Buzz Off

To be honest, I hate bugs. A lot. But they're important in pollinating plants. It helps to keep plant species around by moving on their reproductive cycles. Without them, crops would quickly turn to nothing and we would all starve. So, whether we like them or not bees and other arthropods are vital to our lives being what they are. This picture catches such a pivotal process in a remarkable way: a single bee is shown up close, shrouded in pollen. Not only is it a remarkable process, but in this photo it is shown off in a way one could never imagine. This photo pays tribute to something thats not only important to, but often overlooked, in everyday life.

Artist: Boris Godfroid

Source: http://www.life.com/image/ugc1131231/in-carousel/13771

Oblivion

I think a hard thing to do in photography is to utilize a long exposure well. Here though, is a perfect example where something as simple as a boardwalk ride can become art through the use of photographic skill. The long exposure in combination with the neon lights and the movement of the ride creates a wondrous effect. However, it doesn't convey much or hold much symbolism. Regardless, it still a very beautiful picture that is only possible by a very skilled photographer.

Artist: Andrew Dunn

Source: http://www.andrewdunnphoto.com/

Cows, Netherlands

Well, they're cows, that's for sure. But it seems the photographer came at the right time, when they all lined up on the side of a river. The water is perfectly still, allowing for a mirror reflection. Enhanced by the beautiful weather and the vibrant colors of the Netherlands' country side, it's just a very beautiful picture. Even the cows themselves have a certain beauty to them, as strange as it sounds, but it's as if they came together to bring about a true Kodak moment. According to the photographer this shot was not staged, but rather the elements came together at the right time, as if nature itself created the scene to be recorded on film.

Artist: Jorinde van Ringen

Source: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/

Sunlight and Fog, Spain

On the rooftop of a mausoleums, the sun shines dimly through a sheet of haze. The shadow on the back of the crosses give them a ethereal and superior stature. These are words we commonly do not associate with a all-powerful and merciful figure such as the Christian God, however, the idea conveyed in this photo implies otherwise. God itself, despite what we claim to know about it, is not a well known entity, and it is up to us to interpret what the word "God" really means. The interpretation given through the symbolism of this photo is one of God having both status and otherworldly properties. I doubt this is an idea held by most Christians, but I think it is definitely one not given enough consideration. What also adds to the effect of the photo is that repetition plays a key role: such an idea doesn't come on the first viewing of it, but instead through constant and repeated analysis.

Artist: Jim Richardson

Source: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/sunlight-fog-spain/

Smoke Stacks, Iowa

In my experience, many people find industial structures revolting; a fungus that has taken over what was once nature. However, I think there are aesthetic qualities to industial sites, although they are much different, that we often do not see. However, in this photo featured by National Geographic, we are taken to a river, which has a large industrial complex on the other side that is breathtaking. We see that it is night, and the lights that lines the complex are being reflected off the water's edge. But what really makes the picture so beautiful are the streams of smoke that fill the night. It seems the photographer took a long exposure of the scene, making each steam stack meld into itself to form a string of arcane masses. I think the effect is really cool, and goes to show how industry has its own special beauty, especially when it is seen at the right time.

Artist: Kyle Jeffery

Source: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/smoke-stacks-iowa/#caption

Indiana Slate Quarry Workers

Not exactly the miners you would see today, but this photo does justice to depict what life underground was like. Two miners stand, dressed in tattered clothing, and look off into the distance with nothing but a torch lamp. The one with the lamp is fixated on some object not within our view, while the other with a pipe looks towards the camera itself. Both have little emotion in their faces. Combined with the black and white color scheme, it comes together to form a representation of what a miner's life would have been like towards the beginning of the 20th century. The wear-and-tear of a miner's life has turned these men into emotionless zombies, set on exploring the man-built caves. The gaze of the one miner not looking at the camera gives the feeling that he may have found something important, but his emotionless face hints towards the fact that an underground life brings a jaded, indifferent attitude towards anything. I think this photo really speaks of the hardships and psychological effects of living a miner's life.

Source: http://iheartphotograph.com/

Artist: Erin Jane Nelson

Explosion C

Well I just like explosions, which is what first drew me to choosing this photo to post on. I think between the destructiveness and high energy combustion, there's a certain feeling of awe that comes with watching explosions. Maybe I'm a closet pyromaniac, but there's just something fascinating about them. The photo itself catches such an event in its prime: smoke rising from a tower of flames, with a base of sheer energy spitting fire and rock in all directions. While it may not do it the ultimate justice of seeing an explosion take place in front of you, it still stands as an testament to a beautiful, yet violent phenomena.

Artist: Christian Weber

Source: http://www.christianweber.net/image.php?thePage=work&id=266

The candle's reflection.

This photo has some really cool effects going on, which is what caught my eye. The candle to the right is burnt out and smoke rises from it. Next to it, there is a mirror, which holds the ghostly image of the reflection of the candle when it was once lit. The dark and deep atmosphere set by the black and white scheme, in combination with the "dead" candle letting off a stream of smoke and the phantasmal reflection of how it once burned brightly gives the feeling of depression and remembrance. It is as if the candle itself had a life to it, in which it was once alive burning brilliantly, but now no more. The candle lives on as a sad apparition of its formal glory. All the candle can do now is look on into the past and look at what it once was. I believe what makes this picture successful is that it conveys an idea we can all relate to: reflecting onto our former glories when our own light tends to burn out. When we reflect upon our lives and what has happened, at some point we look on into our reflections as burnt out candles, seeing in ourselves what we used to be, and remember how we used to be on fire in our own way.

Source: http://iheartphotograph.com/

Artist: Caleb Charland