All those plants to photograph, and look who caught my eye!
A note before listening
This episode is an AI-generated conversation between Pip and Mara, based on my original post, “Reflecting Pool at the Botanical Gardens,” published August 18, 2023.
The man beside the pool is my husband, Neal. In the original post, I play with the idea of Neal greeting his own reflection. Keep that playful spirit in mind as the hosts discuss those lines.
The transcript follows the generated audio. My reflections and photograph captions are additions for this page.
Look who’s in the water
There were endless flowers and plants to photograph at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Then there was Neal, leaning over the reflecting pool.
Well, look at that! My husband, looking down at himself, while I found another reason to take his picture.
I enjoyed giving that reflection a few words in the original post. Now Pip and Mara have quite a bit to say about it too. Come back to the pool with me.
“I can go looking for flowers and come home with another favorite photograph of Neal.”
Hello down there!
Neal has someone to say hello to. Look down!
THIS WEEK I NOTICED
Those chairs behind him
Looking at these photographs again, I noticed the wooden chairs behind Neal. I was following his reflection, so they stayed in the background.
But look at them. A place to sit, right beside the thing that made us stop. I do enjoy a garden that leaves room for rest and “reflection”. Ha, you see what I did there, right?
Camera down for a minute, Robert. Sit! The flowers can wait.
Back beside the pool
Episode transcript — Pip and Mara
Pip: Robert Snap Spot — where a reflecting pool becomes a reason to slow down, look closer, and maybe apologize to your own reflection.
Mara: Today we’re covering one theme from Robert J Jr.: reflection photography, what it means to literally and figuratively see what’s always been in front of you, set against a visit to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
Pip: Let’s start with the pool itself.
Reflecting Pool at the Botanical Gardens
Mara: Reflection photography, as a genre, is straightforward on paper — any shot that uses a reflective surface. But this post turns that technical definition into something more personal: a prompt to notice what you’ve been walking past.
Pip: The post sets up a moment at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens where the subject isn’t the flowers or the plants — it’s a person reflected back in the water. The quote that anchors it comes from Neal, caught in that reflection: “I was here all the time!”
Mara: That’s the whole argument in four words. The botanical gardens offered endless flora to photograph, but the shot that landed was the one that said someone familiar had been present and visible the whole time — you just hadn’t framed it that way yet.
Pip: Reflection photography as a genre usually gets discussed in terms of symmetry and light. This post uses it to talk about attention — what we actually see versus what we walk past assuming we already know it.
Mara: The post pairs that with a second quote from Neal, addressed to his own reflection: “I’m sorry if I haven’t taken the time to be kind to you today.” That shifts the frame again — from noticing others to noticing yourself.
Pip: A botanical garden full of flowers, and the shot that sticks is a man talking to his own reflection. That’s either very zen or very Tuesday in Atlanta.
Another Look at Neal
There he is. My husband, twice in one photograph!
The face is in the water. The hands tell you where to look.
Mara: The post closes with a genuine question for the reader: what are some things you feel like reflecting on, or need to look back at again, to look closer and actually see this time. It’s an invitation, not a rhetorical flourish.
Pip: The whole piece sits inside a larger idea the post names early — that “happy places” in photos let you escape back into joy you already lived. The pool isn’t just a compositional trick. It’s a reason to go back.
Mara: And that’s the through-line: reflection photography as a practice of return, not just a technique.
A familiar hand
That familiar hand, with another view just below it.
Pip: Turns out a reflecting pool is less about the water and more about what you’re willing to see in it.
Mara: Next time — more from Robert Snap Spot, more reasons to look closer at what’s already there.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Come walk awhile with me.
When I’m walking with someone, I can get so busy looking for a photograph that I forget to notice the person beside me. This time, an older photograph brought me back to Neal beside the pool. Tell me about a place you like to return to, on foot or in a photograph.
Where would you take us on our next walk?
“If there is a garden, a trail or back alley, I’ll go camera in hand, to see what I can find.”
— Robert
Photographed at Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta, Georgia
Savannah’s skeletons have taken the afternoon off. No photos please!
Humor – The Holidays – Changing Seasons
Well, There Goes the Neighborhood!
Just minding my business walking back to my car, iPhone in hand of course, I hear “clacking bones” from up on a balcony… Hmmm?
Look at him! Sitting beside the flowers, one leg dangling, making himself comfortable. October has officially arrived, and apparently Savannah’s skeletons are allowed out before supper.
I’m trying to enjoy a normal daytime walk. He seems to be enjoying a much longer retirement.
“Good afternoon. Lovely weather for those of us who no longer need sunscreen.”
– Skeleton Friend
I can almost hear that bony jaw working as I pass. “No press, No photos! It’s my day off!”
Just a normal October day in Haunted Savannah, where even the Halloween decorations look like they know your business.
Somebody Kicked Off the Covers
Those broken pieces got my imagination going. Ok, walking through old church graveyards tends to play with the mind. What if a restless resident had thrown back the bedclothes and announced, “Enough lying around. I’m going out!”
In my October imagination, somebody has kicked off the covers.
Of course, the photograph tells me nothing about how the stone broke. The afternoon escape is my doing. October gets into my head that way! Ask Neal about the month and it’s all apples, leaves, and North Georgia mountain cabins. Hey, give me them too!
THIS WEEK I NOTICED
The Spirits Are Restless!
October changes where I point the camera. A flower box gets my attention, then I notice who is sitting beside it. Now I’m checking the other windows! Somewhere in my imagined Savannah, a vampire is trying to bring home the groceries without becoming the subject of a photo essay. “Sorry, neighbor!” That cape caught my eye. “Click!”
The Dead Have Errands, Too
Once I give that skeleton a voice, the whole neighborhood starts talking. His bony jaws clacking along to jazz drifting up from River Street, somebody complaining about the sun, and a vampire asking whether the Spanish moss provides enough shade to get to the next block. Ha! A jack-o’-lantern on a veranda would surely have an opinion. “You should have brought a hat.” Well! Even now the pumpkins are giving advice.
“We tried resting in peace. Lovely idea. Terrible social life.”
– Skeleton Friend
There is an old Irish tale, The Adventures of Nera, in which a reanimated corpse needs help finding a drink. Yes, readers, I looked it up! The Library of Congress includes it in its discussion of Halloween folklore. Apparently, getting up for refreshments has a much longer history than I realized. In my Savannah version, somebody has introduced the departed to chicory coffee. That would explain all the restless activity!(Library of Congress)
I’m picturing a few residents of Halloween Town taking a southern vacation, with some of the Nightbreedcrowd finally finding a neighborhood where nobody fusses about appearances. Pull up a chair. Mind the loose femur. I can enjoy this delightfully dreadful masquerade while the sun is out, taking photographs and inventing conversations. When the porch lights come on, those folks can entertain themselves. I have already given my imagination quite enough material for bedtime.
Savannah is Haunted Y’all!
I’ll read what I can from here. Knocking seems unnecessary.
This headstone, at least, is still standing where I expect it to be. I’ll accept that bit of reassurance and keep walking before my imagination supplies footsteps.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Tell Me Who Lives Upstairs
That balcony sitter looks far too settled to remain a nameless decoration. Help me give him a proper Savannah introduction before our next walk.
What’s his name, and what’s the neighborhood gossip?
““I walk Savannah in daylight to keep the night terrors out of my bedtime. I do wish they’d stop waving from the balconies.”
A prayer arrived in a text message this morning, and I wanted to share it with you.
October is here!
Before I get carried away with pumpkins and fall photographs, I’m lighting a candle.
There are people I want to hold in this prayer. You probably have someone in mind, too.
“I’ll light the candle. Bring the names you’re holding in your heart.”
– Robert
Read these words with me, at your own pace. There’s room here for your prayer alongside mine.
This morning’s text message was something I wanted to pass along.
I Begin This Month with a Special Prayer:
May the broken be healed, may the sick be restored, may joy return to those in despair, may the lonely find love, may the hungry be fed, and may our world be at peace.
October, Take My Gift
Here I am in Vinings, Georgia, seated among the pumpkins with one held out toward you. “I am offering October a gift… take it.” Yes, the pumpkin comes with a prayer! TIB: (It was not the lightest pumpkin I chose to hold. Smiling but giving the guns a workout, hurry Neal!)
Here, October. I picked out something you might like!
Could October bring healing? I’m welcoming it with that hope. And apparently, I’ve brought a pumpkin big enough for the occasion! Oh, I’m sorry, did you want…? There are plenty left in this patch.
THIS WEEK I NOTICED
Someone Made Room for Us
Look at that bench beside the fall display. Someone arranged the pumpkins and flowers, then left a place for us to sit among them. I appreciate that. When there’s a seat, I’m more likely to stay awhile and notice what I would have walked right past.
A Place to Sit With Hope
Fall is on full display in this shared space in Vinings, Georgia. Pumpkins gather around an old mantel, dried cornstalks stand on either side, and yellow and orange flowers catch the sunlight. Plenty of green remains in the trees. October has brought its decorations, and I’ve found myself a seat!
So beautiful, huh?
Whoever arranged all this knew how to get me to stop.
The prayer gives me plenty to sit with, too. Healing for the broken. Restoration for the sick. Joy finding its way back to someone in despair. I want the lonely to find love, the hungry to have enough to eat, and our world to be at peace. That last request is a big one. I’m leaving it in.
A nearby koi pond glimmers, and there are those October colors again, moving beneath the water. Orange, gold, patches of red. Look at them! Watching the koi, I think about the strength it takes to keep going when life is difficult. I can offer a prayer, and I can also call someone who feels alone or help put a meal on a table. I’d like to carry those words with me after the candle burns down.
A seat among the pumpkins, then a stop beside the pond. I’m settling in.
This is such a wondrous place! Serene imagery like tranquil koi ponds or peaceful nature inspire calm and mindfulness. This community knew what they were doing here! No wonder Neal and I were drawn to this spot.
October, Receive These Gifts
Welcome, October; take my gifts of hope and prayer, with a few borrowed colors from the pond.
One dressed boldly for fall, the other wearing just a dab of red.Those fins! Now you know why there’s another koi photograph.
The orange-and-black koi looks dressed for October already. Then those flowing fins pass through the frame, and I’m quite happy to stay for another photograph. Just how do they match the colors we associate with this time of year so well?
I’ll stay for one more look. You’re welcome to stay with me.
I’ll leave you beside the pond for a moment, with the colors still moving through the water. Take whichever words of the prayer you need today. I’m carrying “may our world be at peace.” We all need a little peace right now!
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
What Shall We Give October?
I’ve offered October my prayer. Tell me what you’re hoping to give this month, or what you’re hoping it will bring you. Come sit with me again as the month unfolds; I’d love to hear how things are going.
What are you hoping October brings?
“October has its colors, and I have my prayer. This season, I’m making room for both.”
A familiar walk with Neal, and a few ideas about staying the night.
Monochrome Monday · Rivers · Riverwalks
We’ve Walked Here Before!
Neal and I have walked Augusta’s Riverwalk for years, and this visit gave us plenty to reminisce about. Then we reached the pedestrian bridge at 5th Street, just past the marina, and I found myself looking down at all those houseboats.
Well! How had a familiar walk turned into me wondering where I might spend the night?
“Give me a view of a houseboat, and I’ll start wondering what breakfast looks like aboard.”
– Robert
Most of them appeared lived in, which made me even more curious about the people behind those windows. Imagine finishing your evening walk, stepping aboard, and already being home!
Our familiar riverwalk had another view waiting just past the marina.
I Could Sit Right There
Look at those covered decks facing the water. I can already picture Neal and me settling into a couple of chairs, with very little left on the agenda.
Those covered decks have me mentally unpacking an overnight bag.
From my perch on the 5th Street pedestrian bridge the view in color is great! Yet I got to thinking, “Monochrome, yeah, monochrome!” In black and white, my eye keeps moving from the bright roofs down into their rippling reflections.
Then it goes right back to those chairs. Yes, I am still thinking about sitting down!
Our trip to historic downtown Augusta, Georgia meant about two and a half hours on the road, followed by a walk Neal and I have enjoyed for years. We reminisced along the Savannah River, and I thought back to our Augusta Canal tour in March 2020. We already had memories here. This time, the view from the 5th Street pedestrian bridge gave me something else to photograph. Give me a time and a place, there will be pictures taken. Just ask Neal!
Here along the river, Augusta is on the Georgia side and North Augusta is across the water in South Carolina. We can see the houses and their boat docks from the riverwalk. And yes, this is the same Savannah River that continues downstream toward Savannah, where we live just two blocks from the river in our historic downtown apartment. From the Riverwalk and the bridge, I could see rows of vintage-looking houseboats at the marina. Some had shaded decks; others had open space up top. Most looked to me as though someone might come home to them.
There are even houseboat rentals listed on Airbnb. Yes, readers, I looked it up.
Wow!
Now that gets me thinking. What would it be like to spend the night on the Savannah River? I can imagine turning to Neal and saying, “We could give this a try!” One lazy evening aboard, nowhere else we needed to be, and a chance to see this stretch of river after the day-trippers had gone home. I mean, people even rent treehouses in their backyards on Airbnb! Book one of them!
Afloat Along The River
Take a look along the docks, then look a little closer at the neighbors.
I followed the row with my eyes, wondering which one I would choose.Wait, that one has a slide! So much for spending the whole visit in a chair.
The closer view has me comparing decks as though we were choosing a room. I should probably find out what the beds are like before I let a waterslide make the decision!
You do see that waterslide right?
Are there alligators in this river? Did anyone even ask that question before moving in?
A tuft of green claims the old stone pier, even in monochrome.
Before leaving this view, I wanted a photograph with more of the river in it. If we ever stay aboard, I’d like to come back to this spot and see how it looks in the morning. “Sleep tight, my readers!”
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Pull Up A River Chair
These monochrome photographs have me planning an evening we haven’t taken yet. Pull up a river chair. There’s room! Tell me how you would spend yours; I’ll have a few ideas to carry back to Neal.
“What would keep you on deck past bedtime?“
“I’ll go back for the walk I know. After this visit, I’ll leave a little extra time for whatever catches my eye.””
Flowers at the dinner table… do we need an occasion?
The Flower Hour – Vibrant Living
What’s the occasion?
A bouquet on the dinner table, with the window light coming through the shutters. “Flowers? What’s the occasion?” I can almost hear the question.
Our dear friend and decor guru Alexandra Stoddard, speaker on the art of living well and author of Choosing Happiness, once said “I remember taking small steps toward adding beauty to daily life. I began to purchase fresh flowers regularly and place them around the home.” Neal and I simply love her advice and books!
Do we need one? I’m quite happy looking at these while deciding what’s for dinner!
““I think ‘I’d like flowers on the table’ is a perfectly good occasion.”
– Robert
Look at that pink flower facing us, with the yellow lilies just behind it. You can see why dinner might have to wait for a few photographs.
My, my… Lilies center stage!
Those yellow lilies deserve a closer look. See the speckles on the petals? There’s plenty going on in this beautiful bunch. Where is my macro lens?
Those buds still have something to add.
One bloom faces us while the other stretches out to the side. I’m beginning to think I could sit anywhere at this table and have a good view!
There’s room at the table for this bunch.
Now you can see the whole vase Neal chose. Flowers, window light, yes, I’d leave them where they are.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Beauty on the table
I’ve shown you what’s brightening this table. Pull up a chair and tell me what you’d put on yours.
“Which flowers would brighten your day?”
“Leave something lovely on the table that stays after the plates are cleared.”
Neal and I are back on Skidaway Island, dog sitting and dog walking lovely Coastal. She loves when we stay over, ready to play from the moment we enter the door!
We find her tucked into the large pillows of the couch. A favorite resting spot. Then she gives us those sad, beautiful puppy dog eyes… and I’m melted.
A comfortable spot to supervise her overnight guests.
“We come to keep Coastal company. She makes us feel like the ones being treated.”
– Robert
I can almost hear her… “You’re staying a while, right?”
For such an energetic girl, she makes resting on the sofa look awfully inviting. Well, Coastal, we can keep you company here too!
At the mere mention of her, she springs from her perch and is at our feet, rolling over with paws up for a belly rub.
Oh, Those Eyes!
Sitting out on the balcony couch drinking coffee after the morning walk and guess who jumps right up there with us.
No, no girl! This caffeine is for me and you are full of too much energy as it is.
There’s that look. Oh, Coastal!
Those eyes again. This is what is meant by “sad puppy dog eyes”. I’m mesmerized! Look at her looking up from under those brows. Coffee cup on the table, iPhone in hand. I’m trying to take a photograph, Coastal. You’re making me want to put the phone down!
A little tongue, a big nose… and no room left between us!
Now we’re close enough for her nose to take over the picture! A little more petting seems to be in order then another photograph can wait.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
Stay Lost in Her Eyes
Coastal has me lingering beside the sofa. I wonder who came to mind while you were looking at her? Tell me about the companion you always make a little more time for.
“We all need company, even on the days when all we have planned is having a space on the sofa.”
During our August 2021 Poconos trip, Neal and I took a day trip to Philadelphia. All those historical buildings and national treasures… and here I was, looking for painted walls!
Give me a city full of public art and a camera, and you can see where my attention is going!
“I’m quite willing to travel for art. Finding it may take a little wandering, but I don’t mind that part.”
– Robert
Excuse me, streetlamp… you’re in the picture. Oh, you’re staying? All right then.
Look at how much is happening around this corner, with people, cars, and traffic lights below that enormous splash of color.
There’s a whole city to explore, and already I have something to stop for!
That is quite a hat!
First the smiling face, then that towering collection of toys… where do I look next? And beside it all, a lava lamp large enough to make the windows look small.
I think Benjamin Franklin is standing up there next to a… whoopee cushion?
Excuse me, streetlamp… you’re in the picture. Oh, you’re staying? All right then.
With this view, I can spend a little more time sorting out what is painted on that wall. Though I’m still wondering how much more that hat can hold!
THIS WEEK I NOTICED
Big art needs a little room
Looking back through these photographs, I noticed that hunting for larger-than-life art comes with another search: somewhere to stand! You can find the mural easily enough. Getting the whole thing into a photograph takes a little more consideration. A streetlamp here, a roofline there… suddenly the space around the artwork matters quite a bit. That wide view earns its place. It lets you see just how enormous the subject really is.
A familiar name, eight thousand square feet
I had to look up the name of this one: Lava Kid (5 Below). Meg Saligman’s studio lists the 2019 mural at Eighth and Market Streets as 8,000 square feet. Eight thousand! Knowing that gives me an even greater appreciation for the work involved. I get to point a camera at it; the artists had to bring that enormous face and all those playful details to life.Artist’s project record
The Five Below name is easy to spot, and this is a commercial mural, with merchandise worked into the picture. That is part of its story, too. What interests me in these photographs is how the painted world sits beside the building’s brickwork and tall windows. A giant lava lamp next to all that older architecture! My eye keeps moving between the two. Background on the commission
“I came looking for art, and now I’m studying the building beside it. My camera does get me into things.”
– Robert
Philadelphia gives a mural hunter plenty of reasons to keep looking. The city’s Mural Arts program grew from work begun in 1984 and has helped create thousands of public artworks. That wider tradition gives some context to my enthusiasm for photographing art here, even though this Five Below piece has its own commercial purpose. For this visit, one wall was enough to keep my attention through four photographs. You know how that goes… there’s always another angle for me to find. Philadelphia’s public art program
Excuse me, streetlamp… you’re in the picture. Oh, you’re staying? All right then.
And here is the streetlamp, making quite sure I remember where I was standing. I rather like having the street in this photograph, even when it gets in the way.
THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES
What’s new on old walls?
An older building can keep me looking with its windows and brickwork alone. Add a mural, and now I’m curious about what somebody saw in that wall before the painting began.
Next time you’re out, take a look… I’d enjoy hearing what catches your eye.
“If there’s art worth looking for, I’m happy to make the trip. Neal and I can call it a day out. My camera and I may need a little longer.”
