Thursday, February 21, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
"E" Week...
"E" week has begun! I'm having so much fun going through the alphabet. I hope you all are enjoying it as well. I have two for this "E" word. One is old and one is new. Perfect for spring!
~ EMERGE ~
I love this!!! I can't believe there's this perfect tiny baby leaf! In a few days the leaves will be full on. It happens so fast...but this stage is not to be missed!
I posted this photo in my other journal very early on so it may look familiar to some of you. This one is a little further along than the previous one. This is one of my favorite photos ever. It's just an amazing miracle.
Archived...Drops
This was a WOW moment for me. I had taken several pictures of purple hyacinths in the rain yesterday...none of which I was happy with. But as I was looking them over...I noticed some interesing details within one of the shots. I cropped them out and enlarged them and I think they're pretty neat. I wish the focus were just a touch more sharp...but I think the point of interest is clear.
This one ended up looking pretty abstract to me...would your know what it was if I hadn't explained?
Winter Blues
One motivating factor in getting this photoblog rolling, was to have a place for participating in photography challenges. I needed a place open to anyone who might want to happen by.
I'm starting with the AOL Community Photo Challenge and their current subject....Winter Blues. I haven't seen much of winter since moving to Long Island...so, I had to revert back to photos taken during winters past in PA.
There are many enthusiastic and talented photographers participating in this challenge. I hope you will a few moments to visit them all.
Monday, February 18, 2008
"C" Week ~ Playtime
I had a "C" week idea that's a little out of the ordinary for me. This was pure experimentation...for fun...playtime. And it's kind of interesting too. I think it's an idea that (given time and about 200 tries) could turn into something!
~ CARBONATED ~
I wish I knew what these little white flowers are. I'm seeing them everywhere and they're so sweet. Unfortunately, they're the only thing I'm finding blooming right now...so I've taken about 100 pictures of them. They are interesting in their various stages though.
Someone suggested to me that they might be crocuses...but I don't believe they are. The leaves on these are so distinct. I love how the leaf wraps around the baby plant like a cloak. The veins are so well defined. They have that beautiful purple tinge in the bud stage...and as they first open. But in the fully open blooms, the purple is gone. I'm sure I won't be seeing these much longer. A fleeting sign of spring.
West & East
Finally...after too many rainy mornings, I was able to get out for my morning walk. It was spectacular. It was still dark as I left the house (a bit before 6:00) but the moon was full and bright in the western sky. And as dawn began to lighten the sky, the eastern view was just a beautiful.
Looking west....
and looking east...
"C" Week!
Good Morning Everyone!!
It's "C" week!
I thought I'd start out with a real Cutie Pie!!
Look at those eyes.....look at those LASHES!!
I pass a small farm on my walk each day. Last fall they acquired four young cows. I think they are so darned cute! Just recently I started trying to photograph them. It's not hard, they are NOT shy. As a matter of fact...I think they may be rather spoiled. If I start to walk toward the fence they RUN to meet me. REALLY! Even though I have my dog with me...they aren't the least bit afraid. They push their noses over or through the fence and pose like champs.
I spent about an hour down at the park today just looking for "little things". I had this idea that I'd just sit myself down in a spot and see how much I could find to photograph in the immediate area. I didn't end up doing that...instead I walked along the stream and through the woods and past a large outcropping of rock. It was a very gray day (it has been since TUESDAY!) I want to go back on a bright day when I can shoot a little faster. But I managed to get a few keepers.
Do you recognize that...it's a dried maple seed twirly lying in the moss.
This is just the side of an old rotting log. I love these blending muted colors, the subtle lines, and the bright green moss encroaching from the left.
Continuing "B" week...I wanted to go back to that little patch of blue flowers and see if I could do a little better in capturing a bee. It was challenging because, I always take my dog when I walk. When I got down on the ground to chase the bees, he insisted on being right next to me...either bumping into me just as I was ready to shoot or standing in the light. He's a golden retriever...what are you going to do? Anyway...I did chase bees for a while and I think I'm pretty lucky that I didn't end up kneeling on one and getting stung. The risk paid off. I like this...but not as much as the burrs in the previous entry.
Another "B"
You'll either think this is a cool as I do....or think I'm completely whacked. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to post these...I'm so excited. I've got a few fun photos for "B"...including my growing collection of buds.
Anyway......
~ Burr ~
But wait...this is the best part. Look what we see when I get in even closer.
Look at all those little hooks. No wonder you can't get them off of your jeans, or out of your shoelaces...or out of the dogs coat. Designed to hang on for dear life!!
It's "B" Week...
It's week #2 of for my alphabet series...so I'm looking for photos that represent the letter "B".
This picture has a little story to go along with it. I took advantage of this little guy's misfortune. One day, I was in my kitchen and heard a bang against the rear window. The back of our kitchen has two large windows with a glass door leading onto the deck. Well, this poor fellow flew smack into it. He sat on the deck a long time, seeing stars. I was able to get REAL close to him to take the picture. Happily, he did eventually pull himself together...and fly away.
I picked this picture - not because he's a bird...but because he is BLUE! Not a bluebird though...he's an Indigo Bunting.
~ BLUE ~
Not everyone goes for pictures like this...but I love them. To me, this defines still life. I'm intrigued by the lines, the monochromatic contrast in the wood, and of course those patches of green.
But here's where the fun comes in....thanks to digital! I open my files in a photo editor, blow them up, and go exploring. Especially in a photo like this, there are so many details that get lost in the whole. I can take almost any section out of this photo and find something interesting to feature. I can see how beautiful the intricasies of nature really are. It fascinates me. And I find it helps train my photographers eye. Here are a couple of samples.....
In this photo, I was drawn to the texture and lines in the dried wood in the foreground. I like the angle of the stick and that little curly thing coming off of it. And I LOVE the fungus in the upper right corner.
This one I LOVE for the variety of texture. I like the scallop detail of those little leaves in the upper left. I love how the color all blends. Who knew it was so beautiful on the forest floor.
"A" is for.....
I've decided on a little personal challenge. I LOVE Photo Friday because it makes me think. It makes me keep my photographers eye engaged and sometimes it pushes me to compose. So I had a thought...I'm going to photograph the alphabet. I'll take a letter a week and try to concentrate on subjects that start with that letter. My hope is that it will encourage me to look outside my normal choices of subject matter. I'll allow myself ONE existing photo ~ everything else must be new. We'll see how this works...or if I burn myself out. If anyone wants to play along...please do...it could be fun!
So this week is A.
I have one photo from the fall that I'll start with, but after this...they'll all be new.
Photo Friday Challenge ~ Morning
My initial thought was "this is no challenge!" Morning is my favorite time of day and I've got SO many photos at dawn. The challenge would be picking one. I look forward to Photo Friday to push me somewhere new. But I couldn't resist submitting this. In the early summer, I alway noticed the sparkling dew on the baby corn plants in the field. I can't tell you how many mornings I promised TOMORROW I would take a camera and see what I could capture. I finally got it together one spectacular morning.
It's still to early to find much of interest outside. But, once things start growing I'll have a yard FULL of columbine. It self seeds and spreads like crazy - and it is one of the earliest of my garden delights. You can't help but notice the spectacular blooms...but if you're not out early, you might miss this.
Schuyler
Nikki expressed an interest in seeing how the baby in the quarry series had grown up. He's almost nineteen now...and he's changed "just a bit". We still think he's pretty cute though! So...this is Schuyler...then and now (almost now - he's 17 in this shot).
Berkeley
The quarry series seemed like a natural place to start. Now...what to do?! Everyone likes pet pictures, RIGHT?! This is Berkeley, my 4 1/2 year old golden retriever and my shadow. He's with me in my office, he's my walking companion, he'll even try to crawl under the piano when I play (and it's an upright). He's usually not a very cooperative photo subject. But once in awhile...he'll agree to pose.
Indian Quarry Part 2
I have just a few more quarry pictures I want to include. I'm thrilled to have them posted as they've been stored away as slides WAY to long. I certainly appreciate the opportunities a pc and a scanner can provide. I see I could spend days here recovering memories. Perhaps I will.
Another quarry hole left from excavation
The next two photos have a little story. This quarry is located near Indiana University. Art students came here to sculpt. I don't know that these are by any means finished works, and I have no idea what they were supposed to be. What do you see?
This final picture is of my nephew. This little pumpkin will be NINETEEN this April. Where did the years go?
(Edit 2/18/08....My nephew Schuyler was killed along with my sister on August 3, 2005. He would be 22 now. What would I do without these precious memories?)
Indiana Quarry
My great grandfather founded a limestone company in southern Indiana. The business was passed down through the family but was shut down many years ago. However, we still hold the quarry land. These pictures are almost 20 years old, taken the last time I walked the property. I pulled them for the Photo Friday Challenge ~ Industrial. It gave me a lot of pleasure to revisit them. While I visited the quarry only a handfull of times, somehow they make me feel at home.
This is a tower attached to a crane that lifts
the stone blocks out of the ground.
Gears that were part of the crane drive mechanism
The old swimmin' hole. Locals came here to swim. My dad grew up swimming in the quarry holes...but we weren't allowed.
Some unknown piece of a decaying crane.
I have a couple more photos from this excursion that I plan to post...next time!
Here I Go Again...
Once upon a time, I had a photoblog under another screen name. It was my public journal where I nervously shared my photographs with the AOL journal community. It was a wonderful experience and the support I recieved there really helped to build my confidence as a photographer. But it fell by the wayside.
I have tried keeping photoblog on blogger....but I just don't like it. So, as SunflowerKat...I will begin again.
There are entries from the old blog that I want to archive. So, I will be moving old entries here with their comments. I also plan to start posting new images here as well. So, bear with me everyone who's walked this path before.
This was the first image posted....I took this photo at dawn on New Years Day 2000. It's all about fresh beginnings.
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