Zyryality: In The Waters Of Life And Death. Part II

A Touch Of A Lover

Ginkgo trees in autumn have no shame. In the morning, they greet you in all their glory, showing off their elegant yellow dresses. You pass them by the same evening and here they are, all naked, with their splendid dresses dropped to their feet in a perfect circle, awaiting to be touched by an impassioned lover.

Part I is HERE

Part III is HERE

comments (42)

K.A.
S.A.
8 May 2009, 00:20

the untouchable:

don't touch me
even with your thoughts
'cos it hurts
opening old wounds...

don't watch me
discovering my nakeness
dress me with your eyes instead
give me an invisible dress...

don't listen
to my sour voice
which is just a reflection
when I used to see perfection...

don't touch me
don't watch me
don't listen to me anymore
just shoot me and keep going...

(today i was in the mood to write this...a fresh poem inspired by your picture and thoughts...or mine???)

a pleasure mr VZ... have a nice day

vz-nostalgia: oh Ms. K.A. What can anyone reply to "...just shoot me and keep going..."?
I see my image awakened some deep and secret thoughts that you managed to keep asleep for quite some time... up till now.

Louis
South Africa
8 May 2009, 07:01

Hey VZ, this picture would have done VG (Van Gogh) proud. Although the half hidden insect wouldn't be his kind of thing.

I will enter this picture into my likeys.

vz-nostalgia: Many things I do would have done VG proud, Louis.

For instance, people buy my prints. VG hasn't sold a single picture while he was alive.

Things might change though, when I die.

His paintings go for millions of dollars now. My photographs might not be worth the paper they were printed on.

Philine
Germany
8 May 2009, 08:03

My leaves- wonderfully coloured- I love tthem in all colours : green-yellow- golden brown like on you pic- and I must cite the most beautiful poem written by Goethe (1815)- full of love and full of human wisdom!

This leaf from a tree in the East,
Has been given to my garden.
It reveals a certain secret,
Which pleases me and thoughtful people.

Does it represent One living creature
Which has divided itself?
Or are these Two, which have decided,
That they should be as One?

To reply to such a Question,
I found the right answer:
Do you notice in my songs and verses
That I am One and Two?

In many languages: German, Japanes...: http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/goethe.htm

vz-nostalgia: As beautiful as Goethe's poem is, Ms. Philine, next time I'll be waiting for your own thoughts.

anniedog
United Kingdom
8 May 2009, 10:14

They are like ballerinas' skirts all tossed on the ground. The richness of the tones is stunning. I am intrigued as to why we saw part III before part II?
Ingrid

vz-nostalgia: You have short memory, Ms. Ingrid.

I've already answered to your question in my reply to your comment to Part III.

Alan Nyiri
United States
8 May 2009, 11:26

Five stars, Viktor. Your choice of tonality here beautifully enhances the natural yellows of the ginko - and how could they be enhanced?

vz-nostalgia: Nothing can enhance the naturalness of ginkgo leaves, Alan.

Too bad I can't convey here the incredible sensation from touching the texture of their fabric.

Ray
Thailand
8 May 2009, 12:11

Salutations, Maestro...

vz-nostalgia: Hello, Ray. Did you want to say something?

Suby & Sinem
MK, United Kingdom
8 May 2009, 14:07

Wow, wow, wow, not been so impressed by flower shots this much in a loooooong time, the three images are soo totally awesome. Advise to you, please please do get them printed and put em up fore sale (which will be soo easy as they are stunning images)

We love this soo much we have to give you a double "We LIKEY LIKEY" and duff our virtual hats to you VZ, simply stunning

vz-nostalgia: You know what's funny, S&S? I sold many photographs, but none of these three.

Apparently, either you have a peculiar taste, or the general public has a way to go to your level.

Double Likey, after all, is not a bad idea.

I need to talk to John Clayes about the re-evaluation of the Likey institute.

Chris
United States
8 May 2009, 15:08

I love Ginkgos.
Wish I had something more poetic to offer, but that says it.

vz-nostalgia: Don't be discouraged, Chris. Keep trying. The day will come, when you produce something poetic into this world.

Kavita J.
Suriname
8 May 2009, 15:56

very great words of K.A.
The picture is really inspiring...

vz-nostalgia: I see a mutual inspiration takes place here, Kavita.
Ms. K.A. is a real gem.

Suzanne
Canada
8 May 2009, 16:17

Ohhhhh.. a stunner, Viktor. One of my all time favorites of yours. A rapturous title and image that send the imagination on fire.

vz-nostalgia: there is no bigger pleasure for me, than setting your imagination on fire from time to time, Ms. Suzanne.

Bill Phillips
England
8 May 2009, 17:24

I like this very much Viktor. It falls into the "wish I'd taken it" category

vz-nostalgia:

I truly hope one day you'll move it to "oh gosh, I took the same the other day" category, Bill.

tim hitchins
leeds,uk:)
8 May 2009, 18:32

shot of the day Victor

vz-nostalgia: hope you still remember it tomorrow, Tim.

Seanibeans Chin
United States
8 May 2009, 19:30

Is that a hornet, cleverly hiding among the leaves, there in the lower right corner?

vz-nostalgia: Vespa

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Apocrita
Family: Vespidae
Subfamily: Vespinae
Genus: Vespa

Feel better now, Sean?

Philine
Germany
8 May 2009, 20:06

The leaves look like they could have been metamorphized into gold - in any case there has happened a kind of transformation by the a magician called photographer while touching the Gingko (biloba) with his eyes and words!

vz-nostalgia: I'll tell you something that doesn't make any sense in our pragmatic world, Ms. Philine. When you hold a ginkgo leaf in your hand, it feels much better than holding a bar of gold.

Kelly
Canada
8 May 2009, 22:20

I have alsways loved the shape of the Ginko Leaf, and your imagry of the leaf as a dress, is really wonderful! I really like the pattern the leaves make all piled together.

vz-nostalgia: Isn't it amazing how fast they drop the leaves, Kelly? Every year I'm fascinated by the process.

Philine
Germany
9 May 2009, 07:29

"next time I'll be waiting for your own"- Oh, VZ, no, no, I must be reasonable/realistic, English is still a foreign language for me, I'm glad if I'm fit enough to use it for daily communications (and often I'm afraid to dirt it by my words- how much time did you need in order to express your thoughts and feelings in such an elegant-poetic way?) - my motherlanguage may be have another quality and complexity- and I'll take part in the creative writing group "Zeilenschmiede" ("lines-smithy", if sometimes 'kissed by a muse'; we have soon the second 'performance' in our theatre).

vz-nostalgia: In this case, whatever way you choose to express your thoughts is fine with me, Ms. Philine.

maqroll
Spain
9 May 2009, 11:47

Hermosa foto

vz-nostalgia: "hermosa" sounds beautiful, Maqroll. Rhymes good with mimosa.

Laurie
United States
9 May 2009, 13:58

This is very beautiful. The treatment brings out a richness and depth. Wonderful. I love the softness of Ginkgo leaves under my feet in the fall.

vz-nostalgia: I love to feel them with the tips of my fingers, Ms. Laurie. When I think of ginkgo leaves, I feel the sensation of their fine texture. It's like thinking of lemon makes my mouth filled with saliva.

Larry Bliss
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
9 May 2009, 16:00

This is absolutely gorgeous... lovingly photographed...

vz-nostalgia: you bet, Larry. There is a little piece of me in it.

Diane - Daily Walks
United States
9 May 2009, 17:20

GORGEOUS series!!

vz-nostalgia: not exactly a series, Ms. Diane, just a triptych.

Albert Perpiny�
Spain
9 May 2009, 21:27

Wonderful texture

vz-nostalgia: Yep, ginkgo leaves are as much about a texture as they are about a shape, Albert.

Ginnie
Atlanta, GA, United States
10 May 2009, 03:15

I must say this is one of MY favorites of yours, too, Viktor. One of your best, IMHO. A Likey for me as well.

vz-nostalgia:

if you say so, Ms. Ginnie.

Stefania Mela
Italy
10 May 2009, 09:56

J'adore Vic.

vz-nostalgia: J'adore that you "j'adore", Ms. Stef.

Aksel from Norway
Norway
10 May 2009, 15:02

That is a very fine series. Great light, colours and composition. There is something with the texture as well, it's three dimesional - it's like I can pick up the parts if I want too....lovely

vz-nostalgia: Help yourself, Aksel, pick as many as you like. I'll take another shot next fall.

Nigel Clack
United Kingdom
11 May 2009, 07:41

A top quality series VZ, I like the colours and texture in this one, and what winged insect is lurking in the bottom left corner?

vz-nostalgia: go check my reply to Sean to learn about the insect, Nig.

jamoula McKean
United Kingdom
11 May 2009, 08:38

This is a superb set. (death watch beetle hiding?)

vz-nostalgia: there is no escape from the inevitable, Ms. Jamoula. No one can hide from death. Unless one is skillful enough with chess, in which case the Lamb will open teh Seventh Seal and there will be silence in heaven for half an hour.

, which is plenty of time to slip away (per Bergman).

Chris
England
11 May 2009, 09:01

There is beautiful lighting here Vik: an insect too

vz-nostalgia: I'll tell late autumn sun you said hello, Chris.

pindorius
Spain
11 May 2009, 20:04

I have these trees in my street ... are reallt beautiful

vz-nostalgia: in this case, you are extremely fortunate, pindorius.

Ada
United States
11 May 2009, 23:49

amazing...

vz-nostalgia: It's been a while since I heard from you, Ms.Ada.

poldina
Italy
12 May 2009, 06:16

Molto belle le tue foto, ciao

vz-nostalgia: I'd say "molto belle" sounds about right, poldina.

Stefania Mela
Italy
12 May 2009, 11:27

Ginko biloba is a living fossil

vz-nostalgia: A living fossil? How so, Ms. Stef?

Yudi Delbaz
iran
12 May 2009, 20:58

wow. your shot & Edit are excellent.

vz-nostalgia: welcome to Nostalgia, Yudi.

Magnus
Norway
12 May 2009, 21:04

Love the texture and the light, beautiful.

vz-nostalgia: I hoped to squeeze a bit more out of this than just good texture and light, Magnus.

I guess I failed. I'll try harder next time.

emillamola
Barcelona - Spain
12 May 2009, 22:29

WOW!!! Bellisima imagen. Tiene un dinamismo fantástico.

vz-nostalgia: I like how it rolls out from my tongue, Enric, "u n d i n a m i s m o f a n t a s t i c o".

I don't even want to translate it into English.

Dominic Phillips
United Kingdom
13 May 2009, 16:21

Love everything about this!

vz-nostalgia: That's not good, Domenic. One should always have some room for improvement.

Stefania Mela
Italy
14 May 2009, 13:24

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba; in Chinese 銀杏, pinyin romanization, yín xìng), also known as the Maidenhair Tree after Adiantum, is a unique species of tree with no close living relatives. The ginkgo is classified in its own division, the Ginkgophyta, comprising the single class Ginkgoopsida, order Ginkgoales, family Ginkgoaceae, genus Ginkgo and is the only extant species within this group. It is one of the best-known examples of a living fossil, because Ginkgoales other than G. biloba are not known from the fossil record after the Pliocene.[1][3]

For centuries it was thought to be extinct in the wild, but is now known to grow in at least two small areas in Zhejiang province in Eastern China, in the Tian Mu Shan Reserve. However, recent studies indicate high genetic uniformity among ginkgo trees from these areas, arguing against a natural origin of these populations and suggesting that the ginkgo trees in these areas may have been planted and preserved by Chinese monks over a period of about 1000 years.[4] Whether native ginkgo populations still exist has not been demonstrated unequivocally and is therefore uncertain.

The relationship of Ginkgo to other plant groups remains uncertain. It has been placed loosely in the divisions Spermatophyta and Pinophyta, but no consensus has been reached. Since Ginkgo seeds are not protected by an ovary wall, it can morphologically be considered a gymnosperm. The apricot-like structures produced by female ginkgo trees are technically not fruits, but are seeds that have a shell that consists of a soft and fleshy section (the sarcotesta), and a hard section (the sclerotesta).

vz-nostalgia: I tried to read the whole thing three times, Ms. Stefania, and each time I fell asleep well before I finished reading.

Gabor Varga
Hungary
14 May 2009, 21:09

Amazing, I can't say any else.
Every little part make your photography unique.

vz-nostalgia:

of course, it's unique, Gabor. It's Nostalgia!

Edward Osborn
Japan
15 May 2009, 09:05

Gorgeous. Painterly...fantastic!

vz-nostalgia: GPF. I think I just came up with a new acronym, Edward.

(not to confuse with Gallons Per Flush or General Purpose Flask)

Nadia Kamil
Singapore
16 May 2009, 11:27

They look almost like defeated/sleeping moths. A very sensitive image, Viktor.

vz-nostalgia: Defeated sleeping moths. Wow.

Armando Diaz
Venezuela
18 May 2009, 15:55

Hi Viktor:
I like the browns and yellows but I even prefer more the textures and feelings.

vz-nostalgia: The textures mixed with feelings... this could be an explosive combination, Armando.

Ian Thompson
United Kingdom
11 Jun 2009, 14:35

I love this as photograph, as graphic design, as allegory... very powerful.

vz-nostalgia: welcome back to Nostalgia, Ian. It's been a while.

Mal
United Kingdom
31 Jul 2009, 23:14

elegant and quite beautiful. mal

vz-nostalgia: Agree. I think gingko leaves have one of the most elegant and beautiful designs that nature has ever come up with, Mal.

NostalgiaMigranta