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June 2009 Wallpaper
June 1st, 2009
Hope you all had a great weekend. Here’s the June wallpapers in both 2560×1600 and 1280×853, shot on New Year’s Day, Sapa, Vietnam. Enjoy.
I shot this on my first cold morning in Sapa. We were in by train really early, got to the hotel when the town was shrouded in fog and promptly took a nap. An hour or two later the fog hadn’t moved at all. Looking back now I’m thrilled with the mood that fog brought. But at the time, I was discouraged by it. Probably complained once or twice. Our expectations have such a profound effect on us, often preventing us from seeing things as they are. It’s a lesson I re-learn each and every time I’m travelling. You’d think it would stick…
I want to thank you all for the really kind comments and emails sent my way after Friday’s post. I wasn’t digging for compliments or even a response, but it makes me feel better to know there’s a core of people for whom daily posting is not an issue. I’m going to do what I can to keep it up, but it’s nice to know y’all aren’t going to abandon me or string me up in the town square if I miss a day or two. And there were some great ideas in there too, so I’m doubly grateful. I hope I didn’t give you the impression that I’m about to snap. Truth is I’ve never enjoyed my professional life more and I’m deeply grateful for the way things are going and the people I have to enjoy the journey with (that’s you). I’m busy, but I brought it on myself, so I’ll take moments here and there to relax, smoke my pipe, and go for walks on the ocean with my wife, which if you’ll excuse me, is what I’m off to do right this very moment. Thanks ever so much for your graciousness. Yet another reason I love this growing community.
Click the image above to get the small wallpaper, and HERE to get the large one.
Love how different things contrast in the wallpaper! Gonna keep it on for a while, reminding myself to be aware of expectations and maybe intentionally sweep it aside, next time i catch myself disappointed at a shoot.
Thanks =D
Awesome quote!
“Our expectations have such a profound effect on us, often preventing us from seeing things as they are.”
Thanks for the wallpaper. I look forward to a new one each month! Also, I bought your book and love it. I plan on doing a SE Asia tour this winter and if I get pictures even half as good as yours I’d be ecstatic.
So where’s the link to your book displayed prominently at the top of your blog?
The thought (from my previous comment) is be a little more obvious with a link to the book. You have the tab, but some people (myself included) fail to notice tabs. Putting a link to the book on the blog itself may increase traffic.
Just a thought.
duChemin Sighting — Hey folks, be sure to check out Scott Kelby’s interview with David on the June 1 edition of PhotoShopUserTV.
David, this month’s wallpaper photo and the recent discussions here have me thinking again about how we relate to the photos of others, or, more generally, the vision of others, whatever the artistic medium. We each react differently to a work of art; we see different things because we bring different life experiences to the experience of the artwork itself. Most writers, when asked, say they won’t comment on the stories or novels they’ve written, preferring to let the story speak for itself. Photos seem to be in the same class; they’re self-contained. So, to bring this around to a question, I wonder how you “gage” the stength of your own photos? How to know if they (will) contain an emotional “punch” for the viewer, someone who was not there? For example, I have a photo of my own that I’ve wondered about in this same context, taken three weeks after my mother died; it’s very emotional to me but most folks see it as a nice photo of a lighthouse (I mean, how many more lighthouse photos does the world need?) But using your June wallpaper photo as an example of differing interpretations, or different “viewings”…
I found your caption to the photo very helpful, but without it, I saw something different. I think my real question is this: Should photos have captions? Should they be explained? (I realize this photo appears in an instructional book, so some “explanation” is in order in the context of its publication). I don’t intend this as a quibble, but instead as an example of differing interpretations… Part of the caption reads “Hmong girls watch schoolboys playing New Year’s games.” I saw them as women looking off into the distance, rather than girls watching the boys play. I liked the separation from the boys, as you commented, and saw it in a positive light: I saw the women being both elevated above the games that boys will play and unconcerned with their childish games. I also saw the women grouped closer together, conveying a sense of community amongst themselves, while the boys were less united as well as being less prominent, since they are partially obscured in the haze of morning(?) fog. I thought it was an incredibly strong metaphor, and the irony with the patriarchal society obvious.
I thought your photo has universal appeal, while my lighthouse photo does not. But both have an emotional content for the photographer, so, how does one go about separating that element from the part that has universal appeal? Or should I just hold off with this question until I finish reading your book?