POTENTIAL

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

OBJECT TROUVÉ

I've stumbled upon many objets trouvé (found object). Like this elephant shaped water can on a table in a Tokyo garden. I think the Japanese must like the elephant because I've encountered it on many occasions for several different purposes, including a slide at a playground.

Here's an elephant washing urinals!

MY FATHER LAND

As we say in Dutch, my homeland is The Netherlands also called Holland. Only one third of my country is above sea level. That's why there are dikes and canals everywhere, to keep the water out. The Dutch are great "water" engineers and built enormous dams and river "doors". This image is near the small town called Spijkenisse where I grew up.

PEARL OF THE EAST

Is another name for Thailand. One of my favorite places on this planet. I've visited 4 times and stayed often on this island called Koh Phangan, famous for its Full Moon parties (which I never attended because I don't like huge crowds). We stayed at a small resort in the South, close to a monastery. I had no tripod with me, so taking this picture of two monks during dusk was quite a challenge.

VIRGINIA FALL

Just back from another camping trip just South of Richmond, VA. The fall colors here are absolutely fabulous. I have to be careful while driving my car because I can't keep my eyes from the intensely colored foliage along the road. I always wonder: "what is the purpose of all these colors?" Is it nature having fun being an artist?

NATURE'S PERFECTION

Always intrigued by the pure perfection of nature. This fern somewhere in the jungle near Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii just stunned me.

WHAT DO VENUS AND POOLS HAVE IN COMMON?

Venus was born from the sea. Venus was commonly associated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the Etruscan deity Turan. The early, Etruscan or Latin goddess of vegetation and gardens became deliberately associated with the Greek Goddess Aphrodite. Company that sells garden statues and pools near Camallera (Spanish Catalonia) Spain.

FARM WINDOW

Window of a barn at a tiny village in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands. I love visiting old barns and ruins of any kind. I guess that's why I have visited so many ghost towns lol

THEATRIC DRAMA

I was reluctant to peek behind the curtains so I really don't know what kind of entertainment this theatre features. Georgetown, Washington, DC.

HAVE A SEAT!

If there is one town I would love to visit again it is Hongkong. Roaming through the narrow streets, peeking into obscure shops and bumping into the most awkward situations like this multiple chair configuration.

NO NOT A FALL LEAF

I love visiting my local nursery and roam around from plant to plant like a busy honey bee. Sometimes I forget to note the name of the plant, so please let me know if you know the name!

SALVADOR DALI

I've been a long time fan of Salvador Dali. As a young teenager I thought it would be cool to have a father like him ;-) While sailing from France to Spain during one of my first vacations without my parents (I was 17) we anchored in Port Lligat to get some water and groceries. This picture is actually the neighbor's house across the street from Dali's house. Little did I know then that he was still alive and would usually welcome unexpected visitors, I just did not have the courage to knock on his door, something I have always regretted. Only a few months later he died.

From Wikipedia: Port Lligat or Portlligat is a small village located in a small bay on Cap de Creus peninsula, on the Costa Brava of the Mediterranean Sea, near the city of Cadaqués in the Alt Empordà comarca, in Girona province, Catalonia, Spain. The Island of Port Lligat (or Island of Portlligat) is located at the entrance of the bay, separated from the mainland by a narrow 30-meter-wide canal. Salvador Dalí lived in the village and his house has been converted into the Casa-Museo Salvador Dalí. Both the bay and the island have been represented in several of Dalí's paintings, such as The Madonna of Port Lligat and The Sacrament of the Last Supper.

NOT OF THIS WORLD

We were camping at the Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland. It was late in the afternoon and people were getting their campfires ready for dinner. As I was enjoying an aperitif this ethereal scene evolved before my eyes. The crown on a beautiful Fall day in the mountains.

WITCH WITCHES HAT?

Yesterday we came back from a wonderful Fall camping trip near Little Orleans in Maryland. They had a Halloween day for the children including a costume parade, our two witches took a break while pumpkin carving...

REFLECTIONS OF THE MIND

Just as difficult as self reflection is taking a picture of a reflection. The surreal quality of the reflection makes it hard to understand what it is you're looking at. This image (scanned from a positive film) I took at a shallow pool at the Pulgas Water Temple, terminous of Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, near Woodside in the Bay Area. It looks as if there is dust on the film, but these are leaves and rocks on the bottom of the pool.

GHOST TOWN

The town of Bodie in California used to be a flourishing mining community, until the last person left 50 years ago. It seems like they left with the intention to return one day, many buildings contain furniture and personal belongings. It is a pretty setting high on a plateau in the mountains, and when we visited it was covered with a dusting of snow...

LOST SHOES

Since the first day I picked up a camera I have stumbled into lost or lonely shoes. Next to the highway, in the dense bushes of a park, dangling in a tree and like here on top of the trash cans in the city of Prague. In this situation it makes sense, the former owner hopes to make someone else happy with their shoes. But very often it was just one shoe, or both shoes, still in good shape! So how does this person walk home and explain their bare feet?

WELL CAT

North East of Spain, tiny village in the mountains. This cat has found the source of life and decided that it was the perfect place to take a nap! Made with my old Pentax ME Super on positive film.

LEAF LOVE

I love leaves and I know that sounds weird but who cares? Mike Dooley did! A few years ago Mike contacted me because he wanted to use one of my leaf pictures on the cover of his book 'Totally Unique Thoughts: Reminders of Life's Everyday Magic'. This is one of many Banana leaf pictures I made in Southern California.

FALL IS MY FAVORITE

Fall in Virginia is magical, the colors are just unbelievable (no Photoshop touch up on this image). I feel like a kid in a candy store! Want more of these? Let me know!

LOVE FOR LOW LIGHT

During a recent camping trip in Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland I snapped this image while laying on the forest floor with my Nikon D300. I don't always carry a tripod and the sunlight was disappearing so fast I didn't have time to walk back to the tent to get it, so I used a rock instead.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED?

That's right! All contents copyright © 2009 by Monique DiCarlo. All rights reserved. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. But the good news is that my images are available either in print or licensed for your own print, just drop me a note!

Today I'll start with my first "Window" images. The moment since I picked up my first camera (more than 30 years ago) I have made pictures of windows. From inside looking out and from the outside peeking inside. I like the fact that the image is automatically framed by the window frame itself. Sometimes the inside or outside view is reflected in the glass, which adds an extra layer of interest. These windows are in a bed and breakfast in Belgium. During my studies at the Art Academy we stayed there with a bunch of girls for a short hiking vacation.

"Art is the window to man's soul..."