Burnt Time

First, I have to thank Alex Kilbee for some “timely” advice about finding photographic inspiration from everyday things around the house.  A part of his recent video (https://youtu.be/UTeeptpaRNc) talks about combining two subjects for even greater affect.  We had guests for dinner last night and I was asked if I could make a fire.  This morning, there are a few logs remaining in the fireplace that didn’t completely burn.  The idea to contrast the logs with a very different object came to mind and a few neurons fired in the right order and I grabbed my stainless steel ESQ Movado timepiece from my bedroom.  I thought the colour tones would be similar but the hard, glossy, man-made textures would provide a strong contrast to the organic burnt bark and ash.

I have photographed some of my favourite things in the past.  The idea is for photographic appreciation of some of the wonderful things I own in a way that may help suppress the desire to always wish for more.

I bought this watch from a local jewelry store for my 50th birthday.  The design of the watch is a little unusual as it only has the numbers 1 thru 6 on its face.  So the way I see it and explain that detail to those interested, is that I no longer count the years after 50! 

So, what about the title?  One of my common sayings is Today is a New Day (https://youtu.be/S0Quv_jVkY0) - we can’t change the past, so there’s little value in worrying about it.  Sure, we can learn from the past, but I like to approach each day afresh.  So, in one way, we can consider the past burnt out.  That being said, I put a lot of effort into recording events with photography and film and really enjoy remembering past experiences.  

And lastly, today marks 10 years at work selling Voltage Data Privacy & Protection solutions.  The company has gone through 3 different acquisitions and mergers, but I’m happy to be part of the Voltage family and contributing to its global success.

The photo wasn’t difficult to capture, although I did change lenses three times before settling on my 18-55mm f2.8-4 with my Fuji XT-4.  I didn’t go to the trouble of adding any artificial light, but I wanted a sharp image without high ISO, so I used my tripod and shot it with a delayed shutter.  I did take another shot with a little wider aperture to have a fast shutter speed and freeze the small second had a little better, but it left parts of the face out of focus.  so this final shot is f7.1 with a shutter speed of 1.3sec.  It didn’t require a lot of editing and I kept with the Fuji Pro Neg Std film simulation of the jpeg rather than working with the raw version. 

I considered a tighter, portrait orientation, but I prefer this version with the separation of the other log in the background.  I think there’s a sense of time being on the edge, a few millimeters away from being lost to the past.