Bluebonnet and Cacti Love Story: One Too Many Pricks

Bluebonnet and Cacti Love Story: One Too Many Pricks This mini-story, set unstaged in a road-side garden, might be considered a rare form of street photography: But instead of people, I have “abstract beings” from my pareidolic* illusions populating it as I envision a narrative I hope you will find both humorous and touching. Also, since I “follow” existing characters thru different situations (mainly by selective angles and exposure), I experiment with using different color balance and intensity to suggest their changing emotional state. * Pareidolia is a natural, perceptual illusion like seeing shapes in clouds. Or Jesus on a slice of toast. Or Satan in billowing smoke. It only becomes a delusion (false belief) if you continue to believe it’s real, especially if you think it’s commanding you to do something extreme. Although most people know that “shapes in clouds” are imaginary, they don’t understand the broad range where pareidolia could occur. If there’s one long-term benefit of that aspect of my art, it will be making people more aware of its true nature. (NOTE: No generative AI imaging. Also, for my pareidolic illusions, I do not composite or digitally draw features onto the subject that weren’t there. Instead, I use selective light-painting during exposure, and may alter tone and color in post. [Also, best viewed with dark background!])