Beyond Day SixMy sometimes-daily blog of a photograph or two with a few words, celebrating all the days of life that flow through creation into perspiration, inspiration, reflection, sabbath, and resurrection. Stories in Old BarnsOld barns have stories. Like this door that was half painted. Or maybe it is more correct to say that half the door is half painted. The painter was going to save the lower half for another day, but nature is quicker at finishing the job and claiming the boards, unpainted or not. And when was the painter going to paint the right side? And why is the job half-finished? Was there an interruption, an emergency, another task? Or did the painter just run out of paint?
An Exercise in SeeingI went with a friend last week to photograph along "Slow Roads" in Tennessee. Our first stop was behind an abandoned building that may have been a motel. I admit if I had been driving, I probably wouldn't have stopped. But I am intrigued by my friend's style of photography so I looked to see what caused him to stop. His first comment as we passed the front of the building was about the direction of the light, that likely would be lighting the rear of the building. The building had several layers of paint including an odd baby blue. I picked up my camera and began to try to see it, to imagine how my friend might be seeing it. I noticed this south side of the building and shot a few frames. I don't know yet what my friend saw, but I found a photo different from what I usually create. I ponder this scene. Processed in Lightroom and On1.
Trend SetterExcept that it was a trend that didn't last. When I was in high school in Indiana, senior boys wore painted yellow corduroy pants and girls wore similar skirts as a visible sign of school spirit. When I moved to Effingham, I didn't want to be left out and thought we could start a new tradition. So about 8 or 9 of us purchased the yellow cords in Indiana and decorated them for the Effingham Flaming Hearts. I may be the only one who still has my pair. And although the perspective of the photo doesn't show it, I am not small enough to wear mine. Don Stuckey hoped I would bring them to the reunion and surprise the class members who remembered what a silly guy I was (am).
The Celebration BeginsOur "50 for FIFTY" celebration began last Friday night at the first night of my high school class reunion. There had been a thunderstorm earlier, and as I visited with friends, I couldn't help noticing the sky through the window. I had to step out and take a couple of photos.
Behind the Pool PumpBehind the pool pump is another world. But it is obvious that it is late summer, with a large garden spider that has caught a cicada in her web. The spider is a female black and yellow argiope. The female is nearly twice the size of the male and is distinctly patterned with the bright yellow and black design on its abdomen. While the image of this spider can be surprising to us humans, it is harmless and quite beneficial. I love that it eats mosquitoes.
Something DifferentI'm still looking for images to add to my presentation on closeup photography. And yesterday morning Judy noticed that one of our old cottonwood stumps was sprouting a new fungus. So of course I had to not only see it but to photograph it as well. We noticed on our walk ion our road this morning that there were giant toadstools in several of our neighbors' yards. The moisture and heat evidently is helping to produce a bumper crop. I had been out in our yard earlier to photograph new blossoms on the magnolia tree. But I had missed seeing this new display.
Doesn't Look Like a BeanLupines are members of the legume family and, in some parts of the world, the seed is eaten. Most of us just regard them as attractive plants that are usually found in cooler areas. I don't see many in the South, at least not like this one that I photographed in Washington state.
Southern SightI have begun to be fascinated by magnolia blossoms. While the range of the tree is not limited to the South, a magnolia grandiflora tree seems to me quintessentially Southern. We planted this tree in May 2012 and we enjoy watching it bloom much of the summer.
Another Butterfly, Same SpotTiger Swallowtail on our butterfly bush. I'm still working on my presentation for closeup photography. Photo details: Sony a77ii, 100 mm f/2.8 lens, iso 400, 1/90 at f/6.7, processed in Lightroom.
Late SummerProbably for the last 25 years, in the yards of our several homes, we have had a butterfly bush. The blossoms are so aromatic that they seem to attract butterflies from the entire neighborhood and any that might be migrating through the area. I took this photo just last week, and then noticed that this butterfly has the appearance of some age (much like the photographer). The cool evenings this week have also been a reminder that this is late summer. I've enjoyed every day. And there are quite a few left, but there is no mistaking the summer is waning. I've tried to identify this butterfly, as it was unfamiliar to me. It is a Gulf Fritillary, and Tennessee is the limit of its northern range. Similar in size to a monarch. Photo details are the following: Sony a7rii, 90mm f/2.8 macro lens, iso 2500, f/13 at 1/500 second. Processed in Lightroom.
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