colonia: las ventanas (y las puertas)

looking from outside into an open window one never sees as much as when one looks through a closed window. there is nothing more profound, more mysterious, more pregnant, more insidious, more dazzling than a window lighted by a single candle. what one can see out in the sunlight is always less interesting than what goes on behind a windowpane. in that black or luminous square life lives, life dreams, life suffers.
(charles baudelaire)

i noticed recently when looking through my photos that there were some recurring subjects that i’d unconsciously been collecting wherever i go. windows & doors are one theme that seems to feature prominently. like baudelaire, i find closed windows intriguing & mysterious – they make me want to peek in & see what’s going on inside. i wonder how they’re furnished, who lives there, what is the garden like, have the owners put their blood, sweat & tears into it or are they just renters, what spirit of the inhabitants & their daily lives are imprinted on the building itself. but the open windows definitely arouse my interest as well – many offer just a tantalising glimpse of inside; others are thrown wide open to allow you to see almost the entire room or house. with some, the life of the house spills out into the public domain – the inhabitants chat & relax out the front, kids’ toys are in the yard, glorious gardens are planted in windowboxes & garden beds. these are some that i took in colonia in just two days!

what themes intrigue you and draw you back again and again?

colonia in colour

so i promised some more images from colonia, where i spent two days in colonia en route from buenos aires to the beachside town of punta del diablo. i had been in buenos aires for three weeks and, while my digital camera was being fixed there, thought i needed some sun, sand & surf – before heading to the chilly south – patagonia.

colonia was not exactly sun, sand & surf – more like rain, cobblestones & still sea. but it was lovely, despite the rain & the overcast days. i’d love to go back there sometime & shoot some more. i posted a few images from this town a couple of days ago, but a few more are definitely in order.

when i went through them i realised i’d taken almost two whole films in two days – i was clearly inspired! so the colour shots come to you in two parts to break it up! more coming your way in the next couple of days.

colonia

just  a monday post. a few b&w film images from colonia del sacramento in uruguay. enjoy! some colour ones tomorrow.