Friendly Friday serenity search

Here is my Friendly Friday serenity which only a carefully worded post can ruffle. Is it true? Do I refuse to choose?

Yes, I have found my serenity, no search required. You can see it regularly in the photos on my blog and in this post. At least I hope this is what my photos are saying.

There is even too much of it. It IS possible, believe me, Amanda – our Friendly Friday host who set the theme as Searching for serenity.

I’ve read something recently and cannot snap out of it. Meet Florin Popa and his blog Riddle Me This. His photos are wonderful but what he says is of equal interest. In the post “Snapshots, postcards and photos” he writes:

What are our photos really saying? Is it “look where I am right now”, “look who is posing for me”, or “check out how skillful I am with these highlights and shadows”? Or is it a way of documenting something bigger than ourselves, a way of disappearing in the shadow of a story that is worth telling?

Hmmmm. What an interesting concept. Have you ever asked yourselves this question? Prepare an answer, I’d love to see them in comments. Start with “Look”, as Florin does. What are we seeing in your photos?

I remember watching a photo contest online and the first things contestants were told were “do not just click” and “do not take postcard photos”. I smirked and immediately felt deeply seen. This is what I do, the one or the other or both at the same time. I thought I was okay with it but clearly I feel irked.

Let’s see how Florin tells it:

Snapshots are the fast food of photography.

And:

If snapshots are a bit like fast food, postcards are like an expensive meal that you cannot really enjoy unless you talk about it to all your friends.

Thank you for the food for thought, Florin.

So what are my photos really saying? Is it “Look how serene it is here”? Or is it more “Look how alone I really am”? Oh and also “Look how I have no idea where my photography is going”?

No idea… Where have I heard this before? Is it that I again refuse to choose, just like when I post too many photos, or instead of picking one profession I do it all on my blog for free?

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The first half of the photos are from this January and the second half from two days ago, with the reveal of new neighbours in the last photo. Meet my serenity now.

One of the last times I saw our neighbour in mid January. I got worried for him.

You can always count on birds for company, even if it’s just one.

Usually there are more than one.

Taken from behind my computer. Beyond lazy.

Amore showing off our dreadful winter.

Horrible, telling you.

That black hand doesn’t bring anything good. Lake Burano in the back. The sea behind that. Corsica next.

Capalbio. A serene postcard snap.

One more.

Here start photos from two days ago. Not bad for February.

Rosemary blooming away.

Is it my new-old camera or are the greens really yellow this year?

This is a nature reserve. Most of the migratory birds have left by now.

Here used to be vineyards and peach trees when I arrived almost nine years ago.

The view inland. Decidedly yellow.

Capalbio on the hill and pretty sky.

I had such high hopes for this photo.

Not only the donkey is still here but it has new company. I had to zoom in. Seems like little boars!

For Friendly Friday Challenge hosted by Amanda at Something to Ponder About: Searching for serenity

This day in my blogging history

• 2015: My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them.

  —Mitch Hedberg

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  2016: Thursday Doors from Trastevere that have seen plenty.

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  2017: Against all odds, evenly: I’ll never forget that typically Slovenian goodbye: “You’ll be back in no time, this will never last.”

• 

  2019: And how was your weekend? Carnevaletto da tre soldi in Orbetello.

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  2020: What would you do if you could do anything? My answer seems to be: Collect, like a hamster. And go on daytrips. Where will we go? This is Italy. It doesn’t matter.