyes were melancholic enough to even deprive the sea of its magical blue and green colours. The night images are my favourite ones, cause I always see with my heart, although looking with my eyes, and I felt like a night insight in such a strong need to be able to escape, to find a boat and travel far into sea. My "SEE YOUR SEA'' is a painful reminder, that, although the sea is here, I am not able to travel, to sea my way out of the trappy land. A metaphor and melancholy, was my need and I want to know in your comments, if my work creates you feelings, ideas and thinkings, and if yes, which are they, cause this is the true need, to communicate with the visual language, that is photography.
Stathi Stathi, Erimos, Volos,Greece,2012.
So, see your sea and makes us all see how you see. A theme challenge will follow shortly after this first challenge and the calling will be on issues like nature, trees, flowers and city , but the most daring of these challenges will be the calling on imaging your feelings, like solitude, silence, lonitude, memory, regret and guilt.
As I use to say, if we could have the depictions of our feelings what would they look like ?
I want you all to be a part of this challenge, please pm your friends so as to participate, and well, have good visual inspirations.
Thank you for your time and interest, and
please participate on this First photography challenge.
See your sea, everybody !!!!
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Comments
"So, see your sea and makes us all see how you see. "
Sometimes i think your unique use of our poor old English language
is as bewitchingly beautiful
as your images.
These are simply beyond cool...
I am very excited to see
what seas
people see
per your challenge.........
Looking forward to seeing what the others come up with!
V. Corso, I am trully glad you like them, but please participate, you can and with digital art and all kind of images . I would like to see how you see and most of all I would like to see your participation on the SECOND GALLERY CHALLENGE, which will be on the depiction of feelings. Thank you, V.
R
Erica, you can use even images of your family or any other image that has see inside, it hasn't have to be of today, thank you for the read.
Steel, as in all exhibitions the viewers and their creative criticism is so needed, thank you.
I like your challenge, and love this idea, and am looking forward to seeing the sea through others' eyes once your challenge is embraced by our OS oceanside dwellers.
R
Oh, come on Erica, Please, join and you too Poor Woman, you must have some images with sea inside...
Nonetheless, your contributing comments with your creative criticism, is so needed to all of us, thank you both.
Sea all you can sea!
Please, join in .....(This comes with a please)
lately, i am trying to get my daddy in my computer.
i need his silly big open german face, for fortitude.
your images?
haunting.
i ought to buy a digital camera and make me some images, yes?
Να έχεις καλή μέρα!
I mean write in perfect Greek.
The Greek answer to your wish to me on having a beautiful day is,
Ευχαριστώ και εσύ να είσαι καλά !!!
meaning, "" Thank you, be well too !! ""
This was such a lovely surprise to me cause, Ι never thought I could write Greek here, and you wrote it in Greek... Greek... how?
You are great, thank you for liking my images, and no, you do not have to buy a camera, check on the images you already have and if you can not participate in this first challenge, I can bet that you will be the winner on the SECOND GALLERY CHALLENGE cause it will be the photographic expression of feelings... But this will come then.
I have already told you that you are a genious and your gesture made me feel so good.. Thank you.. You are so inventive!!! Bravo...
I blogged two years ago about my favorite spot on the Gulf of Mexico. This was right after the BP oil spill disaster, and I was feeling very sad about the prospect of losing such a beautiful place. I don't think I'll repost it for your open call, but if you're interested, you can find it here. The photos, all taken by my husband, are at the end of the piece.
Mechanical contrivances get slow.
`
off topic
I tried to convey a "simple" truth.
It's on your earlier SPEECH blog.
I get so much from your thinking.
`
I wants to share a Paste Tomato.
You'd love to hear the boat horns.
I forgot how I loved a loco tooting.
Trains pass along the Potomac River.
I can't see the loco-motive chug along.
I live a few miles away in the moutains.
`
I miss bubbles and water rushing along.
Seagulls make melody and keep me calm.
Here the birds are familiar and singsong.
`
You remind me of Canadian`Larry Towell.
He took Black & White 'shot' of my 2- legs.
When I'm frisked by cops they stop abrupt.
The lower limbs have hunks and scar holes.
I'm okay.
I walk slow and compensate for war-wounds.
I saw the 8 X 12 Black & White the other day.
No one has perfect body form. Wounds heal.
`
You took me away in beautiful thoughts of`Sea.
Pause. . .
James M.E. mentioned he had broad strong thighs.
Thank you again and I totally agree with your last paragraph, of your then article.
Art James, thank you for your comments and I wish my misunderstandings can be understand by you, only thinking that English is not my first language.
This is the intention to " You took me away in beautiful thoughts of`Sea.'',so thank you for being here.
The blurred fringes make me feel like I am looking out of something that is holding me in - like a window that is impairing my vision. The feeling of restraint and confinement were not just effectively portrayed but effectively evoked.
The B&W furthered the sense of narrowness, its monochrome echoed it the lack of contrast in shapes and textures and composition. There is a type of beautiful "flatness". All these combine to also evoke a feeling of limiting stillness that mirrors sadness rather then serenity.
The third shot in particular, makes me feel that I am not only looking through something narrowing my vision, but I am looking through my tears. This is very clever. When one is crying, the perimeter of vision becomes very blurred, just like this shot. But even cleverer is the way you found a find balance by having just enough focus on that one dark boat - just enough focus to inject hope, dreaming, and the shimmer of possibility suggested by the shimmer of the water. There is soft feathery grass - a softness to the sadness. This third shot is my favourite.
I have a very big and true thank you, on your analysis in my work.. Being honest you are the first that took the time to describe the interaction w, ith my work and I appreciate it so much.
I understand from your detailed comment that you understood, how in need I was, on feeling and thinking telling concerning my work, and I want to thank you for giving me your time, brilliance and talent, so as to deal with my work.
The '' looking through tears '' is a look that eyes have even with no tears at all, but you are so right. Your commnet is such a valuable writing to me and not only I am honoured and joyfull but most of all thankfull and much more inspired. You had thoughts, I had not even thought while taking the photographs. You are a true and needed inspirations and that is what I call creative criticism, cause you added so much in my thinking and understanding.
Trully thank you Maria, be well and merry wishes to you!!!!!
Scanner, gongratulations on your EP, and if I understood correctly, you are in the challenge, so I can wait to see your sea. Thank you!!!
surely she swims
not sells her Sea Shells...
But I'll give it a stroke
for you asked
for a poke.
U R on.
She sells Sea shells
by the sea shore... so it goes...Os foes. :D
when it comes to greek, i go to my BING TRANSLATOR.
but wait!
There is simply no wonderful wonder in this wide world
like an art james comment.
This is worth about 50 or 60 of my silly ones...
My ears? they perk up when my Master calls ...
and what does he say?
"I walk slow and compensate for war-wounds.
I saw the 8 X 12 Black & White the other day.
No one has perfect body form. Wounds heal.
`
You took me away in beautiful thoughts of`Sea.
Pause. . .
James M.E. mentioned he had broad strong thighs."
ay.!, no art, not broad, slender.
no war wounds to carry.
war of self against self, maybe...
but
nothing like u saw ..
ay
art james shames me.
still, he is alot of fun to poke with the reminder
that (tease)
"I miss bubbles and water rushing along.
(THERE ARE NO MEN LEFT WHO DONT MISS THAT,SIR!)
Seagulls make melody and keep me calm.
(AND YET THEY ARE RUTHLESS SCAVENGERS!)
Here the birds are familiar and singsong.
(BIRDS SING AS THEY PLEASE I HOPE)"
When there is a story, the story and feelings belong to the author but when I look at the photos, it's something real and I am seeing it with my eyes. In a way for a moment, that photo belongs to my eyes and I feel only what I see. In your center photo everything is very soft, as if I could lay on any part and be lighter than air, except the front where a shrub is sparkling with tiny lights as if something alive and magical is centered there. See, it was all mine when I was looking at it.
Thank you.
"See, it was all mine when I was looking at it"" So true!! Thank you.
R♥
""...with a grave sensibility of silence..."' I love this feeling, I try to create it for my character too.
Many, many thank you for your time, interest and beauty, Libby.Indeed, I am honoured both by you and Maria, for you made my work, your great words and feelings.
Thank you!!
Fusun, your contribution would be so great.. I thank you for being my friend, and for your beautiful words.
Jeana, I am so glad that you are going to participate in the 'SEE YOUR SEA'', So many thank you, I am waiting.
Olga, I saw your see, and it is so emotional and tender, thank you, it means a lot to me!!!Love you...
I will certainly try to respond.
Thank you, another great challenge !
Thank you.
This, your depiction of your feelings, speaks poignantly to me.
Seeing with one's heart ... oh yes ...
You can not know how ... the sea ... speaks to me ...
Most often I come here
and look out on someone else’s sea
in order to hold
and better see
the sea it is
I see
Thanks Stathi.
Anna, ""Seeing with one's heart .."", not the smarter thing to do, but what can we do, when we can not do otherwise.. So many thank you.
A simple shutterbug, well, we can keep up this challenge together. I mean, the next challenge can be made by your OC, just let it be GALLERY CHALLENGE, so as to set a formal tradition, and the theme issue is all yours.
And I am sorry, you didn't have sea images, but let me tell you, if you challenge us all in images of rivers, I will not have a single image. So many thank you for being here, and if you want, we can all keep this tradition running, I mean we need it.