Nighttime at Rabin Square
Tel Aviv, Israel
I get inspired looking at photography. However, I wilt at the thought of shutter speeds, exposure, and focal lengths. I haven’t allocated brain space to understand the technical aspects of photography. Yet.
For now, I am content to stick with my point and shoot camera and look at other people’s oh so pretty pictures.
My husband took this photograph in Israel–at night. I love the contrast between the dark sky and the red tree.
It makes me think how often there are times in life when the darkness can seem overwhelming or scary–when our worries cloak hope and possibility.
And this photo reminds me that the color and light are still there . . .
whether or not we see it.
Are you handy with a camera? What does this photograph make you think about?
Have a great week!
Coleen Patrick 
What a gorgeous photo, Coleen. I love your take on its meaning. I’m a major photography novice, which makes experimenting with digital cameras, Instagram and such exciting – if occassionally frustrating. 😉
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Thanks August! I haven’t tried Instagram yet. I am addicted to playing around with photos on Picmonkey though. 🙂
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Beautiful photo! I took a photography class once, but I’m still terrible at it. The camera sees zo much that we don’t notice.
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I read Photography for Dummies. It didn’t help all that much. I think I could learn it better hands on. Another problem–those fancy cameras are so heavy!
Thanks Jennette!
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Yes, the world is full of magic because that tree looks like a bougainvillea, and I’ve only ever seen bougainvillea vines. A bougainvillea tree is a vine to the power of twenty. Wow! (Maybe it’s not a bougainvillea but is a knock-out, whatever it is.)
Coleen, I wish you light when the darkness seems overwhelming or scary. One of these days, you’re going to flaunt a 5K tee shirt, and I’m going to see a bougainvillea tree.
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I did a search to see if I could find out what kind of tree it is–but no luck.
Thank you Pat!! Your support makes me smile. 🙂
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It’s a beautiful photo! I love my point and shoot cameras, but am ready for something more sophisticated… They are pretty expensive, so we’ll see.
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They really are expensive, but maybe it could be a partial business expense? After all you have a lot of cool photos on your blog!! 🙂
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Oh! Thank you! If I made any money, I could deduct it! 🙂
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Night photography is so tricky.. looks like your husband has mastered it! What a stunning photo, I love the colors and the contrast!
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Thanks Barbara. And I always love the photos you put up–so pretty! 🙂
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At night???!!!??? Wow. That’s a gorgeous picture. I see a heart in the tree leaves, do you? Photography totally inspires me, too. As for the technical stuff on cameras… I was afraid of it too, but then took a beginning digital photography class at a local community college and now I’m not scared of the little knobs. I still can’t figure out night photography, so that’s next on the agenda. You can do it, Coleen!
Thanks for reminding us there is magic everywhere in the world. We don’t really have to look all that hard to find it, as your husband’s picture shows.
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You’re right, I see a heart. Awesome! I am clueless about the knobs, so I think a class is in my future. Thanks Tameri!!
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I am not at all handy with a camera, but I love this picture and your accompanying thoughts about light and dark. They come at a very appropriate point when I’m finding the light in some areas a little hard to see!
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You say you’re not handy with a camera, but I still think about that donut graphic you put on your blog. Still makes me smile!
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The photo looks as if I could step right into it and sit down on the empty bench. Amazing work. It definitely tells a story. Do you find that pictures contrast your writing? What I mean by that- have you ever read a book and then saw photos or a movie about the book and it is completely different than how you imagined it when you read it? Many times our imagination creates more details than any picture can tell. I’ll stop rambling. I have a 2 year old that doesn’t sleep so I’m a zombie (not making any sense!).
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No I get what you’re saying Margie. It’s why I get surprised watching a movie adapted from a book. Sometimes my visual is so different!
Thanks Margie–hugs to that 2 yr old. 🙂
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Beautiful picture! I would rather be behind the camera than in front of it, and I like to flatter myself that I take a good shot now and then. How much do I love digital? I can snap to my heart’s content in the effort to get that one good shot. The rest? Delete! So easy! I use a Nikon D50. It’s a sweet DSLR, and I do have two lenses, but never switch them out. Like you, the thought of shutter speed, f-stop, and other hocus pocus of the ‘real’ photographer escape me. I use my lovely camera as a glorified point and shoot. Someday, would love to take a photography class and learn what all the buttons on the thing will do.
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I used my husband’s camera a few times and I ignored all the bells and whistles and just took the pictures. A lot of them. I figured one out of the bunch had to turn out okay. Ha ha.
Thanks Serena!
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That is a lovely picture. I didn’t even realize it was night time. How cool!
I use my reliable ole point and shoot, auto-focus, pocket-sized Nikon. It never fails me.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
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Thanks Patricia! Gotta love the auto focus. I have a pocket sized camera too and I have a habit of using the “intelligent auto” mode. 🙂
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That’s a beautiful photo, Coleen. You’re right about the contrast between the dark sky and the bright red of the trees. I, too, love to look at gorgeous photos. I know nothing about photography. I do my best with my dinky little camera, and lately I’ve been playing around with special effects with editing. It’s fun to see what I end up with! Happy WANA1011 Birthday. I love your blog!
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Thank you Lynn!! Happy WANA1011 Birthday to you too. I love the editing part too–it’s so much fun. You always come up with cool stuff with your photos!
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Wow, Coleen, the picture is gorgeous. I wish I had that tree in my back yard right now. I love to take pictures, but I’m the point and click type too. I do love to look at beautiful photographs. The inspire me.
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Thanks Sheila!
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beautiful icture. I never look at the details of pictures, so it was good you pointed out the dark sky – amazing.
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Thanks Louise–I don’t think I would’ve remembered my husband took this one at night. It kind of looks like maybe a storm is on the way.
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Very nice! This tree resembles our flamboyant tree, there are three variations of it, red, yellow or orange flowers. Susie sent me!
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You are so right! I just Googled it and it looks just the same. I had no idea there was a tree by that name. Thanks for sharing Marielba! 🙂
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They look very similar indeed! But in a way I am not so surprised because Israel has a warm climate, since they are subtropical, so their plants and trees could be similar to the ones we have in the tropics. 🙂
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That makes sense 🙂
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OOH! I love this! I do photography as a hobby (although I have less and less time for it these days.) But I love it! It makes me notice what I might otherwise miss. That’s what this picture makes me think about. And I LOVE that quote! So true!
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Thanks Leigh! I guess the camera doesn’t have the same distractions as we do. I guess we have to work harder at focusing to see the magic!! 🙂
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Beautiful picture, Coleen! Love your post. The world IS full of magic, we just have to keep the ability to see it.
BTW, I think you should take a photography class. You’ve got a natural eye for some great photos.
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Thank you Lynette. 🙂 I would really like to learn how to take cool photos!
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You really wouldn’t know it was nighttime – a beautiful, apt photo for your message. And it says something to me of a cosmic battle, strangely.
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A cosmic battle. I like that observation Alarna! 🙂
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I have my first digital camera, a cheap SONY. I just wander around and point and shoot. I miss my old SLR, with a long lens and colorful strap it made taking shots of the public easier. The SONY is a bit sneaky because of its size.
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The last camera my husband had was SO heavy. It did not make for great wandering and shooting! 🙂 Thanks Tom.
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That is so beautiful! I just love photos and taking photos and Pinterest. I almost wish I’d been a photographer. I think all that technical stuff puts me off too. I remember seeing lots of Photographers wander around parks in Australia while everyone else is inside an office, it looked so peaceful.
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I am so with you Catherine! Photography is awesome and Pinterest feeds my interest in it!!
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Incredible picture Coleen! I couldn’t agree with you more – there’s something incredibly inspiring about photography. I wish I was better at taking stunning pics. Right now I rely pretty heavily on my photoshop skills to beef pictures up. LOL!! But composition is half the battle and I need work on that. Keep us posted on what you are learning…here’s to more incredible pics like that one!
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Thanks Natalie. I do love the photo editing too. Must be a writer’s thing–wanting to manipulate everything to our vision. LOL
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Hey Collen,
Can’t say that I’m too handy with a camera, though I’d like to be. Most of my picture taking involves my highly energetic 3 year old, but I would love to branch out and do more. Your photo is amazing! I’m a writer, so when I see it I think of a hundred different things – all of them great stories!
Great stuff here!
Btw, Susie sent me! 🙂
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Hey, if you can capture the moving target that is a 3 yr old, then you’ve got some skill! 🙂 Thanks for coming by John!
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I studied all the fstops, etc in college during documentary photojournalism classes. Now, I stick to mostly auto focus with an SLR digital camera. I need to revisit some of those technical issues for my effort to gather digital photos for a portfolio (an effort to get credit for prior learning from my community college). 🙂
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A documentary photojournalism class–now that sounds interesting! The visual, the writing–I just get tripped up on the technical aspect. 🙂 Hope school is going well Stacy!
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What a beautiful tree! It reminds me of a Mountain Ash, which remind me of orange trees…which make me feel better and more cheerful just looking at them. 🙂
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Just looked up the Mountain Ash–it is very cheerful! Thanks Kristy!
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Beautiful! I take many pictures of my kids, etc. but I am definitely an amateur. I do have photos of landscapes in my house. I like them better than drawings or paintings. I know art mimics life, but sometimes, I’d rather just have the real thing. 🙂
Have a great weekend, Coleen!
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Thanks Emily! My husband ordered some photos printed on canvas, so we have a few cool canvas photos of the kids up–and the rest is mostly framed artwork from them. 🙂
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Amazing! I love that red tree. I have a wonderful camera, of which I am unworthy. I tried to learn all its different functions, but as I’m a hands-on type of learner as well as a painfully slow learner, I need to practice with it a lot more.
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Hands on learning and practice is what will help me too. I just need to make the time. Maybe the 4am photographer? I’d get a lot of sunrises! 🙂 Thanks Kate!
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Wow! Gorgeous photograph! I can’t believe that’s was nighttime, everything except the sky looks so bright, love the contrast.
I also love your interpretation of it, beautiful =)
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Thank you Amanda 🙂
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That tree is amazing, I love it! It makes me think of a heart… 🙂
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Thanks Val! I see the heart too–makes it even more inspiring, right? 🙂
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That’s a gorgeous photograph, Coleen. My husband is better at the picture taking that I am, as well. Part of that is because I can’t see the settings to know what to change it to. I usually have it set wrong because I’m too stubborn to put my glasses on. I need to overcome that. I hope to get there. Photography has always been a side love of mine.
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Thank you Debra! One of these days we will conquer the settings. 🙂
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The photo is absolutely beautiful. It has a joyful spirit of its own. I love photophraphy and studied it as a journalism student many, many years ago. Even developed my own black and white photos for the newspaper. So, years ago I enjoyed being able to use really nice cameras, but they also are very heavy to carry on trips. Went to point and shoot many years ago. But, loved to still use them when my daughter was riding in horse shows and I wanted to catch the action. Sorry I’m late posting, as I’ve been gone for five days.
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I bet you have some amazing photos Patricia! I love how the nice cameras capture action too. My little camera doesn’t do such a great job at my son’s cross country meets!
Thanks for coming by, there’s never a time limit. 🙂
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Love photography and really love this photo! I’m very inspired by photos both viewing and capturing them. I have a basic knowledge for nitty gritty but will sometimes go with the “point and shoot” mode depending on the environment. Your photo in this post is described perfectly by you (IMO). Even in the dark of night, when things seem so bleak and upsetting, there is color and light somewhere. This photo definitely gives me a sense of wonder and hope.
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Thanks Molly! I’m hoping to learn more of the nitty gritty soon. 🙂
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Oh my goodness– I LOVE that photo! I have several friends who are photographers, and they’re incredible. I sometimes wish I had their talent…. I’m just not willing to put in the time. For now, staring at other photographers pictures is enough. 🙂
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It really is a lot of time!! I think I’m going to have to drop a tv show and learn though. 🙂
Thanks Peggy!
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What a lush, gorgeous picture. The red tree looks truly amazing and the balance of the dark sky above with the light peeking from underneath the tree is brilliant.
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Thank you Roxanne! 🙂
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