Yesterday morning, we drove down to Clifton, OH to hike in the gorge. The weather was spectacular and we all know that we don't have many more of these nice weekends left. The trail was deep in fallen leaves and they crunched under our feet as we walked. Sunny day, chill air, pretty leaves, babbling water, and fall smell in the air. Yeah, it was that nice… really nice.
Yesterday morning, we had our first frost of the season. Probably not a reason to celebrate for most people. For me personally, and for a photographer, it is an opportunity that I didn't want to pass up.
Sunday morning, the wind on the river was cold, but the ducks didn't seem to mind. Between us, we had the river to ourselves. If you were wondering, that is one of the steeples from Wittenberg University in the background silhouette.
The dawn makes me feel alive. The silent, still air, the brilliant color and the mist in the chill air combine to fill my senses. The dawn is truly awesome.
Saturday, Lee turned the field over in preparation for Sunday's seeding. He arrived early in the morning, fed the animals, and then harnessed up Charlie and Jane, getting them ready for their work day.
After driving the team from the barn to the field, Lee filled the hopper with spelt seed. If you are not familiar with the plant, it is a short grain in the wheat family. The plant has been sewn for thousands of years and was popular in the Mid East and Europe during medieval times.
Spelt is the farm's winter crop. The grain will grow until it is harvested in June. I'll be sure to post pictures during the next few months so that you can see the field in the upcoming seasons.
I enjoy watching the powerful animals working. Their muscles ripple and stretch as they pull the seeder through the field. I definitely have the sense that they enjoy the work.
At the end of each row, Lee turns the team around by hollering Haw… Haw… Haw. Hee for right, Haw for left. The horses know just what to do and coordinate their efforts around the turn and back down the field.
I watched the trio in action all morning, and when Lee took a break, we talked for a while. I could smell the turned earth and the fallen leaves. There was a cool, chilly breeze early on and then the sun warmed the morning up. I know that later this winter, when the cold and snow has forced us indoors for far too long, I can draw upon my memories of this day and hear, smell, and see Lee and crew in action. It's these kinds of memories that carry us northerners through the long winters.
No funny stories or pithy captions today. Just a simple and colorful photo of the fall foliage reflected on a local pond.
Saturday morning, I visited Jane and Charlie in the main pasture. I love the morning light and the way the trees and barn are lit up by the sun.
The morning air was crisp and chilly. Perfect for getting out of bed and greeting the day. So, I packed the gear and headed for the farm. When I first arrived, the sky was still dark. By the time I left, the sun had cleared the horizon. So, I started with the tripod and ended hand held. Not a bad way to spend your Saturday morning.
Once again, I found myself getting up early to shoot the sunrise… someplace. But, where? I could not think of anyplace spectacular that I wanted to go to on a spur of the moment drive and eventually decided that I would visit my favorite location, the Carriage Hill Farm.
After loading the car and a short drive, I arrived and set up to shoot the barn in the twilight. And then it hit me, I had no idea how to go about manually focusing in such dim light. My camera has an electronic view finder, not the traditional optical view finder. I just couldn't see the image through the view finder well enough to focus. I then switched to the 2.75 inch LCD screen on the back of the camera. Still no good results, I just couldn't see well enough. I then switched to auto focus and zoomed out until the roof line along the barn's roof line became defined enough for the camera's auto focus. Not the perfect solution but, it worked well enough to take this shot.
The lesson learned was that I need to practice focusing in low light conditions until I find a process that workes for me. I'll let you know when I find a good way to get sharp images in very dim conditions.
Monday morning, I met with my boss in Cincinnati. He lives in Lexington, KY and I live in Springfield, OH. Cincinnati is half way between us and provides the opportunity for us to meet without driving all day.
We planned to meet at 9:30 but I woke up at my normal time around 5:00AM and decided to just get up and go see the sunrise from Eden Park on Mt. Adams.
When I arrived, there were already two other photographers sitting on benches huddling, in the cold, behind their tripods. We all acknowledged each other and then returned to silence. Dawn is not an occasion to speak, it is a time to sit in wonder and awe. Talking and chatting can come later.
I arrived in time to experience the last of the twilight before the sun peaked it's orange face above the horizon. While I was there, I watched a river barge silently navigate around the bend. I'll bet that it was loaded with coal and headed for one of the power plants down river. I wondered if they experienced the dawn every day and did they really see it or was it just another morning to them?
Every weekday morning, I drive east into Columbus for work. Along the way, I make a point of anticipating and watching the sunrise in front of me. Every morning I think of how lucky that I have a great job and that it allows me to witness the spectacle that is dawn.
I'll bet that as you were laying in bed this morning, trying to figure out if you were awake yet, that you were thinking that a bird on a board would be the perfect start to your day. I agree with you, that would be a perfect way to start your day and even your week.
I can't bring you a real bird on a real board because I don't know where you live and the bird would probably fly off when I tried to pick the board up. I can bring you this picture of a bird on a board. When you think about it, the picture is probably the better way to go. It's portable and the bird never takes off just when you need him the most.
Enjoy your bird on a board. It is a gift from me to you. You are welcome.
tim mcmurdo 