I like to take a walk and look at ordinary things in the environment from a different perspective. When I do, I’m often surprised, sometimes delighted, and occasionally grateful– if for nothing else just the ability to notice momentary beauty, oddity, interesting juxtapositions of lines and color, light and shadow.

 

Child's eye view of playground benches and table

Is this what you’d ordinarily see if you were the height of a 3-year old?

Close-up view of spiked fence photo by Christina Leimer

Feels kind of spikey. Why the single black spike among the gold?

The combination of blue shapes attracted my attention and the silver gray etching on the windows below the wave and the silver vent in the upper right give it contrast.

The combination of blue shapes at this building entrance attracted my attention. The silver gray etching on the windows below the wave and the silver vent in the upper right give it contrast.

Juxtaposition of curvy and straight lines, color and textures in this closeup photo of part of a jungle gym by Christina Leimer

What do you think this is? I like the juxtaposition of curvy and straight lines, complementary color and variety of textures. It’s part of a playground jungle gym.

Light and shadow repeating itself on a tall downtown apartment building in photo by Christina Leimer

I like the repeating sequence of dark and light blocks, staggered sets of vertical bars and long edge lines as the sun slants across them and shades the balconies on this tall downtown apartment building.

Photo with repeating pattern of light and shadow with depth of field

Another repeating pattern that caught my attention. The light and shadow in the downtown apartment building can look flat, depending on how you see it. In this set of stairs the depth is clear in the lighter background columns.

Water in a fountain looks like glass when you stop its action in a photo

Water in a fountain falling on rocks looks like old, rough glass when you stop its flow in a photo.