'Leap Year ' end is in sight and Red 73

The light at the end of the tunnel

As I get (it feels anyway) that I'm getting towards the end of my Leap Year  project - I've really appreciated input and support from those who get it  (thanks to Noah especially)

Here's what I've summarised it as so far - will be fine tuning and adding before my September BEAT outings and November finale- if you've got input please let me know..................

For about three years I've been going through a process where I've looked, blogged and documented my Own 365 Creativity Project – A big part of what set me off on this has been Noah Scalin's book and project.

My goal was to actively engage in Photographing and try to get somewhere beyond just capturing a subject in a pleasing manner.

Much is made of the Monochrome Muse in photography, the starkness and detachment that it (perhaps) brings – I'm not generally an enthusiast for the less is more idea and colour is rarely absent in my own favourite images.

Looking at the endeavour so far I've got three aspects to reflect on;

1) Memory

Looking at my pictures, there's a trigger in practically all of them, they're personal and (to me) memorable – which is partially the reason why I'm keen to get others to provide their stories and talk about their own narratives.

2) The Colour

So what about red? Having done a little research I find that it's the colour of excitement, energy, passion, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence pretty much all the things of intensity and passion, and in the East it's often associated with sincerity and happiness -it's a lucky colour in China.

Red, triggers hunger so that's probably why you'll see restaurants like McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and plenty of others using it in their logos and advertising.

Red instantly attracts, makes people excited and has been shown to increase the heart rate.

Red's often seen as the colour of assertion, strength, romance, excitement, vitality, physical power, outgoing, ambitious and impulsive. It is a colour that flatters the skin and can make an excellent background. The deeper reds create an atmosphere of restrained opulence and power. Red brings to mind an uncomplicated nature with a zest for life. But, red can also warn of danger or threats. Fire engines, stop signs and traffic lights are good examples.

It's said that the meanings of red and people’s reactions to it tend to be fairly consistent across all age groups and cultures. Psychologists and researchers agree that red is a colour which stirs up passion, with both negative and positive meanings. We think of it as the colour of Cupid and the Devil. It’s the colour associated with both Love and War.

In Christianity, the colour red symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ and of his sacrifice.

In fact, Red is so intense that people suffering from temporary blindness due to a brain injury will begin to perceive red long before they see any other colours -so perhaps I've given myself an easy job?

3) The result

So what have I got from the exercise and perhaps more importantly have you or will you get anything from it?

[see a rough cut of the ongoing project here]

The Twitterati

I'm on it

So today I've hit a thousand tweets - if you want to follow me (and I've over a 100 followers now) it's #tjbourne

Red 73

when you want people to come in and look offer them something - why not a Red sweet?

It's okay to take a sweet.