Photography: Art Shots – Page 2

Shiny Red Electric Guitar

I tried to learn to play the guitar once, and failed somewhat miserably. I couldn’t get my fingers to draw music from the strings and instead, produced only a dull, painful thudding.

Others in my household are more guitar-gifted. Like my son, the owner of this shiny red electric guitar. (He has at least one other guitar, and his father seems to have a few, too… I can’t keep track, but only know there are many cases in the basement, and several instruments freed from all constraints, playing on the living room sofa and chairs.)

Strong dynamic lines of a red guitar. Copyright Shelley Banks, all rights reserved. — Strong dynamic lines of a red guitar.

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On Self Portraits…

Shelley-Banks, Self-Portrait, 2013 — *Self-Portrait, 2013*

A friend recently e-mailed about the photograph I’d been using in thumbnail on my blogs. She wondered when it was taken — five years ago, I realized, so time for a refresh.

As I’ve been putting other people through the fun (or annoyance?) of portrait posing, I decided it was also time to start taking pictures of myself.

Self-portraits are an exercise in patience, a meditation on the self, an illustration of the gap between what we’d like to see in the mirror and the face we wake up to.

They are also a way of seeing what’s it’s like on the other side of the camera. And I know which side I prefer. (Hint: I like testing the light, squinting into the viewfinder, planning the shot…)

Under the Bridge: Repeating Lines

Under the bridge, the lines repeat as the columns recede, down the hill and across the river, bearing cars, buses and pedestrians to the other side of the South Saskatchewan.

Perspective diminishes into dirt on the riverbank. Pilings pull sight sideways into lines and shadows, dark angles repeating right under the bridge.

Bridge over the South Saskatchewan River, Saskatoon, © SB Copyright Shelley Banks, all rights reserved. — Bridge over the South Saskatchewan River, Saskatoon, © SB

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Portobello Mushroom: Close-up of brown gills

Confession: I am more a fan of photographing mushrooms than of eating them, though I will make some exceptions for fried mushrooms with steak and Portobello mushrooms stuffed with crab or other delights.

But I’m in awe of the undersides of fresh mushrooms, the crisp lines of gills, the soft rounded skin…

For looking, not cooking. Enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom © SB Copyright Shelley Banks, all rights reserved. — Portobello Mushroom © SB

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Lime Soda on Ice: Cold colours, bubbles

A memory of summer — a cool drink of lime soda on ice.

Lime Soda: photo by Shelley Banks, all rights reserved.

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Doorway to the Past: Kedleston, Saskatchewan

Kedleston, Saskatchewan, thrived from 1910 until the 1970s. Its last residents left in 1988 when a fire swept through. Today, a historical plaque marks the townsite.

All that remains are sidewalks through tall grasses and in the fields, abandoned homes.

Doorway, Kedleston, Saskatchewan. © SB Copyright Shelley Banks, all rights reserved. — Doorway, Kedleston, Saskatchewan. © SB

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Saskatoon Railway Bridge: Ship at Sea

This old railway bridge in downtown Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, reminds me of an old ocean-going vessel — a pirate’s ship, listing in rough waves as it crosses the river.

Lights glow on the old railway bridge... or... imagine this a ship at sea. © SB Copyright Shelley Banks, all rights reserved. — Lights glow on the old railway bridge… or… imagine this a ship at sea. © SB

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Red, Yellow, Blue: Saskatchewan Hot Air Balloon

Whee! This photo is all about colour — brilliant yellows, reds and blues against a vibrant early evening sky.

It was captured in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in September 2012, during an after-dinner walk from my hotel. (I was in town for the Professional Writers Association of Canada’s Prairies Fall Conference. If you’re interested in freelance writing, check out PWAC!)

Riding high in a hot air balloon — it's all about colour! © SB Copyright Shelley Banks, all rights reserved. — Riding high in a hot air balloon — it’s all about colour! © SB

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