A Meeting of Minds

A Meeting of Minds ©2015 - This montage began with an image I captured in the area of Califon, NJ of a magnificent crow. He was perched on the gate of a large property and when I focused my camera on him, the resulting image had wonderful bokeh in the background. In photographic terms, "bokeh" has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light". It was softly out of focus with beautiful orbs of light floating all around. I added a field of swampy grasses with a few cattails from Warren county around Belivedere, NJ. In the distance, I placed a photograph I captured of the lovely Mansion Inn in New Hope, PA. Charles Crook, a local businessman, had the house designed and built for his wife in 1865. The intricate Victorian scroll work gives it a magical air that fit the composition perfectly. When I blended the images together, the orbs of the bokeh seemed to be emanating from the house like spirits dancing in the moonlight. Last but not least, a graceful dragonfly I found sitting atop a plant just outside my back door was added and, hopefully, is having "A Meeting of Minds" with the crow regarding sharing the dance floor.

Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill ©2015 - When I came across the vintage photo of the boy and girl at an antique show, I immediately thought of Jack and Jill, so I had the title for this montage before it even began. It was a couple of months before the composition started to fall in place. I remembered photographing the ruins of an old stone building in Pennsylvania, just outside of New Hope that had a well on the property. Perfect for the background image! The true origins of the English nursery rhyme are unknown but there are several theories. One is that when King Charles 1 tried to reform taxes on liquid measure, he was blocked by Parliament so he ordered that the volume of a Jack (1/2 pint) be reduced but the tax remained the same, so he still received more tax, despite the veto. (Reminds me of what's happening today every time I grocery shop!)  Hence,"Jack fell down and broke his crown". The reference to "Jill", (actually "gill", or 1/4 pint) reflects that the gill dropped in volume as a consequence. In the vintage photo, the two children were only touching hands, so I photographed a pail and placed it between them. Fetching a pail of water seemed a little mundane, so I decided to have them fetch a pail of gargoyle instead! The crows were added as curious bystanders of the situation along with a crescent moon, some color and texture to complete "Jack and Jill".