do I have to choose?

'A Blaze of Glory'

A glorious red image for the Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge at Bumbles & Light

http://www.bumblesandlight.com/shades-of-autumn-photo-challenge/

The tree is in the gardens of Leith Hall in Aberdeenshire, Northen Scotland
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/rhynie/leithhall/index.html

I have now visited two National Trust properties in a month, see yesterdays post on Calke Abbey

having not set foot inside one for more years than I can remember.
I used to love period dramas, visiting old sites and houses, Antique shops and of course Antiques Roadshow was never missed. But in the last 10 years my life had gone in a thoroughly modern direction and I have discovered a love for all things minimal and 'happening'

So why this sudden shift back to the past. Its a little odd. The trip to Leith Hall was work (Architectural) and my photography club trip to Clake Abbey was on the recommendation of someone else, so I hadn't really chosen either to waft me back on the winds to my previous loves.

Now I'm in conflict, am I a thoroughly modern Millie or am I an 18th Century candle light chaser?

I can hear my collected bits and bobs unravelling themselves from the newspaper in the garage as we speak but they arn't going to 'go' in my house of all things Habitat and my partner would have a fit if my ink well was positioned next to his modern sculpture - eek, what to do!

And this brings up a contradiction of photography too. We all have our 'Thing That Thrills' the subject I am constructing a lesson about at the moment. The image that we each choose to photograph the most, the thing that gets your pulse racing, gets you out of bed at 5am to go trudging through muddy fields in the dawn mist. And my question is

'can we have the same passion in our photography for two completely different genres'?

How does my love of photographing steel shop shutters glistening in the sun fit with my rekindled love of snapping Ionic columns?

Here is a 'Me Reflected' shot, I was trying to capture the round gates at an interesting angle whilst lost in the magic of Leith Hall gardens and lost in thought over 'what sort of photographer am I?'

Do we have to choose, I hope not!

Me Reflected Photography Share

This is a photograph of me and my friend on one of our photography shoots, in Stratford-Upon-Avon. She was showing me the shots that she had captured and i suddenly noticed our reflections on the ground, so I snapped the image as our shoots are so valuable to me that I wanted a record of them.
I am myself on those days, with those friends. I am my authentic self, taking photographs. And that got me thinking about the photographs I take. They say you can see an artists authentic self in their paintings and that paintings without that are lifeless, meaningless.Is the same true of photography? Is the picture that we choose to take more than just a collection of things that catch our eye,is it really a window into our soul?
My 'Me Relected Photography Share' is inspired by my love of photography, the way in which it has connected me back to the 'Me' I really am and my curiosity of how it has shaped other peoples lives and journies.
It is a share for people who find themselves reflected in their photographs, be it their own image, their taste or their favourite things, in fact anything that reflects the you that is, inside or out.

This page is all about sharing, in a safe environment, the love of photography and how it relates to you, the joy of enjoying your photography and perhaps healing negatives or nurturing positives in your life. So, if you want to, please leave your thoughts along with your photographs and how each picture relates to you
or leave a link with your photographs to text on your blog.

Add your images to the Me Reflected Flickr Group by clicking on the Me Reflected Flickr Group Link

Share your favourite images inspired by the 'Me Reflected' theme by clicking on the link below and link your images and the blog post they are on.