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06-24-2018, 08:02 AM - 2 Likes   #1
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Picture The Smell of It

We're photographers, and in shooting pictures, we celebrate our sense of sight. But the sense of smell is our most primitive sense. We can't "show" others what it is we're smelling in any given place or time, but we can try to evoke it with photographs. That's what this thread is about.

I got the idea when trying to imagine what a March morning in farm country in County Tyrone, Ireland might have smelled like at the opening of the 20th century. (Long story.) It occurred to me that we on this Forum are from all parts of the world, and we pay attention to our surroundings or we wouldn't be shooting photos. So maybe others here are just as keen to exercise their sense of smell like we exercise our observational skills. Why not post pictures that hint at the smells that are particularly memorable, whether those smells were pleasant or not? Because one thing is certain: Good or bad, the memory of scent becomes lodged in our brains and when we smell them later in life, those smells evoke the place or situation that provoked so powerful a memory.

So let's see if we can "picture" some smells -- whether we find them to be wonderful perfumes or awful stinks. If you think it'll help, try to describe the smells you're hoping to depict and, if you like, tell what memories are evoked when you smell the scent(s). I'll start with some pleasing ones to me:

Satin and Coffee My uncle was stationed in Italy and he brought back a souvenir scarf from Rome as a present for my grandmother. I can still smell her on the fabric, or I've convinced myself I can, while the aroma of freshly brewed moka is very real.




The Scent of Wild Apples Wet from a heavy fog, the smelled sweet and tangy, while the dried-hay smell of decaying leaves from the growing season's end. These bring to mind countless wanderings in old overgrown orchards when I was a kid and then later in adulthood when on geoarchaeological surveys in autumn.




Apple Galette Baked apples perfumed with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and a buttery crust. These warm aromas take me back to my mother's and grandmothers' kitchens in autumn and winter, family meals, happy times.




Last edited by Tamia; 06-24-2018 at 08:40 AM.
06-24-2018, 08:17 AM - 2 Likes   #2
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Nice thread! Some coffee-from a friends house, downright unfair, as I could smell the gorgeous stuff, but could not have any,via the Dr orders.


06-24-2018, 08:40 AM - 1 Like   #3
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Its a good idea for a theme. Food and drink but so much else has smells. A smell i miss is an autumn morning as the dew evaporates off the carpet of leaves. I can hear the soft crushing sounds dampened quiet, and the birds but i can't really imagine the smell.
06-24-2018, 08:44 AM   #4
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Oh no, Noel! You're banned from drinking coffee? That is a hardship. Great shots -- love the effigies.

Chris, damp autumn mornings are a favorite of mine, too. I'll find a picture even as I can't bring on the smell of it.

06-24-2018, 10:04 AM   #5
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I had to dig way back to find a smell other than food a flower, or a bad smell.
To some this is a good smell at least, perhaps its the bag pipes of smells?
06-24-2018, 10:39 AM - 1 Like   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tamia Quote
Oh no, Noel! You're banned from drinking coffee? That is a hardship. Great shots -- love the effigies
Well, I have to make do with the Decaffeinated stuff. Caffeine does aggravates the Reflux.

Barbeque always smell good.
06-24-2018, 11:28 AM - 2 Likes   #7
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Inspired by the thread I just shot this. Would have been 20 minute set up if only: The background didn't needed to be tighter because it reflected and of course shifting the background knocked things down. Then the battery on camera died and had to be taken off tripod. realign and focus. etc. I took several to get different swirls but when it looked good the flash hadn't recharged. Didn't get the jasmine lit right but I did a quick pp. I think its alright.
Made for this theme...


06-24-2018, 11:32 AM - 1 Like   #8
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Rooibos (red bush) Tea.
[

Last edited by noelcmn; 06-25-2018 at 03:26 AM.
06-24-2018, 02:10 PM - 1 Like   #9
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Great theme for a thread! Here's a smell I could qualify as a "pet peeve smell". The greasy vapors of many of these fast food joints cling to my nostrils and make me feel like I'm taking a bath in them... yuck! I sort of like the generally gaudy decors, though.

06-24-2018, 02:17 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by swanlefitte Quote
To some this is a good smell
Jumped right out at me! But I do have to say I have rather a love/hate relationship with that odour - first whiff is a bit exciting, but it rapidly becomes a turnoff.


QuoteOriginally posted by swanlefitte Quote
perhaps its the bag pipes of smells?
06-24-2018, 02:29 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by sergeremy Quote
Jumped right out at me! But I do have to say I have rather a love/hate relationship with that odour - first whiff is a bit exciting, but it rapidly becomes a turnoff.
I find it cloying. Inside it kinda makes me sick. Outside on a table getting a whiff with the breeze is kinda nice.
GF loves sents and i don't mind the candles but use the incense when i am not around.

---------- Post added 06-24-18 at 02:32 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by sergeremy Quote
Great theme for a thread! Here's a smell I could qualify as a "pet peeve smell". The greasy vapors of many of these fast food joints cling to my nostrils and make me feel like I'm taking a bath in them... yuck! I sort of like the generally gaudy decors, though.

True but when its just the smell of fries its nice. Mix in onion ring, burger and fish and i smell rats.
06-25-2018, 05:25 AM   #12
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Eucalyptus;



---------- Post added 06-25-18 at 05:26 AM ----------

WD40 - couldn't decide as I was easing the action on my secateurs if it smelt more like petrol or diesel;

06-25-2018, 08:30 AM - 1 Like   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by rjbrett Quote
WD40 - couldn't decide as I was easing the action on my secateurs if it smelt more like petrol or diesel;
The recipe for WD-40 is a trade secret, but I'm pretty sure there is a smell additive in it. Diesel is much denser than gasoline and putting a volatile solvent in it like what is used in WD-40 would cause friction in the injection pump. Diesel fuel actually contains paraffin to lubricate the pump and injectors. It's an old mechanic's trick to spray WD-40 around the intake manifold and vacuum lines to check for leaks, because WD-40 burns easier than gasoline and will speed up the engine.

Lilac bushes are very common where I live, it's a very pleasant odour until it becomes overpowering, at which point it smells like cheap bathroom deodorizer.
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06-25-2018, 03:44 PM - 1 Like   #14
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Meat Loaf

Turn Those Roasted Vegtables

Last edited by honey bo bo; 08-07-2018 at 04:33 AM.
06-25-2018, 04:01 PM - 1 Like   #15
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Christmas Turkey and all the Fix'ns

For 72 Years except for 1 ;I have spent the Day with the Smell of Christmas Cooking and Family . That one missed when my wife was in the Hospital left us with a very empty feeling.

---------- Post added 06-25-18 at 07:10 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by honey bo bo Quote
For 72 Years except for 1 ;I have spent the Day with the Smell of Christmas Cooking and Family . That one missed when my wife was in the Hospital left us with a very empty feeling.
Its actually a family tradition for every one to have at least one lid lifting so we can supercharge the smell through out the house.

Last edited by honey bo bo; 08-07-2018 at 04:33 AM.
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