9 to 5 in Slow Motion

9 to 5.  What comes to your mind when you hear or read this expression?  The office?  The commute?  An everyday routine that brings home the bacon?  Sometime you do between weekends and vacations?  Monotony?  The comfort and security of familiar repetition?

This series of photos, that I've titled 9 to 5 in Slow Motion, evolved as a "practice" activity I pursued while riding the commuter rail train to and from Philadelphia. Because the trains were populated with people going back and forth from work, I couldn't help but associate my photos to their ritual. I'm fascinated with capturing slow motion with my camera.  It's very visceral to me and speaks to the emotions rather than the intellect.  The industrial and uninteresting scenery when elongated and slowed becomes impressionistic and beautiful in it's own right.  Graffiti on walls becomes a burst of color that actually brightens the landscape.  

In the end, I couldn't help but see the metaphor that speaks to what we miss in life as we move through the hours, the days, the weeks, the year.  Slow down and observe the subtle beauty that surrounds us.  You just never know what you will see, find or experience.

“Strange, what being forced to slow down could do to a person.” 
― Nicholas Sparks, The Last Song

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The Charms of Spring Linger Longest in My Memory

Spring is about two weeks late in this part of the world.  But nonetheless, and ever so slowly, the new season has begun to display her charms in dreamy and enchanting ways.  After months of soft browns as the backdrop, an infusion of green, yellow, pink and purple have quietly begun to dot the landscape. One of the first of nature's bounty to awaken from the neutral stupor is the weeping willow tree.  During a recent stroll, I came across such a lovely example with sweeping low branches, drooping and falling gracefully; unhurried and relaxed.  An added visual bonus was the fact that the other trees surrounding it had not started to turn green, so it stood out in all it's delicate splendor.  And with a bit of water reflection close by - viola! I had a composition just waiting to be framed and captured.

From my point of view, an abstract interpretation was the only way to photography this scene. So, I applied slow shutter speed and intentional camera movement to achieve what was in my mind's eye.  This blurred and fleeting scene is the impression that will last the longest in my memory.

How about you?  Does spring beguile you with colors, fond memories, fleeting moments that last long after the fact? Or, is there another season that seduces you more readily?

And so, I leave you with this quote and as much goodness that can be reasonably absorbed!

“She turned to the sunlight
    And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
    "Winter is dead.” 
― A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

To view more of my photography on Etsy click here:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/KateRyanFineArt