“Be Kind” when you enter Hayfields Market © 2018 by Georgios Argyratos is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
This is what you see when you enter my favorite coffee place in NY. The picture was taken while I was looking at the register and my focus directly went to the “be kind” sign. It is positioned correctly based on the rule of thirds, and it is also a nice word with a meaning and a purpose. Unconsciously, the surroundings become less important and you feel good just looking at it.
In hindsight, my practice (Alexander technique) kicked in and while I started softening my eyes, allowing them to rest in my eye sockets, I noticed that my breathing started changing, my ribs and vision expanded, I felt more supported by the ground and I could now see the whole picture, like a soup with many ingredients and one flavorful taste. Now I was able to look “through” and receive information from the whole- then a smile came as I realized that there was a hidden, honest, and definitely rewarding (for horses) message hidden in plain sight. Focusing at the basket on the counter… a. crunchy. free. carrot! Yup. I thought “this is amusing and it’s happening at my favorite coffee shop Hayfields in a small town in NY, where you can park your horse, grab your flowers and an ice latte, snatch a carrot and chat with locals about walk, trot, center and gallop”.
“Free for Horses” at Hayfields by Georgios Argyratos is licensed by CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED
The point of this post, except from the assignment, is also that a shift in perception leads to a delightful discovery — the basket of free carrots for horses is a wonderful reflection of how a change in focus and mindfulness can transform an ordinary moment into a richer, surprising, more fulfilling experience.
PS. To make sure that I can use my pictures of a public place, I did some research and found that “According to the law, in public places, you have the right to take photographs of anything that’s in plain view.” with the restriction that photos taken in a public space are permissible for non-commercial purposes. This is why I chose the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED license.
Photo was taken from my LG- G6 phone with Image Metadata specs:
- File Size: 1.25 MB
- Dimensions: 1280×2560 pixels
- Resolution: 3 Megapixels
- ISO: 800
- Focal Length: 2.01mm
- Aperture: F2.4
- Shutter Speed: 1/20s
Hello Georgios:
I would like to say that I enjoyed your post. It was funny for me when I read that post where is says free for horse, it’s interested that they have basket horses full of carrots.
I always been interested in riding horses in professional way but sadly I was so busy with school and working. Maybe one day I will learn how to ride a horse.
Hi Georgios!
That little coffee shop looks really cozy! The ‘Free for Horses’ sign is really unexpected adds an extra charm to the picture.
I like how your crop focuses on the carrots and incorporates the rule of thirds by having the sign in the top left of the photo. I do wonder if there’s a way to incorporate more of the coffee shop in the crop, so that the placement of the carrots in a coffee shop—of all places—can be emphasized. Maybe by including the person in the background or showing more of the counter? Though that might take the emphasis away from the carrots, so these are just pondering thoughts. Great post!
Hi Georgios! I can see why this would be a favorite coffee shop. Just looking at your original photo, it seems to have such a quaint atmosphere. The first thing I noticed in your original image was the “Be Kind” sign. While I did notice the pop of orange from the carrots, my mind completely passed over the sign. I guess I just assumed they were selling carrots and the sign was a price tag that I didn’t need to read because I’m not buying any carrots! Without seeing the cropped photo, I would not have noticed the sign and the sweet hidden message for horses. It changes the meaning of the photo in a subtle way – what starts as a cozy coffee shop for humans becomes a cozy city spot where the community (horses included) can connect.
As a side note, your post was a good reminder for me that New York is more than just New York City! When I first read your post, I was absolutely picturing horses chomping carrots in Times Square.
The original photo highlights the importance of good manners. The color scheme creates a bit of camouflage – all similar and the basket of carrots and I think jars of honey are an afterthought. That may be why the sign is such a treasure in the crop. The houseplant takes up a ton of space in the photo and it could have been a focal point, but with the original there are some space challenges that would make a crop like that bland. With the space we have, I think the only alternative would have been to keep all the counter items in frame. The meaning is not as impactful, so I think cropping the carrots as you did was the best choice.
Hi Georgios,
The “Be Kind” sign immediately caught my attention upon first viewing the image; its presence truly stood out to me. The abundance of greenery in this photo diverted my attention from most other elements in the image. However, I skimmed across the carrots but completely overlooked the sign. Opting to crop the photo to center on the carrots with the “Free for Horses” sign is a distinctive yet wonderful approach. Being a frequent traveler to NYC, the presence of these carrots for the city’s horses seems entirely logical for this coffee shop. This new composition adheres to the rule of thirds, placing the focus on the far left of the image.