My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
What is it about cemeteries that catch my interest. I’m not morbid. There is something about them that is artistic. We have patterns, shapes, colors, and shadows, all of which my photographers eye is drawn to. On this specific morning I was not headed for any cemetery but as I turned the corner and saw the light, I had to pull in and spend some time there. Starbursts can change the feeling of an image. Without this starburst it would be a simple and dull image of a tree and grave stones. By using an aperture of f11 I was able to attain the star effect but not the lens flare. Oh well, the image works for me and hope is does for you.
It is almost the end of June and many of the cone flowers have almost come to the end of their season. Their petals and stamens are not a perfect due to rain, hail and wind. Yet, I wanted an image of one of my favorite flowers, so what could I come up with? I walked among and around this clump looking for a flower that was in good enough shape to photograph. None to be found. As I walked around the back side of this fence I had an idea (those do happen once in awhile.) I thought I would focus on the fence and leave the cone flowers out of focus. A different view…of one of my favorite flowers.
Out for a morning stroll. He’s a bit shy, in case you hadn’t noticed, as he made sure to stay close to the plants. After a hard rain the night before there is a wonder in the air the next morning. Don’t know about you but the freshness that is around us when walking among nature after a rain sure can perk up my senses. A smile comes to my face, well maybe a smirk. Wonder if it’s the same for the turtle. Do you think he’s smiling or smirking?
I could hear the frogs croaking along Frog Pond. I could smell the moisture and rain. I could feel the dampness in the air and in my clothes. For eye candy I had rain droplets hanging from leaves and flower petals. There were sun beams breaking through the trees. All these make for a good morning stroll.
After a night of rain a blue sky and bright sun greeted us in the morning. We had several inches of rain and some strong winds. I headed for Inniswood Gardens in search of images as well as spending this wonderful morning among nature. In my mind was a vision of raindrops hanging from leaves and flowers, so with camera and tripod off I went. After a couple of hours wandering around I did get few images of raindrops. However, I was not expecting to find these wonderful beams of sunlight coming through the trees.
I read a blog by David deChemin on the definition of a photographer. I resonated with his thoughts and perspective and had to rethink about using that title on myself. Am I a photographer?
There was a time when I struggled with calling myself an engineer. I worked for 27 years in engineering and was paid the salary of an engineer, whatever value a company may place on that job. Yet, I am me, an individual with so much more than just a title or label. I now work as a flight attendant so does that make me a flight attendant? Yes, while working at that job I am a flight attendant as well as being me. I’ve been called a son, brother, husband, father, a grandfather, a friend and even a few unprintable labels. Am I any of those? Yes, even the unprintable. Yet, I am still me. So what defines me as a photographer?
I have made money with my photography so does that make me a photographer? I carry my camera with me almost everywhere I go, does that make me a photographer? At this juncture of my photography, I believe when I take the time to create an image rather than take an image, I am a photographer. When my eye sees an image within the mundane, I’m a photographer. We don’t have to make money with it. We don’t have to have a business name or business cards. Although those sure won’t hurt. In the above image, my eyes noticed the solitude of the trees and the windmill against the western clouds while driving on a farm road in the Texas Panhandle. I stopped the car and worked my way around the scene to find a view that fit my vision of the trees and the windmill. This view works for me and hopefully for others. What about you, are you a photographer?
Curves. I like curves. I made a post a while back where it seems nature uses so many curves in it’s design. Plants are a prime example. After a light breakfast this morning, and because I ate way to much last night, I sat outside in the morning sun visiting with an elderly man and his wife. Across from me was this planter where the green plant’s curves caught my attention. I came back later to take this image. It has a pleasing contrast and love that curve.
We finish up tonight so I will be home the next two days. Will try to catch up on stuff around the apartment. We also had major corporate news yesterday with our company and want to see how all that plays out.
I got lost. Well, not really. Diverted is a better word. And, I’ve had way too much coffee today. It all started when I decided to drive to Granville and walk the streets, all 4 blocks, to scout out some photo opportunities. Instead, I drove to Westerville, the Uptown area, and walked the streets there for photo opportunities. I had never been there before and thoroughly enjoyed the small community. I stopped in some of the shops to ask questions about the area, remember I was on a scouting mission. Friendly people everywhere! I found a couple testing out some Amish lounging chairs. They would not say how much an hour they made but just laughed with me and let me take their photo.
I found two pretty neat coffee shops. One was massive and I mean massive. The other one was small and I mean small. They each had their own feel and ambience. The larger of the two coffee shops was called Java Central. There must have been 12 tables in the shop and about 12 lounge chairs scattered throughout. Even a few tables and chairs were outside on a patio. The large room in the back could be rented out for business meeting. The smaller of the two was called Heavenly Coffee. It had 4 tables inside with maybe that many outside the store on the sidewalk. I sample coffee in both places and felt they both provided a good coffee so I’ll be back to both. Thus the reason for tooooo much coffee today.
I also ventured out into the campus of Otterbien College. It was founded in 1847 and is a private, independent, coeducational four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Walking along Grove Street I found this wedding bow still hanging on the railing at the Methodist Church and of course pressed the shutter button. I enjoyed my scouting today and have some ideas next time out there.
My grandmother’s name was Daisy but that’s not the reason I like daisies. Some people consider them weeds and some consider them flowers. We find them growing in peoples gardens and in an open prairie. They stand tall on their stems and sway with the wind. In fact do you remember making daisies chains with their stems when you were little? They are also used for medicinal purposes. A little known fact is that in ancient Rome, the surgeons who accompanied Roman legions into battle would order their slaves to pick sacks full of daisies in order to extract their juice. Bandages were then soaked in this juice and then would be used to bind sword and spear cuts. But what draws me to them is their beauty. In this image you will notice I was not the only one attracted to the daisies. Hope you have a great day!
Rain started beating against my window around 1:00 am in the morning and continued raining until mid morning. Just after noon the blue skies started to appear and the heat/humidity started to rise. As your clothes begin to stick to your damp body you realized that you’re living in the Ohio Valley and not back in Colorado.
In spite of the weather I decided to give myself an assignment. I walked through Blendon Woods park with only my 85mm f1.8 portrait lens. Every so often along the trails are these benches where people can rest or you can sit while enjoying the free concert orchestrated by the birds. And what a concert it is. Hope you had a good day!
