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?
Source: youtube.com via Tim on Pinterest
There are lessons to be learned here. Life changing lessons.
You could have been famous with legions of followers. You could have been rich, living the life of ease. People could have been calling your name. You could have been a rock and roll star.
If only you had taken those accordion lessons.
Who would have guessed?
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.
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.
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.
Those of you that know me well, know that music is as important to me as photography. I could no more give up my ipod as give up my camera. As I go about my life, music is my soundtrack. A soundtrack that I can control. In that role, music can bring back powerful memories of good times or bad because songs become associated with events or times in my past.
Anytime that I hear the song Omaha by Counting Crows, I think of a business trip that I took while my wife and I were still dating. She gave me a cassette with the song on it, and it became the sound track to the entire week. Now, the song brings back those first few months of our relationship. Hearing Omaha evokes those feelings of new found love, anticipation and excitement.
A couple of years back, I discovered the band, Great Lake Swimmers and instantly fell in love with their music. Thoughtful and intelligent lyrics played with quiet integrity. Their album Lost Channels had just been released and quickly climbed to the top of my listening rotation. This was an album stocked with songs that you could sing along with or quietly absorb.
I bring up the Great Lake Swimmers because they have just announced a new album. New Wild Everywhere will be released April 3rd. They have given us a sneak peek by allowing us to hear the first song off of the album and I am as excited as the first time I heard Pulling On A Line.
So, without going on any further, here is Easy Come Easy Go by The Great Lake Swimmers. I hope you enjoy the catchy tune.
https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F1469891&show_comments=false&show_artwork=false&color=5c978c&show_playcount=true
Great Lake Swimmers – Easy Come Easy Go (radio edit) by nettwerkmusicgroup
While visiting the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, I was thinking about the butterflies that I saw the last time I was there and decided to use the 70-210 beer can. I was thinking that the insects never let me get very close and the lens would be perfect. The problem? The butterflies are not in season & I ended up with a long lens while shooting flowers and plants.
On the bright side, their was a big fat squirrel in the palm house & I was the only one with a lens long enough to get a good shot of it. The little varmint was up high in the trees, licking the leaves on one particular tree. I figured that with all of the cold winter raging outside, he must have been pretty happy in the warm palm house.
If I were a squirrel, I would be after the tiny oranges that were obviously ripe and ready to eat. This little rodent preferred the palm leaves. To each his own, I guess.
Enjoy your palm leaves Mr. Squirrel. I'll come back and check on you in February when the winter is in full force. I wonder if I could find him a little Hawaiian shirt?
You've probably heard about them. Chihuly is famous for them. Mostly because his balls are so big. I thought that you might like to see them. While at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio, I had the chance to see them. Isn't it nice how I share these things with you?
Don't think that these are all of his balls. He has a lot of balls and he leaves them all over the world. At the conservatory, they have a lot of Dale's balls on display. I didn't photograph them all, just his big balls. If you want to see more of Chihuly's balls, the conservatory would be a great place to start.
Don't be shy. You are allowed to touch Chihuly's balls. Just be careful, you don't want to hurt them.
Here is a fine pair of balls. I like the way they float in the water. Float? Float…. oh yeah, I am sorry, Chihuly calls these floats, not balls. Sorry. I don't know what I was thinking.
Balls! Sheesh.
The sign said not to eat the art, so I didn't. However, I did consume a lot of art in just a couple hours.
There was an incredible Caravaggio exhibit. The man knew how to paint awe inspiring lightscapes.
Something that I have never seen before. CMA had a gallery committed to whittled sticks and carved canes. There were dozens of really interesting examples. However, this little general caught my eye and, in the end, proved to be my favorite. Who knew that whittling was an art form?
When was the last time you visited your local art museum? Here in Ohio, we are lucky to have several world class museums and I try to regularly visit as many as I can. I encourage you to find the hidden treasures in yours.
When it comes to art museums, I am more of a painting & photo guy. Installations are not my thing at all. However, This particular installation captured my attention for quite some time.
Maybe it was the way the glass shapes looked like egyptian barges floating down the Nile. It could have been the way the glass was lit from above, making the shapes glow, dispersing the light as they did so. Certainly the dimly lit room added to the impact of the artwork.
Yes.. an installation that I like.
tim mcmurdo 