Last night I walked down to the river to watch the sun slip away – some evenings are flawless and you need to be out in them.
I was drawn to the gently swaying wildflowers (hoary alyssum, bertéroa blanc) backlit against the waning reflected light. Each of these photographs was made using in-camera double exposures and very little editing. This is what the camera saw. The images seemed to work better as double exposures, to carry more weight even though in a sense they are ‘lighter’, less literal. There are times when I think ‘abstracting’ a particular subject may express it more fully. Like the sense of a lovely summer evening sitting on damp grass and fading into the night.
How the river looked, doubly exposed. If you look carefully (click to enlarge) you will see a tiny sailboat near the horizon.
© Karen McRae, 2013
draw and shoot 
I love these images! So beautiful.
Thanks very much, it was a perfect evening.
oh, Karen, what to say, beautiful, wonderful shades of blue, love the sailboat in the multiple watery skies…
Hi Wolfgang, those blues always get me too.
You spotted the sailboat, it’s pretty small! Thanks for your comments, I’m happy you like the photographs.
Really beautiful,Karen
Much thanks, Hanno. Gotta love a beautiful summer evening.
Great work, very impressive, the fade of light is wondeful.
Thanks very much. The background is the light reflecting off the river.
Beautiful ! The flowers and the second picture are looking frozen.
sorry : * on
Thank you, Esmee.
These are amazing – so make me want to collaborate!
Nathan, I haven’t forgotten about that! I’ve had something in the back of my mind but I haven’t followed through with it yet.
Thanks for your comment.
These pictures are beautiful…there’s something so delicate about them
Thank you, Katie. I’m glad you like them.
So beautiful! I love this blue!
Shades of blue are seductive aren’t they? Thanks very much!
Karen, these photos are so beautiful. At first I thought the plant was chicory with its sky blue flowers. Perfect evening and perfect photos – they take you to another place by looking at them.
Yes, these little flowers are white, just blue from the light of late day. White flowers can be very versatile to photograph. I do love the blue of chicory, though.
Thanks for your comment, Judy.
wow maybe my favourite yet. i love the soft purple colours
I’m glad you like these, Tin Roof, thank you.
Oh, the pinky-orange fading into blue, so lovely. Agree with you on abstraction can bring the essence of the moment better sometimes…
Thanks, Kat. Yes, it’s interesting how less really is more sometimes.
I like those soft tone. Very meditative.
Beautiful work Karen !
Much thanks, Yoshizen. It is a meditative time of day I think.
Those soft hues are beautiful Karen.
I’m glad you think so, Phil. Thank you.
Monet couldn’t have painted them any better
Ah, well I’m not sure that’s true, but much thanks for that!
Really nice, love the shades of blue everywhere.
Jim
Thank you, Jim. Yes, blues are among my favourite colours.
Gorgeous misty pastels! Very restful.
Thank you, Trish!
As you say, a beautiful evening and always such a thrill to see through your wonderful eyes!
That’s very kind, Patti. : )
Thank you!
These could only be summer..the contrasting blues and soft terracotta oranges…the double exposure showing water in the air…the settling humidity of evening. I could look at these for hours and feel I’ve been there on other perfect evenings. So expressive and lovely…thank you
Such a lovely comment. Thank you for that!
Much like three dimensional, masterful paintings. Marvelous.
Thanks so much, Elena! : )
your work is so so beautiful…. One day I hope to see them printed and up close…
I’m honoured you would say that, Anthony. Truly.
Thank you.
beautiful !!
Thank you!
Ethereal is the word that comes to mind with these images. Delicate and just beyond reach.
These are beautiful. I agree with you – abstracting can communicate the essence of an image sometimes, better than a straightforward photo of the thing itself might.
Stunning … this is such a beautiful work, Karen!
Ditto to all the above comments – beautiful images 🙂
I looks like in a dream 🙂
Beautiful photos.
“This is what the camera saw”?!!! You own a very talented camera, my dear Karen.
In fact, it paints too!
🙂
Beautiful!
I couldn’t agree more with what you said about how abstracting something can somehow better capture the feel of the scene. I often do that myself, whether it’s through double exposures or un-focussing, and it’s always very satisfying when it works. You can just achieve a more painterly result that way. Who said everything has to be pixel sharp?
Love those beautiful soft hues.
Before I caved in for the whispering pillow last night, these photos were the last thing I looked at. I slept very well by the memory of immense beauty unfolding in the subtle shadows of the horizon. Serene, silent. Stunning.
You did it again Karen Wonderful
Stunning!
Well, you just made me swear spontaneously. Totally agree that the technique lends the images more weight – they’ve got a real resonance, they’re dreamlike and offer a way in for the viewer, (a space to get lost in), where a straight shot presents a closed door. I like them. 🙂
Ha! What a great comment, Richard. Thank you!
I guess I’m really late to responding to this one but it’s hard to keep up with all the comments sometimes – there are not enough hours in the day…
Thanks! I know – I totally know where you’re coming from…
Your photos at times want to be seen full screen, at least that is what your river photo whispered to me. Beautiful.
These images are breath-taking!! I love the subtle color changes throughout some of the images, from light to darker blues. The shot of the river is just like a dream, ethereal and calm. Great shots, all!!
A truly flawless evening, Karen. These images depict it so well. Love the sailboat, a small but significant detail.
Lovely, lovely! so gentle as ever; reflecting your personality methinks 🙂
You are such a poet, Karen! Beautiful photos as always. Thank you so much!
These are just gorgeous Karen. I love the lilac and pink. Beautiful!
Beautiful, dear Karen! 🙂
These are terrific. I very much like the spider one. And the last one launches in my mind a theory that Turner saw the world doubly exposed and painted what he saw.
Thank you, Ehpem. You are the first person to notice the spider, I think.
That’s a good theory about Turner. I love his work!
Such grace in these, Karen……….you are a master of whisps….
Thanks very much, Leah.
Absolutely loved these. They invoke such a sense of nostalgia….
They are really magical, Karen.
Thank you, Bente.
Karen, Thanks for your perceptive comments on my work. I’m being given a retrospective at Eastern Connecticut State University, opening on Oct.. 24. If you are in the neighborhood, , I can thank you in person.
Maurice, I wish I was able to go, it would be a pleasure.
I’m up in Canada however and don’t foresee being in Connecticut at that point in time, but If I were it would be an honour to meet you.
Congratulations and best wishes!
Karen
Thanks for bringing the night this way.
love the mood and the colors…very creative results !
Seems night falls as light as a feather sometimes, somewhere. Great!