Friday, March 19, 2010

Friday Shootout - My Favorite Color

Or How I Discovered That I Do Have a Favorite Color After All...!


Thank you, Doreen, for the this challenge!  I'm sorry. but I will admit that my first thought was to skip it because I used to believe that the idea of a favorite color was silly.  Why pick one at the expense of others? 

Then Bagman suggested "flesh tones."   That seemed to have some merit since it had life and passion and diversity --


But after awhile I rejected it, because, to do it justice, I would need to shoot a bunch of nudes. While that appealed to Bagman, it wasn't going to happen in my lifetime.  And besides, the more I thought about colors, the more I began to think that what I really like about color is the juxaposition of contrasts -- how different colors play against each other.  Maybe I don't have a favorite color but I might have a favortite combination of colors.


By now I was into the game. I was opening up archive file folders in the Adobe Bridge Program that I use to sort pictures. I'd look at large numbers of tiny thumbnails to see if a pattern stood out -- if I liked warm colors or cool colors based on visual data.   (The only thing that popped out was that when I opened the file folder "Nature" is appeared there was a great deal of green in it.  Duh.


For some reason, I began looking more carefully at file folders markerd: "Abstract" and "Images for future use as shapes and colors" and "Manipulations."  

 I seemed to like any kind of color superimposed over black.  By now, this had almost nothing to do with the "My Town" aspect of the Friday Shootout.  But I was having a lot of fun. 
Almost all of these came from files I hardly ever look at.  File folders named "Fodder for Future"
 and "The Dustbin."

Thanks a lot,  Doreen!   You've got me into Spring Cleaning.  I may not be doing a Hometown Shootout but now I'm moving photos back and forth in computer files and deleting some and finding others I like.  By now, I've got so many thumbnails on the screen and trying to set up a complete re-organization system and I still don't know if I have a favorite color...

 
By now, half the time I forget why I am even doing this in the first place.  Then I remember the Friday blog and throw in whatever picture I happen to be looking at the time. 


I'm lost in cleaning my visual attack and trying to find my favorite color and picking shots to post at random.

When it slowly begins to dawn on me...
...that besides making a silly visual "dawn" pun...

I did seem to have a propensity (at least today) for picking out
reds...fire color in particular. 

I realized, thanks to Doreen, that I have a favorite color!  "Fire!"  I yelled.  "Fire, Fire, Fire!!"

Whereupon Bagman and Butler burst in with fire extinguishers and seltzer water bottles and began spraying me while I tried to sputter, "No...I mean I like the red colors in fire!"

Finally they ceased their fun and Butler looked at all the thumbnail pictures and the ones I had picked almost at random.  He thought a minute, then spoke slowly.

BUTLER (speaking slowly after thinking in minute):  "But you haven't yet opened the folder marked 'water pictures'?"


I clicked it open and saw that almost every water picture contained the color blue.  I began to get very confused and frustrated.  Because, by now, instead of making fun of the idea of a having favorite color, I desperately wanted one!  So I decided to quit and hit the post button and keep it simple.


23 comments:

  1. Oh you are so funny and I am glad that don't have a favourite colour, otherwise we may nto have seen all these great images. Having seen a bushfire up close and person I can tell you fire is not such a great colour....but I love blue, look at that beautiful water. It does it for me. Serene, peaceful and cool. But I would also have to say that I do not have a favourite colour. All of them work for me!!

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  2. Great post with a creative twist! But of course, we would expect no less!

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  3. Haha great post, very creative! I really like the shot of the sky with the birds and the fire picture!

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  4. Fabulous post, Mark!
    And a good lesson, too. I see that if I ever get a powerful computer at home and install photo-messing-with software on it, I'll spend the rest of my life in front of the screen. Danger!

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  5. Brilliant!
    Amazing photos and such colorful words!
    Well done.....again!
    ~AM

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  6. Even though I posted pictures of Blue as my favorite colors, I have other colors that I like. I need bright colors in my life, so that rainbow color of the first photo had been calling for my name! honest I can hear it! lol

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  7. great post - after looking at 19 of these FSO I can say that most particpants forgot about'my Town' aspect and as far as I am concerned this is a good thing....(my Butler-like post is a boring travelog) I LOVE! the red car photo, and the fire photos are amazing. Don't you love going through the archives a seeing photos you've taken and then forgot about?
    confused or no - this is a good FSO.

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  8. I love the photos, and how they did have my 'orange' in them...I also love how much thought you put into this post...flesh color and nudes, ha! I want to be you when I grow up...now that is real confusion!

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  9. Wow great shots you've got here. And I grin big when I see solid yellow (the flower). Happy weekend!

    Favorite color: Yellow

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  10. I wasn't confused. My favorite color was green. Or it was, until I saw the beautiful yellow in your stoneflower picture and I suddenly realized my favorite color is yellow. Must be yellow. That exact color of yellow.

    Poor green, you have been dethroned.

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  11. I identify with your confusion and wavering. Or maybe not. . . maybe just a little bit. . .

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  12. You were smiling when you wrote that last line, right? I really like the red car and the last pool shot. But mostly I am totally impressed that you have all of these folders full of pictures.

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  13. I absolutely just love the 2 er 3 of ya. I read your comment on my blog first and laughed my head almost off and came over here and laughed it the rest of the way off. But truly, you have a magnificent collection here. Anybody who can do this could surely help me straighten my blog out. You have a good idea. Maybe I was destined for a change. Old foggeis don't like to change on purpose.

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  14. This was a funny read and the pictures are a delight for the eyes!

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  15. Stunning photos! The two of you are never dull.

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  16. looks like you had tons of fun with the photo program. these are all just so awesome!! glad my idea kept you entertained for a short while. :-)

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  17. Hi Mark,

    I took would get confused when I stare at the first photo.

    You think B & B won't know if you took me for a spin in that car?

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  18. Very funny, Mark! I keep saying the same thing because you keep being funny. Sorry to be so repetitive, although you can keep on being funny for as long as you like.
    Oh, and great photos! I especially like the red dashboard. Well, and the abstract-y chairs. And lots of others.

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  19. Fortunately that you hesitated! Now we got a chance to see a fantastic series of "forgotten" master pieces in all colours! (No special mention for your foot.)

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  20. YOU"VE GOT TALENT .. No joke, you really are a super photographer. Fantastic..

    Go do some more and share with us.. Great

    yvonne

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  21. Oh my, I sigh. What a fantastic post. All of the colors are so beautiful and the images are swirling around in my head. I can't choose a favorite either but my favorite shoot out this week is definitely yours. This is awesome. I love how you use your words.

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  22. Oh, I'm delighted, excited, rushing through. Smiling. :)

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  23. That was a wild ride. I always expect the unexpected when I visit you blog.

    Love that "red" car. And my, you have such pretty feet.

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