Birds in Flight

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

Today is my birthday and these birds that I recently shot seem to reflect how I am feeling. Life is such a constant flux of experiences. Holding on to any of them represents, to me, a lack of freedom. I don't think it's a question of memory but of holding on to those memories that's confining. Freedom is in letting go. The interesting part, the scary part, or the exciting part, depending on how one looks at it, is the unknown. What's ahead and around the corner. The human experience is a mystery. Trying to figure it out is futile. How can one understand the unknown? How can one have a relationship with it? Everything about us is the known. Our memory and past knowledge. I guess the issue of faith and religion comes into play here. Is the religious experience really a relationship with the unknown or a projection of ourselves and a need for security? Going with the flow as these birds do, naturally, easily, I think is at least one answer to happiness.

Happy Valentine's Day

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

Egypt Abu Simbel

©2011 Constance Hobbs

I have been to Egypt three times in my life. It is by far the most fascinating place I have ever been. Between the multitudes and chaos of Cairo, the unbelievable monuments in the south and the countries sweet and gentle people I return to my experiences there often in my thoughts. It's very difficult to explain to someone the mystery and magic that is Egypt if one has never traveled there. The scale of the monuments alone, as you can see in the photo above, is breath taking and mind boggling all at the same time. Above is Abu Simbel in Nubia southern Egypt. It sits on Lake Nassar which was created by the Aswan Dam. This huge temple was relocated to this location so as not to be drown by the dam project. While we were there people told us tales of gigantic fish which live in the lake because they exist and eat in the richly silted water. This may or may not be true? I never did find out for sure. This photograph was taken at sunrise and accurately reflects the color of dawn. I posted this image in view of all the current turmoil in Egypt. The new generation of Egyptians are highly educated and I am hopeful that the outcome of all of this will be positive for the Egyptian people and the area of the middle east as a whole.

The Ocean Breeze

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

The answer my friend is blowin in the wind, the answer is blowin in the wind.

Bob Dylan

Jelly Fish and Sharks

© 2011 Constance Hobbs. All rights reserved.

Today, in the water of the intracoastal here in Delray Beach, there was this very unusual little creature floating in the water. My niece and nephew were with me. They recently stayed at the Breakers in Palm Beach and said there were lots of these little sea creatures floating ashore there. They told me they are very poisonous jelly fish. If you pop them open (which isn't particularly easy to do) and any of their interior gelatinous material gets on you, one must immediately go to the hospital. I was also told that they are baby man o war jelly fish and to be extremely careful when near them. To make things even more exciting the kids also told me about the shark migration which is going on presently right off the shore here in Palm Beach County. In the video below you will see a helicopter and then the dark specs below in the water are the sharks. The numbers are staggering. No swimming for me for a while.

F Stop Magazine issue #45

©Eric Perriard

I am very happy to announce that I have three images in the latest edition of F Stop Magazine, issue #45 focusing on abstraction in photography. They had an enormous amount of submissions for this issue and I am pleased to have been included. You can see the entire exhibition under "group exhibit".