white on white on white
While out driving on Saturday, I found this scene. This is pretty typical of the farmland that surrounds Springfield, Ohio. We live on the edge of the city and it takes only a few minutes for us to find the corn and soybean fields.
winter fog
This weekend was an odd one for winter weather. The temperatures rose to just above freezing and a chilly fog set in. We never saw the sun all weekend. It was really difficult even telling which direction the sun should have been.
I wanted to take some landscape pictures, but the fog forced me to rethink my approach. Now, I had to use the fog as part of the image composition.
Note that there are spots on the the image. Turns out that I had some dust on the camera's mirror. I should have noticed it when I changed the lenses, but didn't. These are easily removed in Photoshop. However, that is not always the case. Lesson learned; check your mirror as well as your lens… everytime you change lenses.
outside of the summer kitchen…
… the winter lingers like a cold breath.
someplace other
Where do you live? Do you live someplace warm? Someplace nice… without cold, sleet, and snow? I live in the cold place with no sunlight for days on end during the winter. It's days like this that make me long for someplace warm. Maybe a nice tropical island with coconuts, palm trees, and sandy beaches.
I've noticed that the older I get, the less tolerant of the winter I have become. I still like looking out the window at the fresh fallen snow. Notice though that I like looking out the window. I don't want to get out in the snow any more. Even looking at the snow from the comfort of my warm home leads to the dreaded thought of driving in the snow, or worse yet, shoveling snow.
So back to my question. Where do you live. If you live on that tropical island, would you mind me visiting for a few of those sunless weeks every winter? I don't eat that much and I can be trained to clean up after myself. Just think about it.
winter grass part two
As promised, where is the uncropped B&W conversion of the previous photo. I am torn between the two. I like the B&W conversion. I like it's OOC crop. However, I like the warmth of the bronze grass in the previous version. Perhaps the answer lies in between. What do you think? What is your favorite version?
winter grass part one
Sunday morning, just before dawn, I got up and drove over to the lake, hoping to shoot something interesting in the morning light. What I did not plan on was the frigid temperatures. The thermometer in my car registered only 1F. Too cold for a long walk. So, I drove around for a bit, looking for The Picture that I knew must be out there waiting on me.
As I made the turn for home, I spotted this grass, bronze in the predawn light. I quickly set up the camera and took four shots. Then I ran back to the car as fast as I could. I don't like this kind of cold at all.
Here, I've left the color and cropped to a 2×1 ratio. Tomorrow, I will show you the dame image converted to B&W and left at a 3×2 ratio.
Look at the two images and let me know which version you think is the best and why. That is your assignment… just give me your opinion. The hard part will be to put into words why you like the image you pick.
cold, cold, and cold
It's been a cold weekend. No other way to describe it. The weather started Thursday evening as the snow flurries began, culminating in only an inch or so by Friday evening. Snow wasn't the problem, it was the temperatures. Saturday started in the upper teens and ended in the low twenties. Sunday hovered around zero at dawn, eventually warming to the mid twenties.
We spend a large portion of the weekend huddled in the den, in front of the fire place…. maybe it wasn't such a bad weekend after all.
the red door
In yesterday's frigid 18F cold, I visited the farm and checked on friends both two footed and four footed. The cold was too much to endure for long. I originally had plans to run by Huffman Park to check on the cormorants, but the cold got the best of me.
Bundled up, I can handle the thirties and upper twenties for quite a while. Not the teens. They seem to seep through all of my layered winter armor. Still, I am glad I went. This cheery red door was worth the shivers.
thistle and teazle
On Monday's outing in the snow, I came across some thistle and teazle and thought they were pretty interesting.
The snow was being blown by the wind and only one side of them was covered.I had to grab the stalks while I was shooting to keep them in focus. Can you tell which is the thistle and which is the teazle?
One of the plants had an industrial use. It was used by fullers to comb cloth.
The other just sticks to your clothes and gets caught in your pets fur. Can you tell the difference?
tim mcmurdo 