Category: Photography

Photography

Trees in Spring

Shelly

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Apple Tree in Spring

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Redbud Tree

We’ve had a week of gorgeous weather here in southern Indiana. It’s been so warm and sunny that it’s been hard to believe that it’s November–and the end of November, no less. It won’t be long before it the cold and snow start, so I thought I’d share a couple of springtime photos.

These are the redbud and 5-in-1 apple trees at my mom’s house, taken last April. It’s weird to see how big they’ve gotten. There was only one tree on the property when we moved there in 1985. It’s long since died, but we planted a bunch of others: peach, two apple, cherry, pear, redbud, oak, and maple. The peach was planted too close to the garage and had to be cut down, and the cherry was lost in an ice storm. The rest are huge, now, though. Proper trees instead of spindly saplings.

Photo note: These photos are a good illustration of just how super-saturated colors become when the sky is overcast. It might seem like bright sunlight would be better for outdoor photography, but it tends to wash out colors. The shadows and reflections created by strong sunlight can also be problematic. If I had my way, I’d much rather photograph artwork outdoors on a cloudy day.

Also, studio update: I’ve finally got most of the furniture arranged. I still have to set up half of the workbench (there are two 4′ long sections) and unpack my supplies, but it’s getting there. There are also a couple of utility shelving units that I’m trying to decide where to put. They’ll probably end up in the closet, for tool storage, which means the closet will have to be emptied and sorted/unpacked. I think I should be able to finish that up by the end of the day. I could actually have a working studio by tomorrow!

I can’t believe how long it’s taken me to unpack. Lordy! The problem is that I work 10 hour days, and I don’t have much time to work on stuff in the evenings. And, since moving, most of my weekends have been spent helping a friend pack and move (large house, crammed to the rafters with stuff), so I really haven’t had much in the way of free time. She’s nearly finished packing, though, and should be entirely moved by the end of the month. I’ll finally have some time to myself to do real, live arting.

Photography

More Fun with Photoshop

Shelly

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The rain finally cleared up Sunday night, and Monday night we had a lovely sunset. The Belt of Venus was glowing softly, and the line of clouds above the horizon was deep blue on the bottom and pink on top. They looked like giant bags of swirly pink and blue cotton candy.

Alas, I was on the phone with my mom, and didn’t get a very good shot of it, so I decided to use it as an excuse to play with some more filters. I don’t think I’ve used the diffused glow filter before, but I really like the way it makes the image look like a print from an old negative.

Crankypantsing, Photography

Bookshelves

Shelly

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Dawn mentioned in comments that bookshelves are for books, not knick-knacks. I obviously agree. Bookshelf real estate is a precious commodity in my house, and I don’t see the sense in wasting it on trinkets. On the other hand, knick-knacks have a way of insinuating themselves into my life (“Ooooh! Shiny!”), and once in my house, they breed in the corners like Tribbles. It won’t be long before my nice, new bookshelves are riddled with tchotchkes. It is inevitable.

Which brings me to today’s crankypants observation. I’ve mentioned my addiction to house porn? I’d watch TLC and HGTV all day, if I could. One thing I’ve noticed is that redecorating shows invariably waste a chunk of their budget on purchasing tchotchkes. What on earth is wrong with people, that they don’t have boxes and bins and bags and closets full of crap, so that they have to actually go out and purchase decorative junk? I just don’t get it. I collect junk because I like it and want to look at it, not because I need something to match the sofa.

Photo: Speaking of junk accumulating. My mom had her chimney replaced years ago (it had separated from the house and was leaning out into thin air), and the pile of bricks from the old chimney is still lying right where it landed.

Pets, Photography

We Have Achieved Shelving

Shelly

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I’ve been trying to find time to knock together these rickety-assed shelves for weeks, and finally managed it last weekend. I opted to use a couple of shelf brackets to stabilize them, instead of plywood backs or swaybars. Eventually, they’ll get a coat of paint and proper backs, but for now, they’re functional. Hallelujah! I was sick and tired of piles of boxes of books everywhere.

Our lovely spokesmodel is Pandora, who, with the perversity inherent in all cats, chose to take a bath while I was taking the first photo. Pandora has perfected the art of being exactly where you don’t want her, at the precise moment when you least want her there. She also has a death wish, in which she indulges by way of flopping around on top of the dog’s bones and chewy toys. Harriet isn’t the most patient or tolerant of dogs, so I think she deserves some sort of medal for not putting the smackdown on Pandora.

(And, yes, I do have lots of kiddie books.)

Photography

Mr. Groundhog

Shelly

There is a surprising amount of wildlife in my “backyard.” I know that most of the residents are normal city dwellers, but considering the high density of dogs and free roaming cats, I didn’t expect quite so many wild critters.

Mr. Groundhog seems to live underneath the sprawling bramble thicket on the western edge of the back field. He likes to come out in the late mornings and graze and sun himself. Miss Brown disapproves, of course. Mr. Groundhog couldn’t care less, it seems, because even though Harriet was whining and barking and boxing at the window, he carried on as if she didn’t exist. He’s a brazen little cuss.

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I took this photo early this afternoon. Mr. Groundhog refused to oblige me with a head shot, so all you get to see is his lard ass, which is still pretty darned cute.

Crankypantsing, Pets, Photography

Rain, rain, go away

Shelly

Indiana has a rainy season. If you don’t live here, I bet you didn’t know that. Every fall, we seem to go through weeks-long spates of seemingly endless rain. It makes the baby Shelly cry, it does, all that unrelieved grey and cold and wet. Miss Brown does not like it, either. Nope, not one little bit.

Last week, it rained pretty much every day. Because Harriet will melt and freeze in the cold rain, she decided she’d rather not go outside to play. She spent one entire afternoon sitting on the couch, looking wistfully out the patio window at the constant drizzle. I was reminded of a bored and grumpy child, wishing the rain would end so she could go outside and play. After several loud, dramatic sighs from Harriet, I decided she needed to have her picture taken.

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The subject of photography came up in another forum. I’m not any sort of photographer, but Harriet is an excellent subject, so it’s fairly easy to get decent pictures of her. Still, the majority of photos I take of her are not fit for public consumption. Sometimes, they’re just plain awful, and other times, the difference between a keeper and a junker is more subtle.

For example, I prefer the top photo over the second one. In the first photo, Harriet’s eyes are softer and more relaxed. Also, the photo was taken from a higher angle, so more of Harriet’s face is visible, giving her head more “weight” on the pillow.

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This is an illustration of why flash sucks. Sure, Harriet’s butt is nice and shiny, but if you look carefully, you’ll see that the shadows between the different layers are stark and far too crisp. The result looks like a bunch of elements cut out of paper and stacked on top of each other. It’s a flat and ugly photo.

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This one, too, was taken with flash, but the results are a little more pleasing than the above photo. Harriet still has Shiny Butt, but the shadows are less harsh.

So, in my world, only one of these images is a real keeper. Ain’t she the cutest thing EVAR?

Photography

More Belt of Venus

Shelly

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Two more views of the evening Belt of Venus. The first is looking North, and the second is facing East. The Belt of Venus is the pink band. The color comes from the sunset (or sunrise) opposite reflecting on the Earth’s atmosphere. Below the pink band is the blue band of the twilight arch. That’s the shadow of the Earth cast on the atmosphere.

On a clear evening or morning, if you have an unobstructed view the horizon on all sides, you can see that the pink belt stretches nearly the full 360 degree of the skyline, only fading away as it approaches the setting or rising sun. It is the most distinct, though, at the opposite horizon from the sun.