Shadow of an Apple by Chipka
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Description
It began as a meander into the orchard of an ancient king.
It began quietly, with cigarettes and conversation, with the smell of smoke from fireplaces dotted here, there, and there: in various homes and restaurants nestled beneath barrel-vaulted ceilings.
It ended, as all things end. This time—days later—with a breakfast of cereal and rich, strawberry yogurt, and with what remained of a tiny cache of apples, sliced and dipped in powdered cinnamon. It ended with a book, one of the small found-treasures you pick up during travels to places farther from home than you've ever imagined going. I've read the book. I've passed it on. Other things began, and they involved cigarettes and conversation and an exploration of cultural idiosyncrasies. In a sense, the last of the King's Apples were a part of it, though they'd been eaten, or rendered into rich/dark applesauce. The apples—as we'd come to recognize them—had undergone a change, and so only their memory remained. A few—the most corrupted ones with mottled skin—were returned to the orchard, to the next, unborn generations of worms, insects, fungi, and bacteria.
Something of them remains there.
Snow has come. They have frozen. Perhaps they have been cleared away by the labors of orchard keepers—municipal workers who wear red overalls, or day-glo orange vests. There is no glamor in their work: quite possibly none in their lives. They may hail from Český Krumlov itself, or one of the tiny villages that dot the outside edges of local maps. Indeed, many who work here are local only in the national sense of the word. It doesn't matter, however. They do what they do, and in some vague way, apples (eaten or abandoned) are all a part of it.
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Yet another of the apple shots I was able to capture with a borrowed camera: tweaked in photoshop. The original wasn't very much different, but something in the shadows fascinated me and so I played with them. As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting.
Comments (22)
MagikUnicorn
Splendid You Rock ;-)
jeroni
Beautiful composition. excellent capture
claude19
SPLENDID apple on a sepia Background !!!
mbz2662
I feel like I have my chin on the table, looking at the apple and out the window... remembering.
MrsLubner
The amber in this shot is rich and warm.
photostar
Beautiful warmth reflecting on the rich and lustrous wood framing the window.
Fidelity2
Perfect! 5+.
MrsRatbag
Lovely warm glow from the window; and interesting ponder on the lifecycle of apples.
Lunastar
Wonderful lighting
Dianthus
Lovely work and POV:)
SGopi
good shot! Wonderful lighting
beachzz
An apple a day~~~~I have about 10 apple trees and got a very few due to a major pruning last year. I miss them, and every time I see your fotos, I miss them even more--beautiful, as is your narrative!!
cfulton
Wonderful mind's eye and capture! Very well done, Clive
auntietk
Oh wow. Do I need to tell you how much I like this? The light is awesome!
Prematos
Cool...
Heathcroft
Evocative, warm, real, yet 'unreal' and the image us superb.
texboy
Well done, Chip, and some good words!
three_grrr
How you take someting so everyday as an apple and make such a rare and golden treasure of it is beyond me. As if that weren't enough, you sprinkle words like diamonds around it to further enhance it's beauty
KatesFriend
You mention the orchard of an ancient king again. This makes me think of Tolkien's concept of the Shire. An expansive fertile land which few of its inhabitants realize that it was once, thousands of years ago, the orchards and vineyards of a great elven king.
anahata.c
can only do a few images a night now, but at least I can begin where I left off...I noted when I first saw this that your reflections here are simple & brief, but still give glimpses of deep feelings & history...A few brief images of being with friends and we feel like we want to join you; a few brief scents & sights and we're enticed to sit & experience with you; more glimpses of the culture around you & we want to meet them; and that inevitable tie-back to history—i.e., to the king's orchard, which you've taken us to before—and we want to go there. (I've already decided that if I ever get to that part of the world, I'm gonna have to see that orchard. It's now embedded in my mind...) All rounded with a handful of apples ('our little life is rounded with a sleep...'). You've worked on your photo well to capture remembrance, our resident Proust (I'd say "In Search of Lost Apples" but I don't know how to say it in French!), with saturated sky-tones eating up the buildings outside & bathing the table inside (as would happen in memory), and that lone apple decked out in golds and browns. Another little gem from you verbally & visually: Some are meals, other pastries & tea, and yet others little snapshots you've sent us in a quiet moment. Generous to a tee, you make coming here a real gift. This is lovely, Chip.
trishabadblood
very well done... great beauty in this light...
bpclarke
I could see this as part of a scene with growing up and remembering where an experience (good or bad) happened. The scene through the window adds greatly to this. Excellent shot.