Shutter Sisters

unexpected beauty

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“The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” ~Marcel Proust

The other day while driving I spied something I wanted to photograph.  I pulled my car over as I often do.  Kids snug in their car seats,  not batting an eye at my behavior.  I am sure they both look at each other with a look of knowing… there goes mommy, taking a picture…  Autumn is in full swing here in Maine and the past few days have been beyond beautiful.  Everywhere you look, eye candy.  The trees glow in the sunlight.  That is what brought me here, to this spot, those glowing leaves.  My neck should hurt right now from constantly looking skyward at them.  As I got out of my car, camera in hand, i carefully side stepped a puddle breaking my focus from my intended subject just for a moment.  It was just an ordinary puddle on a dirt road,  a place where many cars pull off so a mix of oil from some other vehicle had leaked into the puddle. I was mesmerized.  The darkness of the puddle,  the swirling opalescent colors of the liquid, a lone fallen leaf floating in the mess. I was transfixed by this beautiful swirling canvas.  

I eventually made it past the puddle to the giant orange tree,  but those shots were not the favorites of the day like i assumed they would be.  No, this shot, this strangely beautiful, unexpected shot was the one i loved and keep coming back to.  

What unexpected beauty have you captured lately? Share it with us here today.

Comments

  10. You really have an eye for finding the unexpected. It's a real challenge for me since life is always so amped and usually the unexpected comes when life is moving a bit slower.

    Yesterday I took a walk with a friend up into the orchard and while I took several photos of the apples and foliage these two unexpected finds were my favorite.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/rslaflam/5079994606/in/photostream/

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/rslaflam/5079400355/in/photostream/

  19. i was out of town over the weekend driving around trying to find specific places of interest (historic homes and formal gardens and such) but it was when I was lost and turning around on country roads that I found unexpected beauty.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5071709248/in/set-72157625016734411/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5071103899/in/set-72157625016734411/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5071708390/in/set-72157625016734411/
    it's oftentimes off the beaten path that i get the most excited about what i'm seeing.

  23. Amazing photograph. Thanks for the inspiration to stop, grab the camera and see what can be seen.

  29. Absolutely amazing. I thought it was a "set-up artsy shot" until I read your post. It's beautiful either way – but even better knowing the story…

  30. My vision of beauty is considered different from the norm. What I find to be beautiful is usually considered morbid and awkward. I'm ok with that.

    I did capture a lot of unexpected beauty on a recent trip to Eastern State Penitentiary. I know I will go back there soon.
    http://flic.kr/p/8KEZNA

  31. What a gorgeous photo! Such mystery.

    Off topic, but perhaps timelyl: do you think you might create a 2011 CD calendar template for us again this year? Of all the ones I've found on the web, yours is the best—because it allows the maximum space for the photograph (and isn't that what we all want!)

    Thanks for a beautiful website!