I don't see dead people (usually), but I've discovered that even the most everyday items can prove to be compelling photographic subjects if you can reveal or imagine a story behind them.
I recently captured a series of images on the dunes of Robert Moses State Park on Long Island, as well as on the lush grounds of Soyuzivka, a Ukrainian resort in New York's Shawagunk Mountains. I'm not the most-advanced photographer, and I don't have the best photographic gear (these images were captured with a first-generation Samsung Galaxy S1 smartphone and a Sony point-and-shoot). I hope to step up to a DSLR soon and elevate my picture-taking to the next level.
In the interim, it's fun to keep looking for those interesting compositional elements that relay the stories I see in front of the viewfinder. Maybe you'll see something different. Maybe that's the point.
"Scene from the Bathroom Line at Field 5"
I don't have much to add to that title, other than I really liked the slope and lines of the shingled roof the seagull was perched on.
"Creepshow"
There's really nothing creepy about this shot, except with the surf closing in on me, it reminded me of the scene from the 1982 George Romero movie where the guy is buried in sand up to his head and the tide slowly comes in.
"Atten-Gull! (aka The Patriot)"
I tried to Norman Rockwell it up, add some grain and supersaturation. Something different, anyway.
"Give Us a Kiss — 25 Cents!"
It just looks so ... lonely. Look at that downturned mouth! Those imploring eyes!
"Requiem for a Dude"
I don't know. Broken boogie boards make me melancholy.
"Vintage R&R"
This was a crappy shot taken on a particularly foggy day on my smartphone, so there wasn't much I could do, save for making it look like one of those grainy old-time photos from LA or Hawaii, like a Steven Soderbergh film with all those crazy yellow filters he uses.
"Swoop-da-Woop"
It's all about the seagull here. You know that — you see that. I converted to black and white so you wouldn't be distracted by any colors, because the seagull wouldn't like that so much and would fire at you with his lasers.
"The Lonely Lifeguard"
This is one of those times when I really wish I had a good camera and lens to capture all the gorgeous colors as I really saw them. It comes close, and I really did it for the composition, but still.
"Closing Time"
I swear that silhouette on the right is FDR. That's the only reason I vignetted it.
"New York Boo-Way"
If you don't think Interstate 87 is a frightening thoroughfare, you haven't driven on it right before an impending storm.
"Road to Kerhonkson"
It was foggy and spooky as I approached the looming mountain in the distance. I applied a slight sepia tone to this image, because it feels exactly the same as when we used to do the long drive in the 1980s and why not just come to terms with the fact that I'm an antique?
"Tooting His Own Horn: A Welcome"
I was going to make a joke about him just being happy to see me, but I use that joke about once a week, so moving on.
"Chapel in the Woods"
This reminds me somehow of the church where everyone got massacred in Kill Bill 2, but it was mostly peaceful when I was here.
"From the Outside Looking In (or Not)"
Close-up of the chapel windows. I liked the cut of their jib.
"Never Break the Chain"
Someone left this string of flowers on the chapel entryway. I really wanted to rip it off and wrap it around my body and dance to Van Morrison in the moonlight. It was daytime, though.
"I Get Your Point"
The spires on the chapel roof were sharp and impressive and wasn't going to mess with them.
"+ 1"
That's what I got for finding the chapel hidden deep in the woods. One Explorer Badge, coming up!
"Road of Life"
I just liked the way this looked, especially the handcrafted "Bump" font.
"Head"
There are lots of these busts hanging around the grounds. Alternative name for this one: "Booyah, Marlon Brando!" Nah, gonna stick with "Head."
"Feminism or Bust"
I like this sculpture next to the moss-covered tree, which I imagine she uses to beat off misogynists. Her fat potato face looks like me and nearly every other Ukrainian woman.
"GAHHHHHH"
This bust kind of creeps me out because he looks like he's going to eat us. It also looks kind of like my late grandfather, so that mitigates the creepiness somewhat. Though does that mean my dead grandpa wants to eat me?!
"I Lichen You a Lot"
Here's your fungal-photosynthetic Rorschach for the day. Let me know what you see.
"Tables = Turned"
This guy thought he was sneaking up on the resident wildlife with this DSLR. But it was I sneaking up on him with my point-and-shoot.
"The Rocks"
This is just what they're called. Because there are a lot of long, flat rocks you can sit/sprawl out on to watch the waterfalls.
"Trickle-Down Rock-a-nomics"
One of the many waterfalls you'll find here.
"Fun With Fungi"
These guys were just hanging out near the chapel, perhaps praying. Or maybe just genuflecting. I can't see their knees here, hard to tell.
"Magic Mushrooms"
There's nothing magic, really, about these mushrooms, which serve as a somewhat depressing appointment in the lobby of the Uzhorod residence, guarding the peeling paint and soda machine.
"Hold Tight"
Many of the banisters here are held up by wooden trees you'd ostensibly find in the Carpathian Mountains. And in Ulster County. I just think they're pretty cool.
"UNA, Opa!"
"UNA" stands for "Ukrainian National Association," and they want you to see it even when you're swimming. I applied an antique layer over this image, because isn't this the sort of thing you would have seen during the Cold War?
"The Queen of Veselka"
This swell lady overlooks the entire main pavilion and sends admonishing glares if you're not drinking enough wodka.
"Hangovers and Holopchi"
There was a huge party at the Veselka Pavilion the night I stayed here. The next morning, the aftermath was evident. This table seems worthy of a painting.
"Lviv Strong"
This is the cabin where the Soyuzivka kiddie camp resided. It looks exactly the same as it did 25 years ago, as evidenced by ...
"Lviv and Never Let Die"
... this pic from the mid-80s, with Lviv in the background. I'm in the second row from the bottom, third from the left, exhibiting my nationalism with my Soyuzivka T-shirt.
"Harbor No Resentment"
Especially not from Centerport's Jellyfish Restaurant, which afforded me spectacular Fourth of July views while I devoured a lobster roll.
"High-Speed Hijinks"
My view from the back of a convertible speeding through NYC's West Village.
If you want more of me on Twitter, @WarriorHauswife is where you should go.
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