52Frames Wabi Sabi Weekly Photo Challenge

The 52Frames weekly photo challenge this week was “wabi-Sabi.” I first thought my mom’s broken vase would be nice, but then decided her elf was even better. That little elf sat in her curio cabinet for as long as I can remember. It’s one of the few things I kept after she passed away three years ago. It’s over seventy five years old. If you look at the bottom side you can tell it’s been around. It’s a bit worn and the paint is chipped off. Aside from that the hat tip is broken off. So what has become my signature project is to turn the images in to a composite photo. So I took several photos of the elf at every angle. And then took a closer in shot of his backside. It’s actually very pretty! Then a photo of a shelf and a plant were taken. It took awhile to figure out how I would piece all of these images together. I hand painted in the outline of the display shelf, then added in the elf’s behind print in to the shelfs. The elf’s were arranged on the shelves - two sitting opposite the plant on top and the rest placed here and there. Then a few backgrounds were tried but I wanted to highlight the wabi Sabi of the elf’s behind chipped paint print and used that as the background - but in a more transparent way. The end result was pleasing to the eye and it was a fun way to remember my mom - and her elf. I wish I knew the story behind it. 

52Frames Wabi-Sabi Photo Challenge

Wabi Sabi is an interesting concept and it was the subject of this week’s photo challenge. The idea is to find beauty in imperfection. Since we were traveling to central Virginia to visit family for the holiday, I knew there would be plenty of options at their 1800’s warehouse home along the James River. Since many of the original architectural elements remain, the whitewashed chipped brick and heavily tracked floors were options. Their dog loves to sit in the sunshine and was the perfect way to showcase the almost destroyed wood. Their quirky taste in art was highlighted against the brick - but the frame was even interesting. They have a cabin about a half an hour away from home and next to their property is a dilapidated shack. But none of the options looked appealing and the place was literally a mess. Walking east along the James River showcased the lone naked branched tree that looked stunning when I turned west. The backlit reflection of the mountains and sister trees in the water was simply lovely. But I wasn’t sure that this would meet the criteria for wabi sabi. I took a few more nature shots of the River and distressed trees as well as the walls in the lower level and living space. I ended up picking the walls with the art since it was my husband’s favorite and got a lot of likes on my Facebook business page. I don’t think it will be a winner, but it was a good try.