It's Never Just A Chair

I love to photograph chairs. An empty chair speaks volumes about the past and about potential. People sit in chairs. The more people, the more energy accumulates in them and they seem to take on a life of their own.

Some chairs are so welcoming and others seem downright sinister. Some chairs, once you look at them you dive right in to feel their comfort and ease. Other chairs, look lonely and one wonders who cared to even sit in it last. There are chairs that you just know you best not sit in because they were the favorite chair of a  past possessive owner.

 A chair doesn't have to be a fancy throne to be magical. Once you sit in certain chairs, the flood of potential and beauty overwhelms you and you find a smile working its way across your face. Is it the place the chair is in that gives it its magical aura? Why is it when we sit, we seem to own that space? We seem to rule that square footage of ground and all that surrounds it.

I often think of the necessity of thrones. Thrones are nothing more than very fancy chairs that when a designated person sits in it, it connotes dominion, ownership and power over a certain space -- a kingdom. When I sit in a chair in the middle of nowhere, I feel I am the Queen of all I survey.

Chairs are never just a piece of furniture. Chairs always bring with them their own emotional baggage and archetypical messages.

 I also take into account the number of chairs. A single chair reminds me of the Hermit card in the Tarot. We sit to listen. We get our other senses out of the way. We make our body sit so we no longer have the distraction of standing. We not only command from a chair (throne) we also are there to gain knowledge and wisdom -- to sit quietly, to listen and to learn.

The darker side of a single chair are the feelings of loneliness, despair or a creepy feeling of an occupant that watches our every move attentively.

A chair has the function of having someone sitting in it. Our mind connects the function and fills in the gaps. This creates very interesting emotional effects when photographing chairs.

Having a couple of chairs with a refreshing brew speaks volumes. It evokes feelings of friendship, good times and sunny summer days. Two chairs have the feeling of friendship, collaboration and relationship. On a darker vein, two chairs can connote plotting and scheming.

 A room full of fo chairs can be very disconcerting. The feeling of judgment is primary. One gets the uneasy feeling of being outnumbered by like-minded people.

Remember -- A chair is never just a chair... .

Take Care!
Viki
Ace of Wands Photography
(all photographs on this blog are copywrited.
Please do not use without consent of AOWP) 

Creeping Around an Old, Abandoned Dairy Farm

Anyone who knows me can tell you I love creeping about abandoned and haunted places. Having my own business, Ace of Wands Photography, has allowed me a little more time to indulge myself in this rather dicey past-time. As a matter of fact, I have another blog in the works called the Paranormal Inquiry and have just started a YouTube channel by the same name. I will post the video at the bottom of this blog for you to enjoy. I only have one video at this time but there will be more to come. My goal is to put up a video every other week.

Ok, back to the topic at hand. First of all, much to my regret, I cannot give the location of this site. I promised the owner I wouldn't because she already has problems with vandalism. Very sad. Most likely, when she does end up selling the property, all of this will get torn down. Again, sad. I really loved this place and its history.

As I poked about, I just got a feel of old-fashioned people and old fashioned ways. A lot of hard work went on here. One could almost feel the bustling and busyness of hard working people and cows plodding about. Simpler times permeated every nook and cranny.

Walking around the outside of the buildings,

all I could hear was the crunch of dry grass and weeds as grasshoppers clicked through the air, jumping to get out of my way. It was a hot summer day.

When I entered the airy barn, I noticed a nice change of temperature. The musty smell of livestock still lingers after all these years. I really could have meandered about here all day but a thing called time cut my visit short. I really felt privileged to be able to photograph   this bit of history -- perhaps for the last time.

                          Enjoy the video. Please like and subscibe so I can produce more! Oh, and don't forget to subcribe to this blog (at the bottom of blog) so you can be notified when a new one is posted!

Take Care!
Viki,
Ace of Wands Photography

Ruins Of Past Days

I've been spending some time up in the Rocky Mountains lately. Tramping through the woods and coming across ruins of old 1800s miners cabins scattered across the mountainside was a real find.
 

On a hillside, we came across an old cellar that was crumbling and once inside, you can look up and see all sky. I just wonder... who lived here and what was their life like? What kind of dreams and aspirations did they have for themselves and their families? The search for gold wasn't always out of greed, but to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones.

This particular area of these mountains (about 9,000 to 10,000 feet) has such a varied terrain, from pine forests to rolling plains, all within a few miles of each other. Verdant valleys to dry plains and ever-changing weather added great challenges to these people of the mid to late 1800s.

Places like this only raise a lot of questions for me. I just sit at these sites for a bit and wonder.
There were no conveniences, just a lot of hard work and faith.  Survival was their daily occupation in these mountains. It amazes me the ingenuity of these folks. They did so much with so little. Could we live as they did if we ever had to?

Below is just a short clip of an old ghost town, just a few miles away from the old cellar. Enjoy!

Take care!
Ace of Wands Photography

Aspen Shadows

The light playing through the aspen grove was magical on the evening I took this photo. I just wanted to walk deeper and deeper into the grove where I was certain I would find some kind of treasure or spiritual revelation of sorts. It was like a portal to another world where anything was possible. I sat for awhile and watched intently as the sun gently bedded itself behind the mountain, darkening the grove and stretching the shadows. It was a Colorado evening I will always remember.

Much love,

Viki

Ace of Wands Photography

Interpretation

Helping the observer interpret our photos is a little dicey at times. Usually, we use a well chosen title to guide the viewer. Sometimes, the observer is unaware of the title or theme of a work we have spent hours on. In that case, anything goes. This is not necessarily a bad thing but I find people like to know what they are looking at. People want to know what our motivation was to spend time crafting our work. This knowledge deepens their experience (especially if your work is more abstract).
On the flip-side, we don’t want to lock in our work and tell our viewers “this is a picture of (whatever) and don’t you put your spin on it”. Titles must leave room for the viewer to use their own imagination as we merely provide the sign post.
Taking time to produce a well crafted title is just as important as the work itself.
By the way — Happy Black Friday (whatever that means to you)
Much love,
Viki
Ace of Wands Photography

A Message of Gratitude

The message for today is gratitude. Frankly, today acts as a reminder of how we should be all year long. Just as the message for all the holidays of December is one of peace, again reminding us of what should rule our lives. Sure, one can quibble and tear apart the historical origins of every holiday from every culture, but then are we not missing the point of the actual messages that evade culture and time and in effect, are timeless?
Throughout history the archetype of the messenger has been a dubious character — full of flaws and most times, a scoundrel, more interested in selfish interests than delivering any message that may help humanity. This character, unwilling as they are, ends up being persuaded and accomplishes the task. The messenger is also portrayed as just an ordinary Joe called to impart information that will change the world, so to speak but does not believe he/she can do so. In the end, the message finally gets delivered. The biggest caviat however, is will the people listen. They didn’t listen to Moses because of who he was as messenger. They focused on the messenger instead of the message and you see where that got them.
History itself is the greatest messenger. Events that are flawed and even scandalous at times do speak to us and deliver messages to us constantly. Are we going to focus on the the messenger and ignore the message?
The message today is to be thankful, grateful for all the good things in our lives instead of giving so much attention to any lack or misfortune that has come across our path. We need to stop for a moment and take stock of our life and examine what is really important — what really matters — and carry that forward in GRATITUDE and THANKSGIVING all year long.
With much love,
Viki
Ace of Wands Photography

Lapses in Time

How in the world does time pass so quickly? I haven’t posted anything in so long and yet, it certainly doesn’t seem so. Life and all it’s proverbial drama haunts us daily and we frequently lose focus. Literally. What has gotten the cart back on the road was a shovel. Sometimes it takes it takes a seemingly mundane stroke of serendipity to get us refocused... even if it is only meeting up with a shovel. See you soon and stay imaginative!
Much love,
Viki
Ace of Wands Photography 

The Dark Side

I am a big fan of black and white photography. I am a bigger fan of Noir. Working in black and white can be a little tricky though. I liken the difference between color and black and white the same as the difference between television and radio. With television, our senses are spoon-fed, so to speak. There is really no need for interpretation. Namely, you get what you see. With radio, you really need someone in command of language to paint the picture for you but the image is really up to you to interpret and the individual imagination is left to fill in the rest. For me, incorporating the tones of Noir is like adding the exclamation point to the photo. Of course, one does not end every sentence with an exclamation point so, using Noir is a bit of an art in as much as it needs to be used sparingly. Play around with Noir when you want to add that touch of drama or mystery to your next black and white photo.
By the way... cats are both full of drama and mystery. 😏
Much love,
Ace of Wands Photography

Colorado Travels

Colorful Colorado is a photographer’s paradise! The varied terrain of high prairie to pine covered mountains is truly magnificent The flora and fauna are endless subjects for your stock photo collection. The above photo is of Fishers Peak in southern Colorado.
If you find your way to Colorado, it is a must that you bring your camera; you will regret it if you don’t.
Much Love,
Ace of Wands Photography 

Treasures from Our Children

As time rolls on, those of us with youngsters in our lives, will receive true works of art from the little ones. Whether the masterpiece be their first clay pot or stick figure drawing — take a frame-worthy photo of it. The treasure itself may fade or if you have several young ones, the treasures may begin to become overwhelming and begin to take up a lot of space. Instead, take beautiful photos of them, frame them nicely and dedicate a wall in your home to showcase these lovely pieces as the true works of art that they are. Your young ones will love it! As time goes on, you can now store away some of the originals. When those youngsters grow up, they can have their own treasure box of memories to pass down to their young ones and you will continue to have yours too!
Much Love,
Ace of Wands Photography 

Close to Home

Sometimes the most visually interesting subjects are found where we travel daily. Yes, it’s exciting to wander off to exotic places but a playful, fun photo can be found right under our noses if we just take the time to really look at what surrounds us in our everyday.

Don’t forget to visit www.aceofwandsphotography.com for more visual eye candy and unique items for your home!