I am captivated by the cosmos. Its inconceivable vastness doesn’t make me feel smaller; when I consider its immensity and age I just feel more fortunate to exist in it at all. I understand how men and women over the centuries have looked up at the incredibly old night sky and come to the sudden realization that they must spend the rest of their relatively short lives trying to calculate the seemingly incalculable. A young physicist named Albert Einstein caught the bug and performed thought experiments while he worked in a Bern patent office and changed forever how we consider time, light, gravity and the universe. In the late 1800s a young woman named Henrietta Swan Leavitt working at the Harvard observatory was not permitted to touch the telescope because, well, she was a woman and women didn’t do such things then. Instead she evaluated the photographic plates produced by the telescopes and uncovered amazing properties of pulsating stars that eventually formed the basis for Hubble’s earthshaking discoveries of redshift and the expanding universe. She did what no one before her could and many after her required.
As I stood on a small knoll and considered this young girl sitting peacefully on what looked very much to me like a vision of the universe, I couldn’t help but wonder what she’ll add to the sum of human knowledge. Will she uncover the final piece in the puzzle that will unify quantum mechanics with general relativity? Will she discover a medium-sized star with a tiny orbiting wet rock that will someday be humankind’s home away from home? Will she be the one that uncovers some cosmic truth so incredible that great men and women will marvel at it for the duration of human existence. It’s possible isn’t it? It’s her universe after all.
35 Comments
Who knew a school playground looked so cool with only the right perspective! Even her ball looks “cosmic”. Great vision.
great work, Christopher, BW, compo
mozno sa neskor dozvieme ake jej myslienky prave prebiehali myslou a mozno aj nieco objavi, zeny su moc sikovne …
Ahoj K
a stunning scene with wonderful thoughts to accompany. (i think your creativity block has passed…or whatever you called it:-)
I got shivers when reading your last paragraph about this young girl. Always profound, Christopher.
yes it is her universe after all and that is the beauty of our lives. i sometimes reflect about my life in my late teens and early 20s – the universe is really there for our taking, it truly feels like that. as always, great image with great words.thanks. enjoy the weekend!
Goosebumps.
Powerful image and great writing. Very well done.
excellent composition, also love the variety in the asphalt tones
Wonderfully simple, I like the use of negative space & the overall contrast of the image.
Tidy work Chris.
special catch, intense feeling og peace in this one, i love your choise to presente in b/w Chris, exelent
I like composition of this catch. And also this peace sensation which we have by looking at this area of sand where the young woman takes all its dimension
the space creates a beauty here!
What a thought-provoking..beautiful post. Yes – it’s her universe..and somehow – I’m sure she’ll shine!!!
You are a genius. Wonderful image to accompany your transcendent thoughts. An inspiringly optimistic post today Christopher.
love all this space! looks like she’s sitting on a runway!
love the image, more the message of optimism that you have put across
Fantastic mood in this image. Accompanies your words beautifully.
Yours words always amazes me. The thoughts that runs through your head and what you share with us is most profound
I always enjoy your thoughts.
A delightful image indeed.
i love the pictures with minimal composition and this one is one such especially with the wonderful texture of the road.
Great Shoot,,, wonderful
Very good shot, wonderful i like!
Now that’s a vision that extends a bit beyond the photographic realm but what wonderful life it brings to this frame. And what wonderful vision it brings to you as a photographer. Great post!
Wow Chris, that was pretty deep, it a fantastic post to go with a fantastic photo. PS dont think to much
Yep, fascinating how we are lucky to be among that beauty all over the world and up in the cosmos, love the serenity in this image and seems she’s taking care of the lil’ planet by her side. Let’s all do that !
Very great shot ,nice work done and well framed
a big Well Done
She will do remarkable things. Really great perspective. I like how you emphasize the space in this picture. Amazing shot!
great composition and title
really like it
As ever Chris, some very profound thoughts to go with your image…and I note the planet resting by her side!
I love your words accompanying this shot, Christopher. We should not feel small but rather, honoured to be apart of something so great and so vast!
Christopher, i like the mood in the image, also the textures and lines, give a good focus on the person, well done.
wow this is gorgeous!! a killer composition. love the b&w! well done!
In contemplation; makes us think and wonder of the things to come. Perfect composition
This photo makes me think of the quote that goes something like, “The universe, in a grain of sand.”
Une réflexion très intéressante sur l’univers. Et une illustration photographique qui l’est tout autant. Ton post est une évasion toujours aussi passionnante…
Love that this picture leaves the viewer wondering what is beyond the frame and it fits nicely with your written sentiment.