My favourite fountain in New York is the one at Lincoln Centre. Surrounded by the opulent architecture that houses the opera, ballet and orchestra; it never fails to delight the eye. The dancing waters rise and fall, at times resembling a ballerina’s delicate pirouette; at other times giving a tumultuous chorus line finale complete with jazz hands. It is dazzling at all times of day, but never more lovely than during New York’s long, hot summer evenings.
It was on just such an evening, after a disappointing Manhattanhenge, that I found myself wandering past the fountain, which was surrounded by New Yorkers hoping to escape the heat. The illuminated waters cascaded like luminous silk, and the silhouettes of the onlookers around its perimeter created such an enticing scene, I couldn’t resist reaching for my camera.
It fascinates me how a silhouette; a two-dimensional outline of a person or object, can suggest a story just as clearly as if you could see the scene in its entirety. Perhaps it makes our imagination work overtime, trying to fill in the details we cannot see. I would love to see your interpretation of this theme, so if you would like to join in, create your own post, title it Travel Theme: Silhouette and put a link to this page in your post so others can find it easily. Don’t forget to check back in next Friday for the next travel theme. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
xxx Ailsa
Where's my backpack? 
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Hi Ailsa, your silhouettes are stunning!! I really love them. Mine are nowhere near as good, but here they are, for what they’re worth: http://catbirdinamerica.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/travel-theme-silhouette/
Shucks, thanks for the kind words, Cathy. I love your silhouettes, the Kyoto temple is my absolute favourite – the quiet containment of the temple structures set against the seeming wildness of the branches is just wonderful to look at.
Thanks Ailsa!
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truly gorgeous images!!! wow….
here is my link
http://nprimopiano.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/waiting/
Thanks Marina. Fun shot of the vet window, I like the layers of interest outside the window, which makes it even more unusual. Good capture! 🙂
Fantastic images! What a great series. My image capture is from Nepal:
http://madoqua.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/silhouette-dawn-in-the-mist/
Oh Madoqua, I love your misty dawn photo, and I love your description even more, the elephants moving silently through the bush surrounded by swirling mist – I was almost there with you. Sounds like it was an incredible experience! xxx Ailsa
This is fun. Here is my entry: http://ohmsweetohmdotme.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/travel-theme-silhouette/
Oooh cool, Allan, an excellent backdrop for a silhouette photo shoot. I love how the blue almost seems to glow. Wonderful.
That particular exhibit has to be seen to be believed, it is enormous. Imagine a high school auditorium full of water with a large picture window in the side near the bottom. I also love the blue color.
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These shots are just beautiful, Ailsa! I’ve always loved the Lincoln Center Fountain, but I’ve never seen it like this – Every one is perfect!
Here are a few silhouettes of mine:
http://theretiringsort.com/2012/08/24/travel-theme-silhouette/
It’s funny, TRS, I’ve been to Lincoln Center countless times and have always been enchanted by the dancing waters, but this was the first time the silhouettes jumped out at me. I love your Koa tree photo, TRS, it really is quite lovely. For some reason, I am reminded of an early Willow pattern.
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Oh wow, these are fabulous silhouettes. Here is one from me:
http://shaanthz.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/travel-theme-silhouette/
Awww, hi Georgie! Very cute, Shaanthz 🙂
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You’ve out done yourself with these photos, Ailsa! Beautiful, interesting, intriguing compostions.
Here’s my silhouette Ailsa. http://lynneayersbeyondthebrush.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/silhouette-in-piazza-san-marco/
Love it, Lynne, and I’m very glad you didn’t leave Venice without seeing Piazza San Marco, that would have been too awful for words (although it would have given you an unbeatable reason to return!). 🙂
Toooooo awful for words 😉
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Good one. I’ll be back in a few days with some shots!
Yaay!
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Hi @Ailsa, nice that I can follow your travel theme this week, I missed two theme travel before. Here’s mine http://campanulladellaanna.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/travel-theme-silhouette/ Have a nice weekend to you, regards
This is adorable, Della Anna. I love the daisies peeping through too! A very happy photo indeed. 🙂
Hi.
Here my shots for this theme
http://wp.me/pjXOq-10y
All wonderful shots, Max, the long shadows of the north one is really fun, but the first one is extraordinary. It almost doesn’t look real. Wonderful photo! xxx Ailsa
Thank you Ailsa 🙂
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I want:
The last one; the first one; the second and third. What the heck…all of them!
Yes! Me too!
Haha, thanks! 🙂
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Ailsa, these shots are fabulous. Here’s mine for this week. http://ayearinmyshoes.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/travel-theme-silhouette/
Hi Livvy, glad you enjoyed this theme, lovely silhouette, I really like the way the sun has created a line of gold around Mike’s head. 🙂
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Beautiful images Ailsa. The texture of the water is almost hypnotizing. Fantastic!
This is my silhouettes: http://anettehermann.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/urban-silhouettes/
Here’s my entry! http://projectmagellan.net/2012/08/25/travel-theme-silhouette/
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Here’s mine – BTW – I canNOT believe your photos, Ailsa. I love them!!! http://newsofthetimes.org/2012/08/25/photos-galore-travel-photo-of-the-year-contest-travel-theme-silhouette-weekly-photo-challenge-urban/
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I dug deep into the archives for these photos. I hope you like them as much as I enjoyed posting them. Can you guess where I am in the first two photos.
http://laavventura.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/travel-theme-silhouette/
Thanks Ailsa for another fun challenge this week!
Wow, these are lovely, Jennifer – that top one of the Eiffel Tower is stunning – and would work well for the Curves theme too – and I laughed out loud at the Stella Artois one – genius. The second photo – the Pantheon, right? Wonderful quotes too! 🙂
Thank you! And you are correct about the Pantheon!
Ailsa, stunning photos – the water and enjoyers … my favorite pick .. is the lonely girl with her bag. Sceond for from the top.
Ailsa, the water and lights makes a magical backdrop for your silhouettes. I’m off to see if I can find some silhouette shots.
Oh! nice. Stunning silhouttes. As usual thanks for the inspiration…x
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Beautiful and inspiring series of silhouettes. Thanks.
http://thismansjourney.net/2012/08/25/the-woman-behi…the-silhouette/
Hi everyone
What a tremendous idea Ailsa to pop up with!
I think you’re put it right in your blog, in many cases less is really more.
Your pictures tell so much in their sobriety, a thousand words could never do.
My favorite is the last one, because of the intimity of the scene and the little detail that it gets repeated on the camerascreen so we all become a part of it too.
Hope you’ll also like my entry. Here you are :
http://dauwgalerij.blogspot.be/2012/08/volg-je.html
Have a nice weekend y’ all!
Dauw
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I agree, your silhouette images are magical! Here is my entry for the silhouettes: http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/travel-photo-challenge-silhouette/
Thank you for the great theme! Happy travel, Ailsa!
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fabulous silhouettes!!
Here’s my entry:
http://travelswithtoby.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/travel-theme-silhouette/
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This is my first time to take this opportunity to share about the theme. Ailsa is really good to capture silhouette, this is a great theme…then I’m glad to participate…here is mine http://abualbanie.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/travel-theme-silhouette/ … let me know if you like it
Here is my link to Silhouettes. http://scrapydo.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/travel-theme-silhouette/
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Hi Ailsa. I liked your description of the waters comparing it to a ballerina! And Awesome pics as well. Here’s mine (though the pic was taken by a friend)
http://perceptionsofareluctanthomemaker.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/nubra-valley/
Hey Ailsa, Great photos, love them, so simple, yet so powerful 🙂
Did you arrange the photos/models or was it random people?
Cheers, Poul
Completely random, Poul, it was just people-watching at its best. 😉
Awesome 😉
What amazing shots every one tells a story. I was “bush” last week and missed out on the sunset challenge so this week I am going to cheat a little and combine both sunset and silhoette
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Never thought of something like this. Inspiringly beautiful!