I’m a day late and I’ve changed my heading for Sunday posts. I liked doing “Silent Sunday; it is good to be quiet and I am quiet when it seems appropriate. But I have struggled with posting an image with no words, with no finger-talking with my keyboard. I cheated a little bit by having an additional heading word, but I always felt a pang of guilt because I didn’t feel like I was adhering to the rules of a ‘Silent Sunday’ post.

I’m trying out the heading of “Sunday Calm.” When I searched my files for a ‘Silent Sunday’ photo, it was my aim to select a photo that would bring a sense of calm and peace. I think I will like this heading because I won’t feel the restriction from writing what is on my mind but will also hopefully bring a sense of calm and peace to my small world of followers.

This lily wasn’t the lead character in the pond in the Oriental Garden. Instead I was enjoying a Longfellows glass sculpture and I noticed the lily on the other side of this small pond. I think there were many things about this lily and its setting that called to me but I had a hard time finding a place to photograph it. I walked the path around the pond looking for a good perspective and I could see it but only because my eye filters out all the excess leaves and branches that a camera seems to magnify. When I arrived at the beginning place, I sensed a special magic from this perspective – an elusiveness or coyness..

When I downloaded the photos to Lightroom I discovered the magic of the reflections on the water’s surface. I smile at the softness of the lines and greens, and have a hard distinguishing the plants from their reflections. Most of the time the reflections in the lily ponds interfere with the composition of the subject within its environment, becoming a distraction in a photograph. In this case the reflections envelop the lily, providing a calm and quiet setting. I’ve read really good photographers advise against a busy background but I like this.

I would be interested in what others think about this image and what your experience is with reflections of greenery in your photographs.