Showing posts with label Jim Morrison. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Morrison. Show all posts

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Traffic Jamb

Open And Shut Case

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON


Publishing this shot gives me the perfect opportunity to share a bit of trivia about Jim Morrison and The Doors. Legend has it that the group chose their name from the title of an Aldous Huxley book, called "The Doors Of Perception".

These shots were taken four days ago, while I was taking some photos of flower beds. I was walking back to my car when I noticed this door. Seen on its own, it was not something I would have photographed. But sometimes you need to look at an object in the context of its surroundings.

The dark paint over of the timber door and its vertical frame made an interesting contrast (geometrically and in colour terms as well) with the strong horizontal lines beside it. That’s why I wandered over to take this shot - and the added attraction was the circular shape and the metallic tone of the door handle.

Look closely and you’ll even notice that the lock, with its alloy sheen, is partially visible between the door and the jamb.

The door is in a building that gets a lot of human traffic every day. But the day I shot this image, there was no one in the building or outside it. I wouldn’t have "seen" this shot if the door had been open. Which just goes to prove, I guess, that even a closed door is an opportunity!

If you have time, do let me know whether you prefer the horizontal shot or the vertical frame below.

Monday, June 18, 2007

The Door To Nowhere

Jim Morrison Would Not Have Approved

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON


The person who gave us the pithy saying ``When one door closes, another opens'' obviously never saw this door. It really is the door to nowhere, in every sense of the word. The hand-made, intricately-carved door is actually mounted on a wall in a friend's home. It goes nowhere, yet I guess it leads to many things. And this stunning light (below) is another feature of the home. Obviously it sheds light on many matters!

Monday Update: I've just received an email from the owner, who has been one of my closest friends for 25 years. He told me that when he bought it from a warehouse in Ahmdeabad (western India) a decade ago, he was told that it was from Patan (the interior of Gujarat state, with trade links with ancient Arabia). It was estimated at the time that the door was 250 years old. In his words, ``The legend has stuck.''