Alien Fruit

Alien Fruit, 2010

© 2012 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

On a glorious late-October day, I was walking the neighborhood, testing my new polarizing filter.  These perfect, bright red tree berries against the deep blue sky, the colors made more vivid by the filter, called to me.  The combination of intense color, unusual angle, shallow depth of field and isolated subject matter made the image look otherworldly to me, hence the title of this photograph.

Agave Victoriae-Reginae

Agave Victoriae-Reginae, 2010

© 2010 Susan M. Lohse.  All rights reserved.

On its surface, this is a photo of a Queen Victoria Agave, taken at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.  I was drawn to this lone little plant by virtue of it seeming to grow out of a rock.  The little stream of water emerging from the crevice only added to what I found to be worthy of a photo.

From a compositional point of view, it occurred to me how much I’ve ingrained the rule of thirds.  The photo wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting if I had placed the agave in the center of the frame.

Upon closer inspection, it struck me how much this composition embodies Japanese aesthetics:  simplicity, asymmetry, tranquility, understated beauty, subtle grace, humility, etc.*  It’s an aesthetic I would like to incorporate more into my artwork.

* Japanese Aesthetics; Japanese Aesthetics, Wabi-Sabi, and the Tea Ceremony; Presentation Zen