Tim McMurdo

raspberry shrub

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Have you ever had a glass of raspberry shrub? Blackberry or strawberry shrub? Any kind of shrub? If you are like me, you have only thought of shrubs as plants someplace between grass and trees. In reality, at the turn of the last century, shrubs were as tied with lemonade as the most popular drinks.

Here is how you make a shrub:

1. Cover four quarts of raspberries with white vinegar and let stand for two to three days.

2. Drain the vinegar, pressing all of the juice from the berries as you do so.

3. Add one pound of sugar to each quart of the drained liquid.

4. Boil for ten minutes and then bottle.

The result is a concentrate that is added to ice water at a ratio of one cup of concentrate to one quart of water.

Vinegar? How does a drink with vinegar go down? Surprisingly well. After a couple swallows, you have forgotten the vinegar entirely. I thought it was really refreshing though, I think I would cut back a little on the concentrate when I make it.

During their day, shrub's were commonly given to farm hands working in the field to refresh them. Think of a shrub as the Gatorade of its day.

the summer threshing

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Sunday was the annual summer threshing day at Carriage Hill Farm. If you have never seen wheat being threshed with a steam engine, you have really missed an impressive event. I've created a short video so that you can see and hear the process. Basically, a steam engine is used to drive a thresher via a long belt. Workers load dried wheat into the thresher where the wheat kernels are separated from the stalk. The kernels are drop into a bin that is emptied into a wagon while a conveyor piles the wheat stalks beyond the far end of the thresher where it is collected to be used as fodder for the farm animals.

Carriage hill uses a 6 horse power wood fired engine to power the thresher. A dedicated team of approximately 12 volunteers operate the engine and thresher, assisted by the farmer and his assistant.

The crew started in the morning and worked hard until lunch time. For lunch, the rest of the farm staff had prepared a traditional summer threshing meal for them to enjoy. They needed the energy because after less than an hour of rest, they were at it again until evening came.

I'll show you the threshing meal in another post. Meanwhile, enjoy the video and marvel at the hard work and ingenuity our ancestors employed to feed a growing nation.

i win! i win!

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Remember this still life image from last week? Looks like the hard work paid off. The photo was honored as the photo of the week at Light Stalking. If you have not checked out their inspiring and helpful photo website, you should.

You can see the image and it's results here: Light Stalking.

This is my second image to be picked as an image of the week. My foggy morning image, "Reflected Expanse", was given the same honor last month. In just a year, my photography has come a long way and I can chalk it up to the following:

1. I shoot a lot. Almost everyday.

2. My camera goes with me everywhere and I rarely miss an image because I left my camera at home.

3. I have become active on flikr, Light Stalking and other photography communities.

4. I study. Through the library, online, and by asking friends, I have been actively investigating new techniques and learning the basics.

5. I ask for honest feed back and criticism. It is always nice to get positive comments but the critical guidance is what has allowed me to grow as a photographer.

6. I follow my curiosity. When I wonder how somebody got a certain shot, I go and find out.

Some of the photographers that have been inspirational and helpful to me with their generous time and advice include: Renee Stewart Jackson, Tom Dinning, Rachel Davies, Kathleen Connolly, and many many others. It is almost unfair to make a list because I have so many influencers, teachers, and supporters.

I may not be as good as I would like to be … yet. However, I am working hard and surrounding myself with selfless friends that are willing and able to help me get there.

friendly surprise

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

I started visiting Carriage Hill Farm last October and by the beginning of the last year, I thought I had pretty much gotten to know the farm inside and out. To my surprise, I didn't really know the farm at all. As Spring and Summer arrived, I learned that there was so much more to discover. New activities, new events and new people to get to know.

Today, I met two new (to me) volunteers at the farm. A mother and daughter team that had a very loving and tender relationship. I really enjoyed seeing them together and wondered a little about the bond between mothers and daughters.

I have often referred to the farm as a living still life. The key word here is living. The place is full of life. Sometimes fast paced action and sometimes like this pair, tender and thoughtful.

arthea’s flight

Posted on July 12, 2011July 5, 2015 by Tim McMurdo

There were three of the hulking Gh'rull thrashing through the forrest floor behind Arthea. She had heard them coming long before she could see them and had sensed them long before that. As a Long Guardian, it was her job to report this news back to the queen before the Gh'rull became a danger to the tribe or caused damage to the grove.

The Gh'rull were clumsy and dull witted but, Arthea would still need to be careful. If she were to fly straight back to the grove, the creatures would follow her pixie trail. Instead, she would have to fly a winding path through the forrest to lead them astray and then dart back to the grove while they were confused. The Queen and the rest of the tribe would have no problem finding them again.

As her gossamer wings beat a soft hum, Arthea put her plan into action and sped through the trees, away from the grove for the time being. Twisting and looping through the moonlit forrest, she had the Gh'rull confused in no time at all. As she turned towards the grove, Arthea could hear the creatures frustrated confusion as they attempted to follow her interwoven trail before it faded into the dark.

the hunter

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Look at her and listen to her. Not a worry or a care in her life. But, I could change that pretty quickly. While she inanely babbles about her perfect life, I can read the address on her driver's license sitting along with her credit card on the counter in front of her. She can't even see me, I am invisible to her.

716 West Raym… that is all I can read. No problem, I'll bet that is West Raymond Street on the north side of town. Nice neighborhood. Big houses sitting on perfect lawns that huddle on quiet streets. Tonight, that is going to change. How will all of the neighbors like all the noise and red lights in their front yards? I'll bet they won't like it very much at all.

I haven't had a red night in a long time. Tonight it is, I feel like playing and I think I just found my playmate. I hope she likes my toys! heh heh… This is going to be a red night.

comdemnation

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

comdemnation:

Springfield, Ohio is a city that has suffered like much of the rust belt over the last 40 years. The downtown area is full of old industrial, commercial and even churches that have been empty for decades. Some are for sale, some have been converted to derelict warehouses, and some like this building have been condemned by the city. To me they are a symbol of the better times that started to slip away in the seventies until they have become as scarce as the jobs that disappeared with them.

While I love these old vacant or semi-abandoned buildings for their photographic qualities, I suppose that seeing them torn down might not be entirely bad. From some of the heaps of rubble, the city is seeing recovery in the form of a new hospital and an ice skating rink. Springfield is not going to rise from its ashes like a victorious phoenix. However, we might just come out a little better off than we were before. I suppose that makes me an optimist.

Aperture	f/5.6
Focal Length	55 mm
ISO Speed	100
Exposure Bias	-1 EV

we went looking for flowers

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Jodi took a few days off this week so that she could rest, relax, and spend some time with me. On Wednesday, we took advantage of the time together and drove down ti Cincinnati to visit Krohn Conservatory, a flower destination on the side of Mount Adams. If you live in the area, you can easily spend a day visiting the conservatory and walking around the shops and restaurants of Mount Adams. If that is not enough for you, the zoo and public gardens are only a couple minutes away by car.

This was our first trip to the Krohn and we were not disappointed at all. The building is divided into areas such as Desert, tropical, etc. I think you can spend a couple of hours in the building if you are a photo or flower nut. Beware though, that there is a lot of humidity in most of the areas. Jodi suffers from asthma and she could not spend much time in the orchid room, though, the dry desert area suited her just fine.

So, looking for someplace to spend a couple of relaxing hours and also packed with photo opportunities? Visit your local conservatory, botanical garden, or arboretum. You are guaranteed to have a nice experience. We only went looking for flowers and ended up relaxed and happy that we could spend the day together.

still life experience

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Do you know what you are looking at? I do. I am pretty sure that this is my very first intentional still life. It was an interesting process of thought, trial and error, more thought and more trial to get the shot to this point. I have been wanting to take a photo of flowers in this vase for some time now and in my mind, I wanted to create a still life painting with my camera.

I started by running around the house collecting props. I put them against my favorite wall and re arranged them a few times until I was happy. The early shots pretty much are typified by the image above. Definitely missing something. Can you believe that this wall is really purple? You can still see traces of the offending violet in the lower part of the image.

I then decided that the image needed something to make it feel more lush and maybe softer & added the orange cloth (We have a surprising amount to cloth in our home due to my wife's belly dancing costume collection). I thought the cloth did the trick to a large extent but I thought the hue, saturation and luminosity (remember the three parts of color from a previous post?) were all out of whack and were steeling the focus from the vase. So, back to photoshop where I changed the hue to a yellow and then adjusted the saturation and brightness to tone it down and make it look more like gold. I also decided that I really should let the table show

I have definitely left my comfort zone with this project and that is not a bad thing. I can't think of a better way to learn than to step out and try something new. From beginning to end, I put about six hours into this project and took over one hundred images to get it just the way I wanted it. The important thing is that I had a vision and followed it, slight detours and all.

Anybody know where I can sign up for lessons in arranging flowers?

Finally, I thought I would close with the following image showing how my cat, Betty, wanted to get in on the process. Consider it a not so still life. How is that for a purple wall?

Have a great day folks & don't forget to follow your vision.

mama mia?

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

If you are anywhere close to my age, that means your grew up in the seventies. And wether you liked them or not, you probably listened to a LOT of ABBA. Not content to keep ABBA's ear worm tunes to ourselves, we have since inflicted their music on our children as well with movies and plays like "Muriel's Wedding", "The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert" and "Mama Mia".

I know this because in-spite of my aversion to pop music this sugary sweet, I have managed to tap my toes and sing along through all of them. I am not proud but, evidently I like ABBA music.

So, it was in musically challenged state that I went to see an ABBA tribute band at Veteran's Park in Springfield last night. I used the excuse that the event would be a great opportunity to take some concert shots but, we all know the real truth. I'd asked my photo buddy Larry if he would be there but, he said he had too much stuff to do. I suspect that in reality he was hiding in the bushes singing "Money Money Money" and giggling to himself. Fess up Larry!

The crowd gathered to a couple thousand people as they waited for the sun to set and the band to take the stage. While I waited, I shot the crowd and the men's room door. Did you know that they made urban wear for seniors? Must be an emerging market.

Finally, just after eight, the band took the stage and the crowd went wild. There was singing, clapping, and dancing in the aisles.

This is a picture of "Frieda" looking for Larry in the crowd. She and I both knew he was there someplace. It's ok Larry, you have to admit you have an ABBA addiction as your first step towards getting help.

Author: Tim McMurdo