I did this walk at the end of December and there was not a single splash of colour when I looked around the gardens except for the evergreens – only wilted leaves and brown branches. Yet when I looked close enough, there was indeed colour to be found.
The images in the first part of this series of winter shots were taking during a walk on December 26. after a Christmas lunch. The motives were all from a perfectly normal collection of houses with gardens, and on the surface of things the place was without much charm on this dark and dreary December day. Sometimes all you need to do is look at little closer to find beauty.
A twist i find interesting about these images I’m posting right now is they are the very first I shot with my 50mm 1.8 G prime lens. I had gotten it for Christmas two days before and while it was on my wish list I really didn’t know yet what I would be using it for. Since then it has become one of two lenses I always reach for and never would want to do without.
People who have followed my blog for a while may have noticed I tend to show summer images in the winter and visa versa. I guess I like the contrast and also the distance that sometimes makes me see better. The initial euphoria over what I captured has passed. It also gives me a chance to relive the occasion one more time rather than get it all over at once.
This is why I pulled out my Winter file while I’m sitting here sweating. Proudly Presenting: Winter 2013
Presenting the last image from the David Collection in Copenhagen – a bowl with lid, cut from jade. The orange blossoms are listed only as semi-precious stones.
Another lovely turban ornament – perhaps not what we’d think of as Islamic art. Pearls, diamonds and emeralds…
In old India men were anything but shy about dressing up in rubies, emeralds and pearls. The piece from yesterday was a turban decoration.
I love jewelry from India! The bigger, the better. But what are these pieces doing in the Islamic collection? Did you know that large areas of India was under Muslim rule? The period was called Mogul or the Mughal Empire. It began in 1526 and the last Mughal ruler was overthrown by the British in 1858.
This detail reminds me of my one visit to Tunisia. I was only 11 and it was quite an overwhelming experience. But fascinating too…
This crystal vase is only about 10 cm. (app. 4 inch.) tall. It is displayed by the entrance to the collection of Islamic miniature art – my favorite part of the whole collection- so it took me several visits to notice it. Then one day I stopped to actually read the sign next to the vase.
It is indeed crystal but it is not made out of glass. It has been crafted out of a single block of quartz and in places the walls are as thin as a millimeter. Check the image yesterday to see how small the opening is at the top. This was all the opening the artist had to work with to hollow out the rest.
Karins Fotos 