Themes

For this group theme, I had in mind street scenes in which pedestrians are seen in front of compelling backdrops — of posters and murals with models that seem to step out and communicate with the pedestrians. Among friends on Trekearth, Claude Simonin (Clodo) is a master at catching such scenes. I'll start out with a few of my own photos, and integrate the photos of others into the collection. Please, feel free to add.

Large modern cities frequently abound in buildings clad in plate glass. Since the individual panes of glass are themselves flat, multifaceted reflecting surfaces are created. Moreover, what we regard as flat panes frequently display huge variations, like distorting mirrors in a carnival. I am starting the new group theme, "City reflections," with two of my own photos. I invite others to join the group with photos of their own.

I have long enjoyed watching street artists plying their skills, mindful of capturing the artist and the subject. I have also enjoyed visiting art galleries to see great art, or watching other visitors scrutinizing the works of art. Of course, the title for this theme comes from Mussorsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition". I welcome others to contribute to the theme. Having exhausted the allowed 100 images uploaded into "Pictures at an Exhibition I," I am creating a second edition.

The expression, "Symphony of colors," is the way the great Expressionist painter Vincent van Gogh, in a letter to his brother Théo, described the works of French landscape artist Jules Dupré (1811-1889). Van Gogh's words are also appropriate in describing the still life depicted here.

At Trekearth we see some wonderful images of the moon. Many of them have been shot with long focal length lenses; many others with "normal lenses," and many others simply represent good timing. I am starting a group theme with a few of my own images of the moon. I hope others will add some of their favorites.

In the course of an ordinary day many of us encounter staircases — interior staircases, exterior staircases. Almost all staircases obey the simple dictum, "What goes up, must go down," echoing an adage that trivializes the theory of gravitation. On rare occasion we see staircases that resonate with historical and architectural significance. In launching this group theme, I will submit a few of my favorite staircases. I invite others to submit photos showing their favorites.

In traveling to give talks — whether at universities around the world in my professional field of physics or on cruise ships in diverse topics, I've had the pleasure of seeing some genuinely beautiful tropical and sub-tropical sites. In creating this group theme, I am starting with three of my own photos, but welcome others to submit images of beautiful natural scenes. (So much all of Rio de Janeiro, and islands in the Aegean Sea would seem to qualify.)

I've always liked old doors and skeleton keys. They convey a sense of mystery, and ultimately they are a reminder of the generations of individuals who’ve passed through. They are also elements in a psychology test to see how well an individual is grounded — well adjusted or not, ambitious or laid back, believing in an afterlife or rejecting the notion... I am starting this group theme with three of my own posts, but others are most welcome to add to it.

As major architectural elements, domes,spires and minarets are seen as dominant features of the skylines of some of the great cities of the world. They can be hemispherical in shape, paraboloids of revolution, onion-shape domes... in Florence, Istanbul, London, Moscow, Paris, Rome, St. Petersburg, Venice and Washington, DC... But they can also serve as the defining iconic edifice, such as the Taj Mahal in Agra. I welcome others to contribute.