05/19/2026
When I'm looking to share an image, I browse through film scans until something compels me to stop on a certain photo. There's this spark in my mind that I'm searching for - the beginnings of a musing I wish to share.
If that spark doesn't light a fire fairly quickly, I move on. In today's instance, not much of anything was giving me that inspiration. I attribute that mostly to running late for my morning coffee.
But this image stopped me. Not because I loved it. Honestly, because I thought it was pretty bad. However, there were these little bits of potential in it. I thought "I'd like to try to take a similar photo again, maybe with a different camera and film stock". I was trying to capture this rainbow effect that tends to happen in the Fall here in the Southeast. It's due to oils leeching out from Cypress. When the lighting hits just right, it expresses an array of color over some swampy areas. I'm unsure why I only seem to notice this in the cooler months.
Anyways, I wandered in this image for a bit and got lost in the reflections in the still water. Then the thought creeped in... "but what if I turned it upside down?!". Then came the feeling I was searching for! Somehow, turning this photo upside down gave me a new love for it. Whether it's a "good" photo now is questionable, but for me personally, it gave the scene new life.
Moral of the story? Maybe it's time we do more handstands in the outdoors. Ha!
Also, I just spilled my coffee.
📸 - Yashica-A with Kodak Gold 200 Film. Gum Root Swamp in Gainesville, Florida.
