This weekend, I had the opportunity to see this wonderful 19th century pipe organ in action. I was actually there to listen to a lecture on the restoration of the church’s stained glass windows, when the organist started playing. It was all too easy to sit back and imagine the church full of worship peers all decked out in their period attire.
Yesterday, we took a look at the problem of approaching a subject that is overwhelming, like an entire field of sunflowers. We broke down the field into individual flowers. Today, we will break the flowers down even further.
In subjects like flowers, we will often find patterns that become abstract when they are isolated. In this image, I avoided the flowers petals so that we could focus on the pattern found in the center of the flower’s bloom. Experiment and see what kinds of patterns and abstract designs you can find.
Have a great day.
Just south of us is the village of Yellow Springs, one of our favorite places to eat, hike, and people watch. This time of the year, we can add the activity of viewing the sun flowers. Every year the Tecumseh Land Trust plants an entire field with gorgeous yellow sunflowers. Photographers and sight seekers come from miles around to see the yellow scene. As a photographer, I get dozens of calls and text messages from friends, updating me with the status of the blooms.
You would think that photographing the flowers would be simple. However, in actuality, they can be overwhelming and the lack of a specific standout subject can make for composition nightmares.
My solution is to attempt to see the trees for the forest. This means looking for the details.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at another way to tackle the problem of the overwhelming numbers of sunflowers.
Have a great Monday.
Yesterday was spent touring parts of Columbus with my uncle Eddie. One of our great stops was at the wonderful Columbus Museum of Art, located near downtown.
I've shown you this glass and light installation before. It's brightly lit glass forms are one of my favorite experiences at the museum. Each time I visit the installation, I find something new and remarkable. This meeting was no exception. For the first time, my eye was drawn to the shadows being cast on the floor of the room.
Enjoy and have a relaxing Sunday. Uncle Eddie and I will continue our adventures today.
My uncle Eddie and I were driving the Ohio back roads near Newark when we came across these red lillies growing wild on the side of the road. You performed so well identifying the spider wort earlier this summer that I thought you might be able to identify these as well.
This image shows what I love about Ohio. Thee farmland. We might not have grand canyons or oceans. However, our farmland does have a beauty all of its own.
This weekend saw the 7th annual balloon festival in Urbana Ohio. I've never seen a balloon festival, so when my friend, Jim, invited me, I readily agreed.
We got up early to see the morning launch. After having a fine breakfast, we headed to the airport and watched the balloons. The entire experience is beautiful and a little like watching a sporting event in slow motion.
However, the really beauty began when I returned in the evening to watch the balloons glow.
Click on the slide show to see all of the images.
Is there anything quite like a roll inthe hay first hing inthe morning? I didn't think so.
Even the most utilitarian objects can contain beauty. This irrigation system proves the point as the early morning light is caught in the water mist, turning gold.
I took this image Sunday morning during a dawn drive through our local farm country. When I saw this cloud formation, I stopped the car and got out, camera in hand. The contrasting tones and the shape of the cloud front were what impressed me.
However, being a photographer, I couldn't settle with the beauty that I was looking at. The colors and light were not enough. I wasn't satisfied.
I wanted to see it in black and white. I knew that those tones would be spectacular in B&W. Sometimes color can get in the way of a great image, even when it is gorgeous. So, as soon as I downloaded the pictures, I made the conversion.
What do you think? Have you ever looked at a scene and just knew that it would make an impressive B&W image?
tim mcmurdo 