“Silence is a natural resource we don’t often think about because it is an absence, rather than a presence. But most of the places we think of as “quiet” are actually filled with an abundance of natural sounds…. As humanity grows louder, these pockets of silence and natural sounds are becoming rarer.” – Pete McBride, filmmaker and author of Seeing Silence: The Beauty of the World’s Most Quiet Places
McBride says silence is the absence of human-made sounds and the “sublime notes of nature”. Our Lens-Artist host, Egidio, of Through Brazilian Eyes, proposes we select a few pictures to emphasize the presence of silence through photography. In his post, Egidio mentions internationally acclaimed American photographer, Robert Adams, who primarily photographed the silent beauty of the west and old structures, generally without the presence of people. Egidio also noted Adams had several core principles he used in his work: Silence of Light, Silent Witness to Environmental Changes, Silence of the Subject, Silence of the Viewer. For this challenge I decided to show my interpretation of Adams’s philosophy through the few photographs shown below.
Silence of Light Early morning sunlight and the “sublime notes of nature”. Sounds of waves rhythmically rolling up on the beach and the soft natural sounds of birds as they rest along the shoreline.
Silent Witness to Environmental Changes The beach on Kiawah Island, SC, after a tropical storm passed through earlier this year. Sand dunes are prominent all up and down the beach. They play a very important role because they provide the beach with a natural protective barrier which helps to prevent the Atlantic Ocean from flooding nearby homes and buildings.
Note the small figure walking further down the beach (upper right-hand side), that gives you an idea of how massive some of these dunes are and how powerful and destructive the ocean can become.
Silence of the Subject Once a beautiful mansion in Maryland, this stately structure now stands in ruins; broken glass throughout, graffiti on the walls, falling ceilings and plaster, vines growing up the back walls. So sad to see.
Silence of the Viewer A beautiful scene overlooking the water and distant trees with egrets and herons occasionally feeding nearby along the shoreline. These welcoming chairs are an invitation for strangers to rest, friends to meet or a lovely place for personal self-reflection and introspection.
Some on us ask the question, what does silence teach us? With all of the constant noise heard on a day-to-day basis, embracing silence can help stimulate your brain and help you process information. It can also help you become more self-aware and relieve stress. Embracing silence may also help you settle into the present moment and quiet any racing thoughts.
Hope you have enjoyed this post and seeing these pictures. To learn more about Silence be sure to read Egidio’s post by clicking on this link.
In closing this is another favorite quote many of you have probably read before by Maya Angelou.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said and what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
Beautiful monochromes, Sylvia.
Thank you, Sofia!
Your photos are awesome, Sylvia.
Thank you Teresa. So happy that you liked seeing them and thank you for commenting!!
Sylvia, thanks for joining the challenge. Your photos bring silence in strong forms, and they are beautiful. That opening beach photo is amazing. I love the light, the monochrome edit, and the leading lines. Even the birds add to those lines. I loved the whole gallery, but I’ll make one more comment. I absolutely love seeing photos of dilapidated buildings. The mansion photo was another fantastic capture. Excellent post!
Egidio, thank you so much for your kind words, am so glad that you enjoyed seeing these images! The beach scene and the dilapidated house are my favorites also. I love going to the beach because you never know what you’ll see, each time it is different. The mansion, built in 1880, is in Frederick, Maryland, and was turned over to Maryland Historical Trust in 2000. This picture was taken in 2022 and it appears very little has been done to restore it.
I surely hope they don’t end up tearing it down. Around Austin, there are several county roads and farm land. There is a group of photographers here who love photographing those places, but little by little, things are changing, and not for the better.