Christmas Lighting & Fun with Camera Phones

in #astoria5 years ago

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Here is one shot of the downtown gathering in front of the Liberty theater in which the mayor and many showed up to turn on the lights of Commercial Street, a small town celebration. The queer choir opened singing Christmas songs and wondered aloud in the microphone why the crowd was so quiet. When asked to sing along, most did, but very under the breath.

As you can see, I played with my phone, turning all black and white and also making the town look plastic, or like a movie set, highlighting instead the people.

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And, here is one of me, black and white and lots of light erases in minutes the lines of time. I'm all bundled up in my crocodile coat and burgundy, hand knit hat, but still it was a very cold night downtown and it took much to warm up again once home after being in the frigid air that blows up the river, in from the ocean.

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After Santa arrived on the blinding red lights of a fire engine and the electric cords made connection, we went to an underground, through the wardrobe event in which a fat queen ran around in swishing skirts yelling at people, children through snowballs (crunched up typing paper) and we ate sticky pieces of powdered sugar covered Turkish Delight. My friends were looking at scarves and striped vintage pants in one of the underground shops and I found a lama skin covered couch to sit on and try and warm up while the other women looked at what they could buy. This is the scene from that seated vantage point. Faces in trees.

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Last is a view of the street in front of Astoria Coffee House, the white lights, line of white vehicles, the deserted wintry street where we shook and shivered waiting for our Japanese pancake to go from the hole in the wall restaurant.

So, I don't know? Black and white to highlight the white instead of green and red? The spirit that lies beneath, what must interact with all in order to even be seen? What do you think?

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Digging the light and darkness of the otherwise fairly psychedelic idea of Xmas in Astoria!

Yay, me too, Suki :) I think you would have liked going through the wardrobe, eating the Japanese pancakes and seeing all the sparkling, glittered red too!

You betcha! Inspired a whole post out of me at one in the morning still!

That movie is not playing in my town, but the next one over. My daughter gave me a movie card with $20 on it for my birthday, so I think I'll head over sometime this weekend?

It's nice trying some black and white from time to time. I haven't posted such pics in a while and probably I should do that in the future. Black and white photography seems to have sometimes more art in it.

Yes, I've always liked black and white and sometimes pics look better that way than they do in color. Of course these are just taken with the phone so could be better, but still with some effect. I do hope you post some of your own :)

I saw that and they are most excellent!

It's funny how black and white can add a certain something to what, in colour, is a simple picture. I have no idea why because I'm not a photographer but somehow black and white shots can be more impactful than colour.

Yes, it can change a scene entirely, but also there are definitely some photos that look better in color. I submitted some camera phone pics for the theme dreaming in color, but none of mine were chosen for the show :( I know, sad, but it was still a lot of fun playing in color at well.

Life is lived in colour so yes, much value in colour snaps too.

Perhaps, I'll do that, post my colored ones?

Might as well...Life is too short to live with the regret of not having done something, especially when that thing could bring people joy. 😏

Yes, indeed :)