Ohio – Page 5 – tim mcmurdo

falling for spring

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Tim McMurdo

Sunday morning, I took a hike through Clifton gorge to see if the bluebells were in bloom. Turns out that they are a week or two away from being at their peak. You can bet that I will be back to see them and the trillium next weekend to monitor their progress.

It turns out that the time wasn't wasted. As I skirted the river, I noticed that many of the falls that only appear in the Spring were running.

So I did what any of you photographers would have done if you wre there. I set up the tripod and went for the silky look of the falling water. My only wish would have been to have had my remote shutter release with me or to have remembered to use the timer instead. Just a little bit of shake in a couple of these that could have been eliminated entirely.

Have a great tuesday folks.

evening pano

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Tim McMurdo

This pano was taken one evening last week while on my way home from work. I stopped to get gas just a few miles from home. While I was filling the tank, I noticed that the light in the fields across the street was really nice. the day had been rainy, leaving mist in the distance. The soggy fields were black with moisture.

As much as the scene was about light, it was also about layers. The damp dark fields lead to the trees in the middle distance and finally to the two layers of distant trees on the far side of the farmland.

It seems, that over the years, I have developed this habit of seeing my surroundings with a photographer's eye, even while performing mundane tasks such as pumping gas.

cold winter stream

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Tim McMurdo

After shooting the pre-sunrise in the cemetery at Mt. Tabor on Sunday morning, we rambled the back roads for a while as we headed into town for breakfast. This stream presented a pretty scene, so we stopped for a few shots. We didn't stay long because we were still cold from the morning's shoot and wanted some hot food in our bellies. Life is not so bad at all.

Have a wonderfully productive Wednesday.

silently awaiting the dawn

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Tim McMurdo

Saturday morning, my friend Jim Nash and I braved the sub-freezing winds to visit Mt. Tabor at sunrise. Cold does not begin to describe our experience.

We'd braved similar cold the Saturday before, but the clouds and falling snow ensured that there was no dawn to see. This time, we only had to deal with the cold. The result was a series of shots showing the 19th century cemetery's head stones highlighted by the brightening skies. These two were my favorites.

Will they go into my annual book of favorite images? Probably not. In this case, it was the experience that is memorable, not the images.

schoolhouse rock

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Tim McMurdo

Schoolhouse on the Ohio back roads.

This early one room schoolhouse was found one Saturday morning as I desperately searched for a break in the clouds. I really wanted to capture a farmscape. However, I’m very happy I found the school instead. We have a lot of these schools here in Ohio. Usually they’ve been converted into a small home, are being used as a storage building, or are just falling down. This is the first example that I have seen withe the belfry still in place. It might be crooked, but it’s still there.

No windows, it must have been dark and oppressive inside. Still, I am certain that many thousands of children received a solid, no frills, education while attending here.

Have a great Saturday.

the pretty side of winter

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Tim McMurdo

In my last post, I complained about the amount of snow we had gotten. In this post, I will brag about how beautiful the snow we had gotten looks. You see, this is part of snow's mystique. I hate shoveling it and I hate driving in it, but I love looking at it. I am a man after all and this is generally how we feel about snow. See, I just used the word "feel", so I must not be that bad. I am in touch with my feelings and I am only just a little uncomfortable.

As you can see, snow is rather pretty. Especially this type of heavy wet snow. It piles up on top of everything. My friend Pati is from The Dakota Territories and pines for the snow when we don't get it. I think I saw her making snow angels in the parking lot at work when I arrived. That woman is not right in the head. That, in turn, is part of the reason we are friends.

Wednesday evening, on my way home from work, I came across these scenes at Leffels Creek, in my home town of Springfield, Ohio. I thought you might like to see them. Escpecially friends from sub-tropical Australia. You might have monsoon rains, but for good or bad, we have snow.

its still winter

long cold walk

its still winter

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Tim McMurdo

Here in Ohio, the month of March is a little strange. Today we got ten inches of heavy wet snow dumped on us, but it is supposed to melt quickly and be sunny and in the mid fifties by the weekend. the good news is that by April we will settle into a regular routine of trading rainy days for sunny days and that by the end of May, summer will be here to stay. In just a few weeks, I'll be looking for the crocus to pop their blooms above the ground for the first time.

admiration

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Tim McMurdo

Woman admiring statue

Some people are very interested in art while others could care less. It must be tough visiting an art museum when one of you is bored right from the start. I am an art lover and can spend hours in any of the many art museums around Ohio. This photo was taken on a recent trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum with my friend Jim Nash and his sons. It’s a good thing that all of us were enjoying everything the museum had to offer. Otherwise, it would have been a very long day, as I suspect it was for the gentleman in this image.

morning tree

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Tim McMurdo

Morning Tree and Fog

the joy of snow

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Tim McMurdo

Shoveling and driving aside, this week’s two snow storms have really been wonderful. Last year we had no snow to speak of and I missed it. Especially around the holidays.

The best part is lighting a fire and curling up oh the couch with a comforter and a cat. I can be comfy while I look out the bay window and the snow. Even better, add a cup of tea or hot chocolate and I am good all morning.

I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend as much as I am enjoying mine.