condensation

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Summer Kitchen 6

 

Nothing fancy, just a simple image of the condensation on some eggs that are about to be turned into egg salad before my very eyes. I got down to table height and cranked open the aperture on the camera to get this image. I took a vertical version as well but this horizontal orientation seemed to fit the group of eggs better.

The humid air condenses easily in our new found summer heat. After the rains of the last two months, the high temperatures are driving the moisture out of the ground and it is looking for someplace to go.

 

Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/5.0
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 500

 

Because of the heat, I have taken to getting up early and finishing my yard work before ten. I then run into the air conditioned house, shut the doors and hunker down next to the air vent.

This is the kind of heat that makes our cats lazier than their usual sloth. When they go outside, the felines find some shade and settle in for the day. If a bird or some other critter wanders into view, they only half heartedly look at it. The animals seem to know it and don't even have the decency to act nervous. Welcome to the humid summer of Ohio.

 

red lilly bloom

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Red Lilly Bloom

 

The lilies are beginning to bloom and this red specimen has been calling my name for a couple days now. The deep saturated color is spectacular and the shape is perfect. I think it would be impossible to take a bad image of it.

 

Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 55 mm
ISO Speed 640

 

To shoot the bloom, I waited until I could work in the morning's golden hour. I already had an early appointment today and so, I set my alarm a little early. On hands and knees (photography can get dirty if you are willing to go for the shot) I looked for a good angle and recorded several images. This is my favorite of the lot. I hope you enjoy it as well.

 

 

these roses are not so red

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Roses

 

Next to our garage, we have this huge bush of roses that towers over my head. It must be seven or eight feet tall. They are like no roses I have ever seen. There are thousands of blooms covering the entire bush. Thorns? Oh yeah, there are thousands of those too.

 

Exposure 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture f/4.5
Focal Length 26 mm
ISO Speed 100

 

 

To get the shot, I got down low and focused on the leading flowers. I then offset the camera to get the nice bokeh in the background. The round bokeh is formed by the morning light filtering through the trees behind.

 

 

cotton wood fluff

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Cotton Wood Fluff

 

Our yard looks like a five ton plush animal exploded, leaving it's stuffing behind. In actuality, the white stuff is the fluffy seeds of the humbled cotton wood tree. We have several in the area and their seeds float through the air where ever the winds take them. Unfortunately, we get much of it in our yard.

Maybe I should collect it all and make a cotton wood seed pillow. I wonder if that has ever been done?

 

Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 55 mm
ISO Speed 100

 

 

 

our fountain

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Spout

 

On our back patio, we have the most wonderful fountain. My father made it by mounting an old hand pump to half of a wooden barrel. It has been a fixture on our patio for years. What I love most about the fountain is the sound of the water pouring into the barrel below.

The sound relaxes me. I can hear it from anyplace in the house when quiet descends on our home. You can read to that sound and you can think to that sound.

To do right by the fountain, I waited until the sun began to set and got on my hands and knees to shoot toward the light. I shot about a dozen shots until I had it just the way I wanted it. I hope you find the image as soothing as the flowing water has been to our lives.