As Halloween nears this week, the Sunday Stills photo challenge is exploring things that are EERIE!
The definition of Eerie is: “Uncanny, so as to inspire superstitious fear; weird: an eerie midnight howl. (esp of places, an atmosphere, etc) mysteriously or uncannily frightening or disturbing; weird; ghostly.” ~ Merriam Webster Dictionary
I’m also sharing for Ritvu’s Lens-Artists’ theme: “light through the cracks.” I love it when themes can be merged together into one challenge.
Wildfires, An Eerie Reminder
While on our trip earlier this month, we drove a few miles along the North Cascades Scenic Highway in Northwestern Washington. Of course, we enjoyed the light of the autumn colors (yellow Western Larches) superimposed against the dark evergreens along the road.
Our destination was the Washington Pass Overlook near North Cascades National Park. This beautiful area has stunning views of the Liberty Bell peaks and yellow Western Larches.
However, all around us, there were eerie reminders of the effects of wildfires that ravaged this area in the summer of 2023. Despite the devastation, nature always comes back.
“Come forth into the light of things, let Nature be your teacher.” — William Wordsworth
These twisted, eerie trees still reach toward the sky as stark reminders of wildfires often set by human hands. ☹
“An eerie silence…are we alone in the universe?” ~ Paul Davies
Eerie Cosmos and Skies
In every season here in Eastern Washington, nature puts on various types of shows in the sky. Many people see faces within inanimate objects, especially in clouds. This is known as pareidolia, which simply adds to the EERIE factor!
Sometimes, a storm moves in, perhaps showing us a giant maw.
But, EERIE takes a front seat when the sun goes down…cue scary music…
During the northern lights, the skies look intense and a bit strange. Of course, seeing them in the sky anywhere is a treat, but the lights and other atmospheric conditions can add a bit of mystery to what we see.
A little desaturation makes even the ordinarily stunning northern lights look a bit creepy.
Do you see a ghostly face in the corona of this intense aurora?
“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” – Sarah Williams
While attempting to see the comet (much less photograph it), try as I might, I kept aiming too low in the sky. One night was perfect (no clouds), but pine trees were in the way. I gave up, but my daughter sent me a shot of it from her vantage point near the ocean in the San Francisco Bay area. This is her image.
What’s eerie about this story is fellow blogger Dawn kept trying to see the comet, too, and it took her friend’s daughter to simply point and shoot to capture it. Sigh. But there’s always light in the darkness!
Nature’s Eerie Secrets
Closer to home, the leaves and temperatures fall fast as Autumn begins to wane. An otherwise idyllic Autumn day along Lake Spokane, complete with color…
…begins its eerie transformation as winter approaches.
“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” – Hal Borland
This image below was taken au naturel! No filters, no monochrome. It was really this gray and dark at 10:30 am last week.
“…Cold-hearted orb that rules the night, Removes the colours from our sight.” ~ Moody Blues
Even a beautiful green forest becomes eerie at night.
Walking through Lower Antelope Canyon can be eerie if the light is just right.
“In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.” – Francis Bacon
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders
The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.
- Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
- Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
- Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
- Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
- Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
- I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.
Sharing for Cee’s Flower of the Day, Dawn’s Festival of Leaves, and Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday.
Any guesses as to what this eerie reflection/shadow is?
November’s themes are found on my Sunday Stills Challenge Page. I will share more about my upcoming “two-week” challenges soon.
- November 3: “Bucket List Images”
- November 10: “Cozy”
- November 17 – Nov 24–two-week color challenge “Auburn and Brown.”
I can’t wait to see how you interpret this week’s theme! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme.
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