Five-Hundred Word Challenge 1355: Looking Forward

It is a Sunday and I have some fantastic news, in that I will soon be in a better job. It’s one that has actual growth opportunities and it’s one that’s closer to where I want to be, and hey, if I like it enough, I’d be happy to stay in the position. But that’s not what I want to write about this morning.

What I want to write about is wherever I can be in a given point of time given enough time and distance to reach said point.

Actually, I don’t know what I want to write about and I don’t really know if I want to write at the moment. I think over the last few weeks I’ve had a bit of an ebb and it’s all moving away from me. Who knows.

Perhaps I am deceiving myself and just trying to say that I don’t want to write, but I don’t know. I don’t know anymore, but I do know that I’ve had some good news and years of increasing poverty are finally averted; at least, for the time being. Yet to see what happens and will need to make sure I save a lot so as to stay afloat in case anything goes awry. But I can do that now.

I wonder as to what would have happened had I gotten this kind of success earlier in my life, but I don’t regret it happening now. I don’t regret being poor, and I don’t regret the chances I’ve missed because, at the end of the day, I am still quite lucky. I’ve managed to survive for this long and I have some great friends, and I have a great partner in my life. In some ways I’ve won the lottery.

My getting this job was a team effort, because there was a lot of falling apart that I was supported through, and I received a lot of help. I was really lucky with that. It was four years of increasing stress and pressure, and I haven’t been able to pay much in the way of rent for the last few months, and I received a great deal of help and support the whole way through.

But now here I am and I’m writing about something I don’t want to write about and I’m writing even though I don’t want to write, and there still are plenty of things that need doing, but that’s all okay. Everything is alright at the moment. Things won’t be soon as the current job still needs to be worked before the new one starts, but I’m okay. I’m alive and I’m okay, and that’s a good space to be in.

Many things will draw to a close in the coming months, but I’ll be able to keep looking forward and I’ll be able to let go of stuff, and maybe I’ll let myself not be stressed as much as I have been, but I’ll see.

But relaxing does sound nice.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 07:55:23

A bit more openly serious, but also a bit more optimistic. A bit lighter.
Don’t worry; it won’t last MWAHAHAHA and so on and so forth.

Written at home.

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Casuarina Silhouette

I recently was fortunately enough to get this photo, which was taken on a mountain with a lot of fog; Same area as where these two photos were taken.

I took this one with a great deal of intention in that I was trying to do something an artist I like has done, though what I did here turned out a fair bit different, mostly because I’m not that good at that kind of replication. Still, I like the result. It’s quite striking, I think, though I also think it’s something for me to do better with as there is a lot of room for improvement.

I hope you enjoy.

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Stone Landscape

I tried to make this look a bit more stark in processing, in part to bring out more of the rocks’ details, and I think I did alright there. Also in part to make the image more striking.

I hope you enjoy.

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Gap in the Clouds

This is another photo I’d like to retake to see if I can do better.
I’m almost certain that I can as it’s not exactly a spectacular photo, but I never know unless I try.

I do like the contrast between the clouds and the visible sky. If the clouds were darker I think it’d be more emotively contrasting too.

I hope you enjoy.

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Awake at Dawn

Taken around the same time as the last few photos.
I’ve photographed North Sydney before and I think this photo feels quite different to the prior one. Partly due to the time of day, I think.

I think here this feels a bit more ominous, though at the same time not. The buildings really stick out and they’re quiet in a quiet space. But they’re also awake.

This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s “Monochrome Madness” for this week.

Participating is pretty straightforward and something I recommend. If you do, then include the tag “monochrome-madness” in your post. If not participating, then at the least check out Leanne’s photography as well as what other people submit.

I hope you enjoy.

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Lingering Buildings

Another bit of experimenting.

I was trying to create some smooth light lines with this one, but it didn’t quite work.
Instead I ended up with this, which I think worked out better than my original intent.

I hope you enjoy.

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Rubbish in the Bush

The last time I was at this particular spot there were a few balloon-like objects that had been left there. I don’t know if they blew in from somewhere else or if someone dumped them there; either way, it was a bit aggravating.

I took a few photos including this one where I was trying to frame one of those objects in a way that didn’t immediately catch the eye. I think it may have been too shiny.

Once I was done I grabbed the rubbish. It shouldn’t have been there and it was a shame that there was a high likelihood of other people walking past and not doing anything before I was there.

I hope you enjoy.

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Sydney CBD Photo Test

A few hours ago I got up to head to where I took this photo to take photos of Sydney CBD at sunrise. Had an idea pop into my head which led to the below photo, which I plan on redoing. That said, it worked out well enough; I think it gets across some sort of aesthetic appeal, and also the sense of lack of space that comes with a lot of cities.

On top of that, in a way the image plays with iconography. It’s ever-present, even if you’re not looking at where it is, and often it can end up just blending in with everything else, regardless of how striking it can be.

Perspective and all that.

The first image is the end result and the second is what it was processed from. Adjustments were minimal, but they are there, and I think the first ends up being a good deal stronger for those adjustments.

This is my submission into the two hundred-and-ninety-fourth Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. The theme for this one is “Before and After“.

The host of the Lens-Artists challenges cycles weekly between the following people:

Tina

Patti

Ann-Christine aka Leya

John Steiner

Sofia Alves

Anne Sandler

Donna

Egídio

Ritva

John is curating this one. Next week Donna is curating.

I recommend participating in the challenges as they provide a fun way to interpret theme. If not participating, then at least you should still check out what others of the Lens-Artists community are submitting.

I hope you enjoy.

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Trees Above

Not much to say about this one. I was trying to get a specific feel across and I think it would’ve worked better with more trees, or if I’d framed this better. Still, I like the eeriness that came through. I think it’s fitting.

I hope you enjoy.

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Drifting Mass

Just clouds being clouds.

I hope you enjoy.

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