Author: Paul Casey

  • A gleam of light

    He opened his eyes in the darkness and saw above him a gleam of light, but how distant, how inaccessible! He was still sinking, for the light became fainter and fainter until it was a mere glimmer.

  • Placed it so

    An artist who had painted a small and very beautiful picture placed it so that he could see it in the mirror. He said, “This doubles the distance and softens it, and it is twice as lovely as it was before.” Wisdom first.

  • The bright evening light

    The bright evening light washed the eastern ridge, but the valley was darkening. Doves flew down from the hills to the spring, and the quail came running out of the brush and joined them, calling clearly to one another. Love first.

  • Three feet high

    Our meadows on the banks of the Garonne were of a tender green. The grass was three feet high, and an osier thicket, planted the year before, had sprouts a yard high. From there we went to visit our wheat and our vines. Consideration first.

  • Beautiful red buds

    “What makes you say that?” said the boy. “The tree has hundreds of beautiful red buds. This is why it is called the Red-Bud Tree.” The boy said: “Red buds, did you say? Why do you say it has red buds? It is covered with green leaves.” Appreciation first.

  • Cast a spell

    She decided to approach him and with noble words let him know that she wished to see him blossom like the other trees, so she proposed to cast a spell so that he could find the warmth of life. Listening first.

  • The crack and indentations

    Time was what Renzo wished he had, free time to forget about all the troubles that plagued him like having money to pay his rent, to pay the people he owed debt, to plaster the crack and indentations on the walls of the apartment. Open-mindedness first.

  • On the envelope

    There’s a letter here for you, I said. I was sitting in the kitchen, still looking at the letter that was not for me. The writing on the envelope was elegantly written in an iridescent golden ink. It was beautiful. Compassion first.

  • Staring at the colors

    “But it’s so pretty. Just five more minutes, please?” Ava begged her mother, desperate to get back to staring at the flashing colors of the jumping flame. Thoughtfulness first.

  • Eat and rest

    The travelers were happy, their host had fed them and offered rest. The woman smiled and said, “I am glad that I could help you.” Generosity first.

  • He held the doors

    Moments passed in a comfortable silence, as they waited for the elevator to descend and the doors to swoosh open. It was vacant. He held the doors. She stepped inside and to the corner. He had his back to her while he selected the floor. Politeness and courtesy first.

  • So much a part

    The subtle watercolor illustrations done in a palette of predominately greens and grey. This is one of my favorite illustrations because I feel it really captures the sense of spring that was so much a part of Willie’s life, but not allowing either one to dominate it. Patience first.

  • The field transforms

    As the sun climbs across the sky, the field transforms. And as dusk falls, the flowers close their petals, to hold onto the day’s warmth, waiting to bloom again with the next sunrise.

  • With one thing and another

    I might almost begin my famous essay on “The Improbability of the Infinite.” It would be a pity for the country to lose such a masterpiece — she has had quite enough trouble already what with one thing and another.

  • Wonders of imagination

    She pulled her attention back to The Life and Times of a Slice of Bread, thinking of the wonders of the human imagination as regards to bread. When she glanced across the armchair at the clock, the blanket had moved to the floor. So, she stuffed her books in shoeboxes and lived on in happiness…

  • Many years too soon

    And if the dam breaks open many years too soon And if there is no room upon the hill And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon

  • Thought for a minute then said

    Then she found a nut in the window, noisily cracked it and ate it. And if it had entered my head to ask her what thoughts, what convictions, what aims she had, she would no doubt have raised her eyebrows, thought a minute, and have said in the same way: “All sorts.”

  • Good day sunshine

    Squirrels, birds, and cats all visit the bird bath for a drink or a splash up. But we’ve had so much rain recently they can get water just about anywhere right now. The only visitor to the bird bath this morning was the sun. A welcome sight because it has been blocked by dark cloud…

  • Those were the days my friend

    A quiet road, a sunny day, a shiny cruiser. We thought they’d never end. We’d sing and dance forever and a day.

  • Hello you too

    Hello you. Hello you.Blue.

  • Two trees of spring

    Two trees of spring. A picture of two trees at the peak of spring flower bloom. The sloping lawn foreground gives a little bit of interest in the otherwise simple composition consisting of lawn, trees, sky. A picture that is easy to look at. Peace be with you.

  • Weeping cherry 2024

    The weeping cherry tree in bloom. There was a break in the rain this morning and the sun shone down through the clouds for a few minutes, long enough for me to capture some images of this year’s blossoms. For composition I try to get enough of the flowers in the image to fill the…

  • Winter’s cold spring erases

    Spring in Indiana. The redbud tree in full bloom. This one shaped like a satellite dish giving it up to the southern sun. Winter’s cold spring erasesAnd the calm away by the storm is chasenEverything good needs replacingLook up, look down, all around, hey satellite

  • A family portrait

    This picture will forever be Easter to me. Most of my photography is scenery, landscapes, still-life type images. My favorite pictures though are family gathering portraits. This unplanned, unscripted scene captures a moment in time of these youngsters’ life and to me perfectly shows their unique individual personalities. A family portrait.

  • Looking for laundry?

    We went looking for this lavender farm but our ask for directions kept getting translated into laundry and we kept getting sent to the cleaners. We eventually did find it and it turned out to be a lovely visit on a lovely day.

  • What am I looking at

    This scene has a lot going on which puts a burden on the viewer to the point they say, ‘what am I supposed to be looking at?’ When I captured the image, I was thinking vacation photo, something I could look at later to remember being there. We are on the grounds of the Frutillar…

  • In the wilds

    Pictures are constrained by their frame boundaries. This scene makes me want to see so much more of what I guess exists there. But this is all I get. With this I look for a balance in the composition. Similar amounts of water and sky to rock and forest. A balanced flow of action from…

  • The surfer

    When I make an image where the horizon is clearly visible, it’s important to me that the horizon is level in the published image. Our cameras have a level indicator to help get it square on image capture, but oftentimes for me anyway, the captured image ends up slightly off. When I edit an image,…

  • Babies, cats and dogs

    With over eight billion people on earth, how many pictures of cats have been created? Babies, cats and dogs. These are the things we take pictures of. I asked AI what’s the most photographed thing and it responded with the Eiffel Tower. I changed my prompt from thing to living thing and it responded with…

  • End of day in the west woods

    End of day the day we built the bridge over west wood branch. West wood branch bridge. Taking a picture with the sun coming right at you presents some challenges. I like to position myself to block part of the sun behind a tree or something. I set my camera controls for automatic because its…