(2 more pictures from the Spring Flower Show at Olbrich Gardens — which continues through March 21.)
March 6, 2010
Cyclamen.
(2 more pictures from the Spring Flower Show at Olbrich Gardens — which continues through March 21.)
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16 comments:
Cyclamen remind me of that scene in Seven-Year Itch, with Marilyn's skirts blowing up over the street grate.
Dear Ann,
I love your blog, I have been reading for many years, and I have even commented occasionally.
So it is with all due respect that I tell you: your photography is really dragging the whole enterprise down. If you were taking pictures of interesting places, or things, or people, or dogs, or you got married more often, or of course if you were a good photographer with interesting compositions, it would be bearable. But as it is, there are only so many close-ups of flowers and tree branches with snow on them and random old diners in random American towns that I can take.
And don't be fooled by all the people who say "No, Ann, I love your pictures!" A) They may be lying. B) They may just love your pictures because they love the blog and have transferred that love over, but really they would love the blog slightly more without the photos or with fewer of them. C) Even if some readers and commenters do legitimately love the photos, who knows how many smart and interesting people you have lost on the margins because when they first pulled up your site they saw a stupid picture of dew or something and left?
Best,
Ben
The concept of the open thread seems to have whooshed right over Ben's head.
wv - suptid -- it's a word scramble!
I personally adore stupid closeups of dew.
Beth said...
Cyclamen remind me of that scene in Seven-Year Itch, with Marilyn's skirts blowing up over the street grate.
I was originally going to say those pictures put me in mind of women's flushed cheeks.
I see Beth is going in a similar direction.
I suspect that Ben is complaining because he cannot stop and smell the flowers. I blame Google. Earthy smells will remain missing in cyberspace until an I-phone app adds them for a fee.
We spent yesterday trimming the front yard bushes, all except the azaleas, so that the new shoots will be more abundant. The appearance is very satisfying now. God was good when he gave to us the pleasures of tending his garden. IMO cyberspace and outer space are not designed for us to enjoy, but garden space is. Choices, choices.
If posting photos helps keep people like Ben away, you owe it to your readers to keep doing it.
I'm a hyper-political junkie who was vaguely aware that Althouse wrote about politics and culture but didn't spend a lot of time here until I started noticing the wonderful photos, which kept drawing me back. Love them.
Turns out she can write too, who knew. Also some of the commenters.
Cyclamen means I can now go out and cycle. That is the message I leave to you this sunny March morning.
Dear Ben,
there's this thing called "scrolling" whereby you can pass by things on internet web pages which don't interest you.
Best
That's the thing about art. Whatever it is, you put it out there and it invites criticism.
Invites.
The word alone cracks me up. An acquaintance was debating the idea of adding bamboo to his urban garden. Another acquaintance (British) remarked," I do not recommend bamboo. It invites pandas and they're proper bastards to evict."
Ben,
These are slice-of-life style photographs. In the wintertime it's nice to see flowers. If you live in another part of the country, it's interesting to see what things are like in the Mid-West. These aren't photos you hang in a gallery, maybe in your office though, or on your computer screen as wallpaper.
Also, I don't believe you could have been reading this blog for years and not have mentioned fish-eye lenses in a comment criticizing her photography.
It is good that Ann's faithfuls are defending her. But I have to half agree with Ben, some of these pictures are not at all inspiring and with some others one is enough. Expect more from someone who put this up last year sometime (I bookmarked it to paint it at some point).
gorgeous from this post, <a href="http://althouse.blogspot.com/2009/08/view-from-gibraltar.html> The view from Gibraltor </a>
I see I screwed up the second link . Well, on another note the title of the post Cyclamen -- let us cycle the men in the WH, give them the boot.
Ann...like Ben I am a reader and occasional commenter, as well as fair to decent photographer, however, unlike Ben, I like your photography....they are nice accents. As for the subject matter, oh, I don't know, maybe the critics need to check out John Shaw's work at:
http://www.johnshawphoto.com/favorites_gallery/index_fav.html
Shaw is among the best of the best professionals, and if you note, on the linked page categorized as his "Favorites", the first shot is "Shadows on Snow" (in Yellowstone)...it looks for all the world like something you might post in your "cafe" series.
Just sayin'....
Thanks, Aridog. I actually intensely dislike the John Shaw photographs. It's a matter of taste. Anyway, I have my own ideas about what articles to blog and how much to write, how to spin them, and the photography is similar. It's about the mix of things on the blog and it has a certain feeling that means something to me. I don't overthink it, and I go on instinct. There's a reason for everything and it makes sense to me. It's what "blogging" means to me, and it can't really be taken apart and analyzed.
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