Monday, January 28, 2008

Liberty Reservoir

(with no actual pictures of the reservoir!)

Boogieman and I ventured out early yesterday, to check out a reservoir that I passed on the way to one of Equus' (the daughter) horse shows. It was a pretty drive with good conversation, especially given the early hour.

We found a place to pull off and park, and a path leading down to the reservoir. We did not make it all the way down to the water, because the path was covered with snow that had become ice. We did get a few shots through the trees, though. Unfortunately, the sun was in front of us and not ideal for shooting.













I attempted to walk out on the overpass to get some shots, even though Boogieman did not endorse the idea. Once I got to part where the road narrowed over the bridge, I chickened out, due to the cars zooming past me a mere three feet away.



So, we'll consider this a scouting trip and venture back there another day, when it is not cold with leftover snow, and later in the day, when the sun will be behind us. I have some more shots, of leaves and branches, and stuff, which I will post later.

On the way home, I took Boogieman to the little cemeterary that I have grown so fond of and he had the same reaction that I did. I waited in the car as he wandered it alone, he asked me to come with him, but I told him it was better alone. I watched as he paused at the sign that had partially come down, just as I did when I was there, but then was surprised that he picked up the sign and put it back together. And whereas I stayed on the fringes of the little wooded area, he wandered all through it and looked at every marker. I can't explain why, but it meant so much to me to watch him, knowing that he felt like I did, but had his own way of interacting with the feelings. Just very cool.


Location: Liberty Reservoir, Howard County
Date: 01.27.08
Time: 9:30 AM

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Little Red Church









Date: 01.17.08
Location: Goshen Methodist Church
Time: 9 AM

This is the second time I've photographed this little church, as I'm completely charmed by its color and curvy lines, not to mention the ancient trees that shelter it. The last time I shot it, I used my 28-135mm lens, handheld, and was not all that thrilled with the results. I did have one that I really liked though, of the tree to the right of the church, on that wet foggy morning.






Date: 12.27.07
Location: Goshen Methodist Church
Time: 7:30 AM
Dudes! I'm kind of getting a backlog of photos, something I never thought possible since I am such a photoblogging whore, always wanting to share each and every image I take with everyone, everywhere. But, I have actually been shooting so much lately, and perhaps even focusing on my life's responsibilities to such a degree, that I've lacked the time to sift, sort, post-process and post.

So, I've decided to just post a set whenever I feel like it, and of whatever I feel like working on, instead of trying to stay in chronological order.

I have to say, shooting pictures through a season of strong, and tender, emotions is incredibly therapeutic. Put on some sad tunes, drive around, take pictures, repeat as necessary.

And way cheaper than weekly sessions with a therapist.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Horses...

...some with lot's of personality.

Beans


Thomas


Jazzy (She always has that crazy look in her eyes.)


Willie (Who is a little old man and gets his own bucket of grain, separate from the rest of the schoolies.)


Dezi (Another school pony, who is a complete bitch until you get on her, then she's a dream. She used to live in a stall, but she practically killed people when they went in to get her. So now she lives with the other schoolies in the field, where I suspect she is a bit of an alpha - But I guess not, since my girl just told me that Dezi is actually at the bottom of the already established hierarchy and therefore is now easily caught since she is anxious to get the heck out of that field.)


I'll spare you the shot of Deidre sticking her butt up to the fence between the mare and gelding field. She's in heat, and at one point I thought she was going to knock the fence down. Thomas merely enjoyed biting on her blanket above her tail, since he is inclined to chew on everything. I guess she had to take what she could get.

Instead, I give you Choco, the barn dog. Last one at the barn at night tucks him in the heated tack room.

Friday, January 25, 2008

I can...

Two little words...that say so much. I had so much fun post processing these shots. After the minimalist version, the boosted saturation was quite fun to play with.


(This one does not have boosted sat, just the colors captured after using auto levels in PS Elements.)


(This one has poster edges.)







The shots were all taken on the same surface as Liberty.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Monday, January 21, 2008

For the Collection



And I just thought of a great companion shot, from a dumpster outside the mall, taken on that fateful mall day.

Little Red Field

I'm taking fewer photos now that it's in the twenties in the early morning. I just don't have the constitution for that! These are some shots that I took a week ago. I went out with the intent to try to capture these crookedly charming trees that I pass on the way to the barn where my daughter rides. The trees are just beyond a field of cattails and other assorted beige and red vegetation.


f/22, 1/30 sec, 28 mm, ISO 640



f/22, 1/40 sec, 33 mm, ISO 640



f/22, 1/40 sec, 33 mm, ISO 640


Even though my landscape shots aren't quite what I was hoping for (I do like the last one that looks like an entrance into a hobbit hole or something), I did get some cool shots of all the frozen leaves and reeds and other such stuff on the ground and a cattail.


f/5.6, 1/125 sec, 135 mm, ISO 800



f/5.6, 1/100 sec, 75 mm, ISO 640



f/5.6, 1/2000 sec, 135 mm, ISO 400

For some reason, I was really jumpy that morning, and all the mole holes scared me and I was half expecting some living thing to jump out at me.

My hands were numb, even with gloves, by the time I was finished. Sadly, I have not been out for an extensive shoot since. I have driven around and hopped in and out of my heated vehicle, with heated seat, but I find myself missing the experience of getting lost in space and time via a long, wandering shoot.

This was the same morning that I got waylaid by this sunset peeking through the trees.

Date: 1.14.08
Location: Fieldcrest Rd.
Time: 8 AM

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Pappy

Pappy (backstory) and Jose stopped in the store last night. I was waiting on a few customers, so some time went by before I could great Pappy properly.

But finally I said, “Hey, Pappy, don’t think I don’t see you out there.”

“Hey, honey, how are you?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m hurtin’ and movin’ kinda slow.”

“I’m sorry, Pap.”

“Pappy, did you find any movies out there that you want. Do you want those westerns?”

“Well, yeah, I think these might be the ones stolen from me anyway.”

(I don’t think that’s true, if anything, Pappy’s kids may have taken them from him, and brought them in to us to sell. I don’t think they came in all together, nonetheless I did not argue with Pappy.)

“Well, if they’re yours, then all the more reason you should have them.”

“You sure sweetie? I don’t want to take them from you.”

“Yes, I’m sure. It would make me so happy for you to have them.

(Then I got an idea.)

“But you could do something for me, Pappy.”

“What’s that, hon?”

“I’d like to take some pictures of you. You don’t have to unless you want to. But I sure would appreciate it.”

“Of course you can.”

Pappy struck a pose.



Then I asked if I could take a picture of his hands. And he literally stuck out one hand at a time. So cute.





Then I asked him to put his hands together. He was so completely sweet and cooperative.



I talked about how much I love hands and I feel like they always have stories to tell.

That got Pappy to telling me stories, and I just quietly picked up my camera and started shooting as I listened to him, nodded and stopped on occasion to reply. I took another shot of his hands (the one I like best), and a few of his face as he talked.







He told me tales of when he was a kid. He talked about his twin brothers that have since died. He told me he was pretty ready to die, too. I told him I understood, but that I wished he would hang around a bit longer.



“Where do you think you’re going next?”

“I don’t know honey, maybe upstairs, maybe down.”

Then he let out a deep chuckle and I said, “You’re definitely going upstairs, Pappy.”

“You think?”

“Oh, yes, I do think so.”

“Well I’ve given everything I have to everyone else. And now I’m tired.”

“I know you have.”



Pappy went on to tell me how he had been burglarized and lost the only pictures he had of his late wife, Gracie. He misted up and looked away when he was talking about her.



“You miss her so much, don’t you?” I asked.

“You know I do. I sure do.”

Pappy said he wanted to write down all his memories and recollections for his kids. He asked me if I was a good writer. I said I was a decent writer.

“You think you could help me write all this stuff down?”

“Well, I could certainly try. You could come here to the store and I could help you.”

Just then, his grandson, Jose, came up to the counter and I got some shots of the two of them.



I told Jose how handsome he has gotten. He just smiled and nodded. Pappy said the girls were very interested in Jose. I asked Jose if Pappy was living with him and his Mom now. He said no, that he and Pappy were with his aunt, another of Pappy’s daughters.

“Oh, so I’ve never met your Mom?”

“No, my Mom’s in prison right now.”

‘I’m sorry Jose, I’m so glad you have Pappy.”



We conversed a bit more, and Jose wanted a game, but they did not have the money for it just then.

He and Pappy were so sweet about it as they discussed whether he could get the game.

“Not tonight sweetie, maybe tomorrow. I’ll try to straighten some things out and we’ll come get it tomorrow.”

(Apparently Pappy calls everyone sweetie, or hon. And truthfully, I find it incredibly endearing the way he drawls it out and gazes at me with those soft, kind eyes.)

“Well, I’ll hold the game for you guys. You take your time, I’ll just keep it here in the drawer for you.”

At that, they went on out, Jose holding Pappy’s arm.

So much love. Just so much love.




Postscript: Pappy and Jose came back in the store tonight to buy that game I was holding for them. I asked Pappy if he wanted to see his pictures, in fact, I was processing them when the came in. I showed him the color and the black and white versions of his hands and he just smiled. Then I switched back to the window with all the thumbnail pictures and he just stood and marveled at how many versions of him there were on the screen.

I showed him the shot of when he was talking about his wife, Gracie, where he misted up...and he misted up all over again, saying, "She was such a wonderful woman."

I asked him if I could enter his picture in a photo contest (just the weekly assignment on the Digital Photo School forums) and he said, "Why sure you can honey, you can do anything you want."

he said he liked the black and white versions and I promised to make him prints and save them for the next time he comes in. I do so love that man.

This was one of my best photo experiences so far!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

East Village Pond

Tripod Day!

Yesterday, I took my new tripod out for an extended time. I overslept, so I just went to a little landscape/drainage pond, near the playground.

This was my very first shot, stopped down to f/22. It's nothing spectacular, but I do love the mist on the pond, the sun, the sloping grass, and the clarity! I never would have gotten that shot handheld.



Here are some of my other shots, all with the tripod, except the pine branches, which I shot with the 50mm lens when I got back to the car.