“It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little – do what you can.” – Sydney Smith
Light and Shadows
-
Light and Shadows -
A Walk Along the Ponds
Riverbend Ponds “Suddenly I came out of my thoughts to notice everything around me again-the catkins on the willows, the lapping of the water, the leafy patterns of the shadows across the path. And then myself, walking with the alignment that only comes after miles, the loose diagonal rhythm of arms swinging in synchronization with legs in a body that felt long and stretched out, almost as sinuous as a snake…when you give yourself to places, they give you yourself back; the more one comes to know them, the more one seeds them with the invisible crop of memories and associations that will be waiting for when you come back, while new places offer up new thoughts, new possibilities. Exploring the world is one the best ways of exploring the mind, and walking travels both terrains.” ― Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking
This image was taken about a week ago while on a walk at Riverbend Ponds. It’s a jpeg file straight out of the camera. We have been dipping below zero the past few nights so walking has not been on my list of things to do. Way to cold for me. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend.
-
Dr. Pepper
Dr. Pepper Found this on a walk along Spring Creek trail. Straight out the camera. This is not a rant about the people who leave their trash wherever they are done with it. However, I will share a bit more about the Fujifilm X-E1.
I am still finding myself accidently rotating the exposure compensation knob with my right thumb. It’s taking me longer than I expected to adjust to it’s location. I am a slow learner, ya know.
So far the 18-55mm f2.8-4.0 lens has been a surprise. Not sure what my expectations of the lens were as I bought it in the kit. It’s heavier than expected but that is more than compensated with it’s optics. I do not find it uncomfortable to hang around my neck for a 2-3 hours on a walk. It’s sharpness meets my needs and beyond. I’ve experienced some focus wandering with low light and low contrast scenes. Moving the focus point by pressing the AF button and moving the focus point with my thumb is time consuming and awkward. Right now, I prefer to keep my focus point in the middle then press the shutter to focus on my subject and reframe the scene. I will keep playing with it as there will be those times when I need to change that focus point.
-
Thanksgiving Sunset
Thanksgiving Sunset We had Thanksgiving yesterday at my oldest daughter and her husbands new home. I say new but what they purchased was an old country school house built in 1926. They have started converting into a home, all 6500 square feet of it. What a project but one they are looking forward to. They have already had the hardwood floors worked on and the contractor did an awesome job. This image was shot through the trees of the playground and facing west. Oh, and dinner was awesome. After grazing on appetizers I still managed to eat a plate full of turkey and yams and green beans. Even indulged in a piece of pecan pie. I hate when I eat too much.
-
Happy Thanksgiving
The Homeless “You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.” ― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
With overnight temperatures staying somewhere in the mid to high 20’s for the past few days we are seeing ice form on the pond at my condo. Canada Geese are arriving from the north and are walking on the frozen ponds. They also are walking on sidewalks so we now must watch where we step. We are cleaning frost off the windshield almost every morning. In other words it is getting colder each night.
A couple days ago I noticed this homeless man sleeping near Old Town and it caused me to think about all that I have to be thankful for. Each morning I have the chance to wake up in a warm comfortable bed, eat a warm breakfast, take a warm shower. Not everyone has that opportunity. I will not bore you with a long list of things I’m thankful for but will share this short list. I’m thankful for my health, my family, my friends and those who are both, this blogging community, clean underwear, a home, a car, work, photography, gifts of nature, coffee shops, and of course chocolate.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
-
On the Computer
Monica This is my daughter, her face lit by the computer screen. It was shot handheld, 1/30 @ f4.0, ISO 6400, under exposed by 2/3 of a stop, then post processed in Silver Efex Pro 2.
I’m enjoying the aperture ring on the lens rather than having a button or knob on the body. The switch on the side of the 18-55mm lens is easy to access for changing between aperture mode or program mode. I’m finding myself shooting mostly in program mode. I think the metering system does a good job and I’ll stay with that for a while. I will switch to aperture or manual mode when I need to be a bit more creative.
-
It’s a Cold Morning
Bicycle in Old Town “To experience growth as a photographic storyteller requires one to be a bit reflective.” Storytellers by Jerod Foster
At 5:30 this morning it was 14 degrees with light snow. At 9:30 it had warmed up to 17 and the snow had almost stopped. The prediction is for more cold and light snow flurries throughout the day. Not going to be a good day for a picnic. May get some reading done.
