καιρός remembered

Reflections

I love reflections and photographs that feature reflections. Reflections invite us to look more closely and encourage us to reflect – see my previous posts ‘Floating Baobab’ and ‘A stick in shallow water’. It is probably no coincidence that the word ‘reflection’ has these two meanings: a reflection or mirror image, and a thought or the act of thinking.

The reflection of the pavilion in the water isn’t the only reason why the photograph above is so dear to me, but it certainly plays a part. The soft light at the end of the day; the beauty of the wooden pavilion; the harmonious interplay of colours between the various elements in the composition – the trees, the water, the shadows – they all play a part.

Then there is the row of boats on the right-hand side. With their white and blue colours, they somehow create a sense of dissonance. A minor flaw in an otherwise perfect composition. A reminder that we are looking at a photograph, at a reflection of reality.

The photograph below shows us another scene with a reflection in the water. Here, there is no wind and the water’s surface is as smooth as glass.

What catches our eye, of course, is the fact that the house is abandoned. A house in such a beautiful spot, and yet abandoned! What then intrigues us is the reflection of the sky. It shows clouds with far more nuances and contrasts than the sky above. The water itself is not actually visible; we deduce its presence from the almost perfect reflection it creates. In this respect, it differs markedly from the photograph of the pavilion.

Photo of the week: Pagoda pavilion in Ara-ike Pond, Nara, Japan 2008