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Simplify!


Simplify!
Photo Information
Copyright: Greg Davis (Greg1949) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1045 W: 109 N: 1523] (5127)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-04-20
Categories: Daily Life, Architecture, Decisive Moment
Camera: Nikon D 200, 18-200 1:3.5-5.6 DX VR, Hoya PL-CIRCULAR
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/200 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Colonial New England Structuers [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-05-03 14:49
Viewed: 464
Points: 50
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This is Henry David Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond, or I should say the reproduction of it. Here he wrote Walden

The data below is from Wikipedia but is just a small amount of what is available, it is worth diving into this further. Thoreau was someone we should consider when shaping our strategies for saving the planet, he was more than a century and a half ahead of us, in all ways...

Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau; pronounced /ˈθʌroʊ/, rhyming with “furrow”;12 July 1817 – 6 May 1862) was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, and philosopher. He is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.

Thoreau's books, articles, essays, journals, and poetry total over 20 volumes. Among his lasting contributions were his writings on natural history and philosophy, where he anticipated the methods and findings of ecology and environmental history, two sources of modern day environmentalism.

He was a lifelong abolitionist, delivering lectures that attacked the Fugitive Slave Law while praising the writings of Wendell Phillips and defending abolitionist John Brown. Thoreau’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance influenced the political thoughts and actions of such later figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thoreau is sometimes cited as an individualist anarchist as well as an inspiration to anarchists. Though Civil Disobedience calls for improving rather than abolishing government — “I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government” — the direction of this improvement aims at anarchism: “‘That government is best which governs not at all;’ and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.”

At Walden Pond, he completed a first draft of A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, an elegy to his brother, John, that described their 1839 trip to the White Mountains. Thoreau did not find a publisher for this book and instead printed 1,000 copies at his own expense, though less than 300 sold. Thoreau self-published on the advice of Emerson, using Emerson’s own publisher Munroe, who did little to publicize the book. Its failure put Thoreau into debt that took years to pay off, and Emerson’s flawed advice caused a schism between the friends that never entirely healed.

In August 1846, Thoreau briefly left Walden to make a trip to Mount Katadin in Maine, a journey later recorded in “Katadin,” the first part of The Maine Woods.

Thoreau left Walden Pond on 6 September 1847.[25] Over several years, he worked to pay off his debts and also continuously revised his manuscript. In 1854, he published Walden, or Life in the Woods, recounting the two years, two months, and two days he had spent at Walden Pond. The book compresses that time into a single calendar year, using the passage of four seasons to symbolize human development. Part memoir and part spiritual quest, Walden at first won few admirers, but today critics regard it as a classic American book that explores natural simplicity, harmony, and beauty as models for just social and cultural conditions.
dareco, avene, zmey, angela926, meltemi, azleader, jlbrthnn, guitianmiranda, Royaldevon, fulvio52, gunbud, Budapestman, AiresSantos, Waylim, pablominto, pboehringer, Didi, bakes888, Cretense, stego, mumek, Pitoncle has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To bakes888: PaulGreg1949 1 05-09 03:52
To pboehringer: PeterGreg1949 1 05-07 18:50
To pablominto: PabloGreg1949 1 05-07 06:41
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • dareco Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1443 W: 34 N: 596] (8436)
  • [2008-05-03 15:12]

Once again you have found such an interesting place!!! I enjoyed reading about this man. A beautiful picture of this cabin showing abit of how he lived. Nice lighting and pov. TFS

  • Great 
  • avene Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1064 W: 68 N: 1332] (5002)
  • [2008-05-03 19:10]

hi Greg,
I agree with Karen, another interesting addition to your collection. seems like a beautiful spring day, I like a lot the light here, I find the warm sunshine fits well the story in your note. thanks, I learned something new today and discovered another interesting detail of this fascinating place called America, I'll definitely check Thoreau's works.

with best regards,
Kristine

Hello Greg,
Great shot of thisd historic site, good composition and point of view, excellent sharpness and depth of field, nice colors, beautiful light and good textures and details, well done.
Angela

Hi Greg,
wonderfull scenery and a beautifully composed shot. Very sharp and optimum exposure great light.
Georg

Hello Greg,
very nice shot. I like the simplicity of the building and the image. Picture also has nice colors and a feeling of a previous age; this shot is superbly framed with the tall trees. The play of golden light and shadow on the wall and lighting all around make this shot very pleasing to the eye. Bravo.
Kind Regards.
Stella

Great color, lighting, perspective and technical quality

very good looking warm colours in foreground, light is good, nice subject :)
regards
jo

Hello Greg,
It is a historical and cultural document interesting. This small house or cabin, symbolizes rather well the examination and accomodement of the man to nature and not the reverse. Very good realization.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

Ones again Greg. The title of the picture is right, but Simplify doesn’t means not interesting. Good capture of what is Simplify but full of history. Best regards.

  • Great 
  • zmey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1109 W: 72 N: 1074] (4183)
  • [2008-05-04 7:18]

hello greg

very interesting note. the shot is simple but goes very well to illustrate the ideas of thoreau. i remember some of his quotes myself and like this author from the little i have read. i learned from your post, greg. thank you.

warm regards,
kristaps

Hello Greg,

I am being very well educated on this site!

Nicely angled shot to obtain detailed views of two sides of the building and the wood shed. I like the dappled shadows on the wall and the long, soft shadows on the floor.
The cabin is perfectly placed with the trees providing a good back ground.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

Hi Greg,
nice and peaceful, meditative, some wonderful golden light on display, great overall definition and... great note! Simplify's always been my motto!
And thanks for taking time to go all the way back through my gallery (My Private Louisiana & Deja Vu), I greatly appreciate.
Cheers,
Fulvio.

  • Great 
  • gunbud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 4089 W: 3 N: 3484] (16215)
  • [2008-05-04 19:01]

Hi Greg,
Another great little historic gem you have here. Excellent sharpness and details with very good light. The tiny little cabin looks quite simple and sparse but easy to heat. Very neat composition.
Regards, Tom

Hi Greg,
Splendid shot for this place with fine composition and picturesque colours. Lights and clarity are excellent, beautiful image with informative note once more.
Have a nice day
George

  • Great 
  • Waylim Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 325 W: 67 N: 533] (2073)
  • [2008-05-06 15:13]

Hi Greg,
Such a charming and cozy image of the very inviting cabin. I love the very rich tone of the colors, though very much nestled in the shadow of the forest, you managed to captured its clarity very well with great details of the cabin and natural surrounding. Perfect sharpness, and composition is good. Very informative note. TFS
Way

Hello Greg,
Seems like the cabin is covered with wooden tiles..!
Otherwise I notice the large windows and the shack for the firewood...
Good point of view for a simple composition, sharp fine details!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Hi Greg. Very nice colors and good definition in a well composed photo. Well done. Paulo.

Greg,
the shot doesn't promide a lot when looking into the thumbnail and even the main post gives the impression of: OK, and now? But, as soon as I started to read the note the hidden message started to open and I learned something completely new. Thoreau and Walden were unknown to me and at my next visit to Barnes&Nobles I will look for this author and work.
Peter

  • Great 
  • Didi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 6154 W: 3194 N: 7473] (27834)
  • [2008-05-08 7:33]

Hi Greg
Very simple composition but the lights are great.
Well done for your exposure management; it's giving a peacefull and relaxing ambiance.
Cheers.

Hi Greg. He may have been hundreds of years ahead of his time but I’m not sure anybody is listening still, well maybe a few. Your simplicity of composition matches the subject well and I love the dappled light. Your capture of detail is deadly sharp. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

Hi Greg!

Beautiful, sweet little old cabin, you have captured it greatly! The central composition, works perfectly well in this case, there is also a beautiful natural environment. Excellent light managment and colours! Congratulations!

Hercules

Helo Greg
After this impresive lighthouse presenting now one little simpley house but still very beautiful
I supose that this have conection with American history but my poor eng.
Very nice
Cheers,Braca

  • Great 
  • stego Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3438 W: 584 N: 4487] (13694)
  • [2008-05-10 13:59]

Hi Greg,
Maybe we would still understand the title without the note. This simple little cabin in the middle of the forest proves that idyllic places don't need to have anything fancy or materially wealthy. However, the note gives it another interest to it, as we can appreciate how that enlightened man lived according with his principles.
It didn't need to be so good technically (clarity, sharpness, etc.) to be a very interesting post.
Regards, José.

  • Great 
  • mumek Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2179 W: 27 N: 2251] (15267)
  • [2008-05-15 4:49]

Hi Greg!
Another great shot from your gallery.Very nice view at the cabin,sharp details ,lovely warm light and superb natural colours. As usual note from you is very infrormative and interesting.Thanks for sharing
best regards
ziggy

Bonjour Greg,
Comment cela peut-il exister dans un pays où la démesure est de rigueur !!!
Très bon angle de prise de vue et belle lumière mettant bien en valeur les détails achitecturaux et les couleurs.
A bientôt sur TE pour de nouvelles aventures.
Gérard

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