January - Self-Portrait [Parker]

Welcome back to the Visualization Project, everyone! We are all excited to bring you many new pictures in the year 2014. With the increased amount of time we have for each project I know that I was able to take better pictures and I trust others will have higher quality photographs as well. But as my dissertation on the new year of this collaborative project is not what you came here for I hereby present to you the pictures which I hope accurately capture my "Self-Portrait".

For those of you who desire a literary version of my self-portrait, please read on. All others, skip the following paragraphs and you can go right to the rest of the images. Now that is service tailored for the individual if I ever did see it.

I recently moved to the state of Delaware to work as a youth leader and pastoral intern for the next two years at East Gate Presbyterian Church. I have wanted to be a pastor since I started college and the work I have done here so far has only increased that desire. I am a follower of Jesus and this influences every other aspect of my "self-portrait."

I also am a musician, although I cannot claim the same level of musical merit as Rebekah can. I have played violin for several years and I greatly enjoy playing along with other instruments. I am able to play a certain amount of the mandolin and I understand the very basics of a couple other instruments. 

Other activities of which I partake include reading and (clearly) photography. However, near the top of the list of favorite activities would be time spent with people from church. My brothers and sisters in Christ (including those to whom I am related by blood) have influenced me more than I can imagine and I nearly included a picture or two of them in this post.

I hope that I have been able to give you a glimpse of myself in this post. I look forward to bringing you more photographs throughout the year.

A New Visualization

Hello, friends!

We are excited to let you know that The Visualization Project is getting a few new changes for the new year!

Perhaps one of the most exciting changes is that we are adding another member, Madeleine Drees! Maddie is a talented artist with a unique eye, but as the realm of photographic art is new to her, we're all excited to see how The Visualization Project grows her strength in this area. Welcome to the blog, Maddie!

The next change in The Visualization Project is that we will only be posting once a month. Before you howl in dismay, let us explain. Last year, while we started out strong, we got bogged down by the weekly assignments, as you can see by the lack of posts in November and December. This year, we will be doing one project, not word, a month. These projects vary, but they will be like the Summer Movie Visualization that Rebekah did last year. One project is a movie; another is replicating a famous work of art. They will require a bit more thought and effort, but since there is only one a month, we will have more time to prepare. And, not being bogged down by missing previous weeks, we will have more energy for completing our tasks well and with creativity instead of scrambling to find pictures that only slightly work for the word, simply so we can be done with it.

In addition to the monthly project, each photographer may post individual projects throughout the month. These projects are whatever the photographers wish. We might post some pictures that perfectly portray a certain word, similar to last year. We might post about the colors of spring, or a new concept in photography we've been working at, or anything at all on which we've been inspired. Thus, there will be more going on at The Visualization Project than just the monthly projects.

We hope that these new changes here at the blog will encourage us to persevere by giving us a little more freedom. We also hope you find much enjoyment in our productions. If they are something that you enjoy, let us know! Visit each month and comment to tell us which is your favorite photo, or what you would have done for that project, or how surprised you were by someone's take on it. Tell us what we could have improved. Share our work with others. Post it on your Facebook page. Knowing that people are enjoying our work is a great encouragement to us to continue and to do our best!

We're looking forward to this new year, 2014!

The Photographers at The Visualization Project

Week двадцать один - Adventure [Parker]

The following scene reminded me of Scotland when I saw it. I did not yet know that Adventure would be a word when I took it but it worked out very well in my opinion.

Week двадцать - Reflection [Parker]

When I reflected on the word reflection I did not think of things that reflect other things but rather of things reflecting on things. Reflection is when you are thinking long and hard about something. It is contemplating something so deep that your mind can barely comprehend the depths of it.

That's what I have for you. I didn't get much notice for this word so I had to improvise. But look at how hard he is reflecting on that hand.

Week девятнадцать - Blue [Parker]

I decided to go with a different, slightly darker take on this week's word.

Week восемнадцать - Sunshine [Parker]

Yup. That is all you get.

Week семнадцать - Industrial [Parker]

I had an idea for this word. But it came too late. The week is already far past and I don't feel like taking pictures for an old week. My idea shall have to lie dormant until a more opportune time. Fear not. I still have some pictures for your enjoyment.

Week шестнадцать - Saturation [Parker]

Apologies for being late.

Week пятнадцать - Decrepit [Parker]

I had ideas of a couple of old ruined buildings but they both turned out to be not quite what I was searching for. They were all right but I knew there had to be something better.

That is when I thought of an old maple sugaring shack in some woods close to our house. That thing screams decrepit. Or rather, it whispers it in the voice of your great great great grandfather who is close to death and can only be heard if you are close enough. He is the kind of man people are scared to be around (seriously, a couple of guys refused to go into it because it was night time). You sort of expect his old, decrepit body to simply whither away over night, but old people are stubborn. The old shack continues to stand strong.

 

Week тринадцать - Solitude [Parker]

When I heard this word I thought taking a picture of someone sitting under a star filled sky contemplating the deep mysteries of life.


That didn't happen.


However, I think I did fairly well all the same.

That's all folks. Thanks to Mercy for volunteering.

Week двенадцать - Serenity [Parker]

We had our Passover Seder this week. Friends around a table remembering what our Lord has done for us. Although there were a large amount of children and much general noise making, there was a sense of peace at the same time. I took a couple of pictures of the candles that we lit at the beginning of the Seder.

And lastly, "because snowmen with teeth are very serene."

Week одиннадцать - Valiant [Parker]

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
      And the mome raths outgrabe. 

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

      The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
      The frumious Bandersnatch!” 

He took his vorpal sword in hand;

      Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
      And stood awhile in thought.

 

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

      The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
      And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
      The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
      He went galumphing back. 

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
      Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
      He chortled in his joy. 

 

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

      And the mome raths outgrabe.

Week десять - Splendor [Parker]

I heard splendor. I thought of a sweeping vista with the sun shining gloriously overhead. Then I thought again: I take too many pictures of the sun. The sun is obvious. It is bright and shiny. People like bright and shiny things. So I kept thinking. Of what should I take a picture? That problem was finally solved with the help of Nick. I did not expect this picture to be splendorous when I took it but after I saw it I realized it would be good.

You know those things in your noggin that you use to see everything? Those things look like they come from outer space. The Hubble telescope could have taken a picture like that. God put those things in your head. That is splendor.



Thanks to Nick for help with getting the picture to work right. His eye is below. He is attached to his eye, in case you were wondering.

Week девять - Innocent [Parker]

Given the truth of Romans 3:23, this week was difficult to find in pictorial form. But I think I finally succeeded.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that light is innocent.

Week восемь - Confusion [Parker]

What is this? Where am I? Why is there snow everywhere?

Some of you will get this next one. If you don't, there's nothing I can do for you.

Week семь - Romantic [Parker]

I have not been around recently. I have not been eager to take pictures or post them and for that I apologize. However, when I decided to come back I was given the word "Romantic". Everyone taking pictures for this blog can tell you my first thought was, "Eww". My second thought was, "We need to have the guys pick some of these words". Though I did not want to take pictures this week I did not want to leave you without a picture for a third week. I now give you the cheesiest romantic photograph in my possession.

To those of you who say that I am cheating because I took this picture in September I say this: I don't care. This is the epitome of romantic.

Week четыре - Mystery [Parker]

There is little which is more mysterious than the man in the moon. We had the good fortune of seeing his entire face this past week so I took advantage of this opportunity.

"Don't worry the moonbeams, and don't kill my white rabbits!"
- The Man-in-the-Moon (Roverandom)


The following picture is accidentally mysterious. I find it quite comical. Why is she leaving? Who is she leaving? The questions that could be associated with this small text are endless.

Week три - Countenance [Parker]

I was going to wait and see what others thought of for this word before I opened my mouth but that strategy has flopped. So once again you have my genius starting off the week.

I had difficulty thinking of a creative way to portray this word. The only thing I can think of is a face and while that does allow for a wide variety of pictures, none of them are particularly creative. I ended up putting a magnifying filter on the end of my lens to make the expression really stand out.
Let's welcome Isaac back as my model for the week.

I also decided to throw in a good picture of my grandfather because he is awesome.

Week два - Silence [Parker]

So apparently one of our readers knows Russian numbers. I was going to change the language so as to make sure everyone is confused but right now I don't care enough. If one of you wants to suggest a language you don't know feel free to do so.

The idea for this week's pictures came to me rather randomly. I am pleased with it because it worked out better than just about any other planned picture I have taken. This one required just a bit of setup.

Cheers to Isaac for being such a willing participant.

Week один - Shimmer [Parker]

I think I have found a picture that is probably as masculine as you can get with the word shimmer. Really, girls? Shimmer? But I digress. I hope to add a bit of darkness and mystery to this blog and as I don't speak Russian, the language is perfect for the numbers of my postings. Even I don't know what it means. That makes it about as mysterious as you can get.

 
I also took some pictures to satisfy the typical definition of shimmer but I find these to be much less interesting.

Update
I might just keep adding pictures throughout the week when I take ones I like. That way you will never know how many pictures I am going to put up. How mysterious.