Second Glance
What happens when you get close enough to look twice
Dive into this image and tell me what you see. Rows of tiny shark teeth? Shark fins, perhaps? Could it be the skin of a dragon? To me, they look like those cardboard cutouts you see in school plays that are meant to depict the sailing sea.
We all come into this world with our own collection of gifts and talents. I have always admired people who have remarkable imaginations. I am more of an observer than a conjuror of brilliant ideas.
There is something quietly liberating about photographing things up close.. Ordinary things look magically altered and somewhere in that shift of perspective, my more serious nature gets gently coaxed into playfulness. Wonder creeps in. Sometimes even humour.
What does this look like to you? I am aware that it is some unusual form of lichen nestled upon a mossy branch…. But I see three baby bird beaks, wide open, waiting for their next worm.
How about this one? This tiny plant stem looked interesting to me when I took the photo, but it wasn’t until I viewed it on a bigger screen that I noticed the tiny stick figures climbing up the stalk! Some look downright joyful, standing on their heads.
Walking through the forest in the springtime can be enchanting for all sorts of reasons. When the fawn lilies are in bloom, the forest floor looks as though it is alive with the fluttering of a thousand butterflies. Their tall thin stems make the blooms appear to be floating. When standing over a constellation of these beauties, they look like fallen floral stars.
I am drawn to the ones that have gone past their prime and are starting to curl in on themselves. They look so interesting to me. And quite whimsical. It’s as though the butterfly celebration is over and their little party blowers have become deflated.
The forest, it turns out, is full of things pretending to be other things. Or maybe that’s just my imagination finally coming out of its shell. Perhaps imagination isn’t something you’re born with in full measure. Perhaps it just needs the right invitation… something small, and close, and alluring enough to take a second look.
Loved this! The first one looked like shark fins to me. 🤭 I guess imagination is just one of those things that comes to you when you least expect it! It can be invited, but not forced.
Jaime, thank you for your invitation to engage - to engage with your images, your questions, your observations - with you.
Your first image in this post evokes a number of associations for me. I see (and feel) the papillae on the surface of a cat's tongue, the scutes on the back of an ancient crocodile, the sharp saw teeth on my persistent thoughts and fears of inadequacy. And I also see the cardboard cutouts used in a childhood play to represent the waves of the sea - along with remembering the aromas of tempera paints and Elmer's glue.
In your second image I'm reminded of a holiday wreath with silver bells. In your third, I see Brussels Sprouts and those hilarious blower animated tube people we sometimes see at car washes or other businesses trying to grab our attention.
I'm delighted that you shared that you are drawn to the ones that have gone past their prime - "their little party blowers have become deflated." May we all honor the arc of returning.
From where I sit, your imagination is undeniably within view.