Thursday, August 6, 2009

Surreal Night

If film is a warm classic, then digital is a cool avant-garde...

I couldn't resist stopping the car and trying to capture the dramatic summer moon last night as it dangled over a sparkling Los Angeles -- despite the fact that I had the lesser of my two cameras and no tripod. Still, my little digital maverick surprised me with this groovy rendering of a surprisingly psychedelic sky. It's almost as if my camera decided it was Kirlian and started picking up the regional aura.

Yeah, it's grainy and blurred (where was that tripod!?)but I love the way the digital sensor seems to illuminate an impression of the surreal Southern California spirit.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

very nice i love it

Dixie Jane said...

My mother's favorite song: Thanks for the memory, Laurie.

Deep Purple

When the deep purple falls
Over sleepy garden walls
And the stars begin to twinkle in the sky
In the midst of a memory you wander back to me
Breathing my name with a sigh

In the still of the night once again I held you tight
Though you're gone
Your love lives on when moonlight beams
And as long as my heart will beat
Lovers we'll always meet
Here in my Deep Purple Dream

Judy Williams said...

Impressionistic indeed. It has the same flavor as Monet's original Impression, Sunrise circa 1863, which started that whole movement of soft blended colors and sense of the image instead of a realistic version of it. This is a treasure, Laurie. I can't help but just pause when I see those rich smoky plums and pops of contrasting orange. The moon was hidden by some cool clouds here too, but nothing like what you captured in this extraordinary shot!! Let's hear it for point and shoots.

:~)

Hilda said...

The colors are awesome!
The little camera that could… :)

Jean Spitzer said...

Beautiful.

Anton Elohan Byers said...

Timing is such a critical part of composition when shooting live subjects and Laurie always seems to pull this off so perfectly...
In this particular shot, the moon, clouds and sky seem to exist by themselves as their own ephemeral universe, with the cityscape carefully appliqued to give the whole just enough weight to not float away...

Yakpate said...

What Anton said!

I have a theory that the "city lights view" is so prized in LA. because it is a substitute for a view of the stars, which light pollution and smog have eliminated here.

This shot kind of illustrates that... We see the "Star" the lamp light made... and the "stars" of all the housing lights... but no stars in the sky. Fortunately, that royal blue shade fading to violet is breathtaking.

TheChieftess said...

Interesting take on the city lights Yak!!! I never thought of it that way but I definitely agree with the idea!!! Beautiful shot Laurie...the colors and mood are absolutely fabulous!

Ken Mac said...

come fly with Laurie, fly fly away..

Shanna said...

I love this one, of course, with my obsession with the sky!

I got one a few nights ago with a con trail touched by and illuminated by the moon. One shot later and it had moved.

Laurie Allee said...

Hey all,

Welcome Morgaine24!

Thanks so much everyone. I really wish I'd had my tripod for this shot, but even half-blurred and quickly grabbed, I just wanted to share it with you. Nights like the one in this pic are just magical.

Til tomorrow!