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« oasis | Main | sunday school: going slow »
Monday
Jul192010

I am thinking it's a sign

The colours diametrically opposed to each other… are those which reciprocally evoke each other in the eye. ~ Goethe, Theory of Colours, 1810

Goethe's talking about the colour wheel, and about how blues and orangey-yellows go together because they face one another on a psychological spectrum of how our eyes process light. I'm imagining how he might have said that, in the German-born way of 1810: reciprocally evoke. It strikes me as extraordinarily un-1810-ish. It makes me wonder what Goethe might have thought of synth-pop.

I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles
In our eyes are mirror images and when
We kiss they're perfectly aligned
And I have to speculate that God himself
Did make us into corresponding shapes like
Puzzle pieces from the clay

Such Great Heights, The Postal Service

Could be the wet bokeh. Could be the light play of crystal. Could be that I'm thirsty, and that Justin's mom makes the best iced tea anywhere, and that's coming from someone who pretty much, more or less, thinks 'iced' plus 'tea' spells 'sacrilege'.

But it's none of that. It's the hunches of Goethe.

Blue, to me, is the shocking depth of everything we don't know. It is that feeling you get when you're treading water and can't see the bottom, both enveloped and exposed. It has an overwhelming way about it, blue. It says so much. It is a constant reminder of depth.

If blue is all that, orangey-yellow is the sproing of a trampoline. It is stimulation, energy, ideas. It feels much less complex, with less layers, though it's not as simple as happiness or optimism. It's an unspoilt leaning-forward into wind.

Put together, these colours feel like what my insides are. Not that I'm saying I'm all those things. I'd never presume to personify anything other than Kate, and when asked, I can't name my favourite colour. But these two never fail to make me opt out of conversation and immerse through the lens, chasing the why of why this particular combination plucks the basest of my strings.

+++

Today, I'd love to see your state of seeing -- that prime condition of light or colour or scenery that, every time it springs up, inexplicably compels you to geek out with your camera. How does this prime condition reflect who you are? Why do you think you seek it out -- why does it resonate?

 

Reader Comments (26)

So amazing that you're writing about the color and sparkle of cool blues. Altho there are no contrasting yellows..the sparkly blue color and light screams out at me to capture its beauty:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1236

And altho not related to the color itself..I've written more about it here:
http://visionandverb.com/2010/07/the-summer-apprentice/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterMarcie
My most favorite time is dusk. The deep blues of the earth contrasting with the golden orange sky of a dying sunset. The details of everything hidden. It all becomes so simplified in a silouhette.

I haven't quite captured it yet but I'm getting closer. I'm learning.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dontforgetthehorse/4790652317/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dontforgetthehorse/4713290844/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterMisty
I love the way you expressed how these colors make you feel .... its like you read my heart - amazing
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered Commentergina
great capture! these days i am in love with the colors the sun makes in my lens!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aclamp/4796726993/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterAia
i linked you here http://ramblingonandon-gina.blogspot.com/ (I have more than one blog)
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered Commentergina
beautiful colors and wonderful mood here!

i feel the same about vibrant blue and vibrant yellow, which is why this tree in the fall is one of the most glorious things to see in my opinion.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567264@N05/4232969434/in/set-72157622915238139/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered Commentergeorgia
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettina2/4713591698/in/photostream/

Red and green, two other opposites :) Where the blue is crisp and cool, the red is deep and warm
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterBettina
Your color descriptions are so lush and expressive - i feel much like you do about the color blue. I'm attracted to any vibrant color against green, which I suppose is why I love shooting within a foresty setting:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cirovic/3900900443/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cirovic/3652176719/in/set-72157623913570344/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cirovic/4536079264/in/set-72157623913570344/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterbella
Fire against a Mexico sunset. It took my breathe away :)

http://lifephotographylove.blogspot.com/2010/06/curse-those-cookies-de-mexico.html
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterJamie
While not completely opposite on the color wheel, there is just something so visually delicious to me about green and orange. Yes, I TOTALLY geek ou ton green and orange. And there are more where this came from (not posted yet, but getting there). ;o)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstenmichelle/4807001447/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterkirsten
My goodness Kate, your words are like nothing I've ever read, felt, heard or tasted. I suppose some things in life are to remain a perpetual mystery. Really love your posts.

I'll link a yellow flower anyway though compared to what you are really asking, it doesn't quite do your request justice.

http://lifesignatures.org/wordpress/2010/07/july-17-onward/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterPuna
I think "prime condition" has a huge impact on who I am, especially as a photographer. If you've ever been out in New England in the fall on a bright sunny day in a grove of yellow-leafed maples looking up at the blue sky beyond the branches then you'd understand. :)

http://www.nekphotography.blogspot.com

http://www.cabinfeververmont.com
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterJen at Cabin Fever
Kate - beautiful writing as always and I knew it was yours before I even wandered to the bottom to read the author. My ideal condition of light is early in the morning. The glow cast by the waking sun gives everything a little nudge in brilliance - even the commonplace things catch my attention. I seek out the early morning light because it feels so peaceful to be up with the sun. It helps to remind me that there's beauty everywhere, I just need to shine the right light on it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/40070449@N08/4673615556/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterAnnGeeDee
Beautiful writing (the acoustic version of that song is my favorite!).

Much like you, I'm drawn to the blues, especially when I find them bright and vibrant in nature: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephaniecourt/4797236574/in/set-72157624502933856/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterstephanie
Though I do love these colors too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephaniecourt/4752535073/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterstephanie
AMAZING photo!!!!!
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterJanet
I think orange/blue are my favorite complements, but I love red & aqua. something about those two together is energizing, and kind of retro/kind of modern at the same time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23113159@N03/4807535726/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterJill
i feel the exact same way about blue. looking straight down into the depths of a body of water makes my heart flip over, almost...like a good kind of vertigo.

for me, the color that resonates most is red. i'm an aries - a fire sign - and red to me is passion, fire, love...the essence of being alive. i think it finds a place in many many of my photos. here are a few from recently:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whollyafool/4768525194/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whollyafool/4791345553/

and i love the red against the blue-green in this one (if i may brag about my own photo!):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whollyafool/4791345553/
July 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterMichelle
yellow and blue always catches my eye too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hudster/4305709604/?editreplace=1
July 20, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterjillian
Like your photo - I am drawn to this aqua/turquoise color combined with reds and yellows. It invokes, in me, a feeling of excitement. When I edit, I find my self sliding that blue saturation bar all the way over to make it really stand out.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanderwood/4677248880/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanderwood/4703470227/
July 20, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterLori
Green and red are my favourite colours - maybe because they represent my politics (environmentalist and socialist) and my favourite food (watermelon). They were the colours I turned to when I needed to create a colourful diptych.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkymum/4586866472/
July 21, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterDorkyMum
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