When
I compose about one post a day. I admit to being ahead of myself. It’s still April was I write today. Ha ha. Colleen laments that I do not compose long emails to her since I returned from Saudi (years, ago). Oh well. Things change. Or not. I still find that I write for you – Colleen – now. You are the inspiration, the muse, of my posts. I never did expect to intertwine my life so completely. Ginny pointed it out. Letting loose is not so easy. Or, you just let go. Either way, there is that weight that pulls with gravity and that feeling of falling free to wherever life takes you. Heavy? Ponderous thinking? I am just recalling your recent lament once again. No regrets. These days I go with the feelings. No one orders me and I am not at the random utterly chaotic beck and call of the ER. I still (occasionally) sleep restlessly because my id persists in raising unbidden anxiety. It’s hard to relax when I have always been wary and on high alert.
Peace reigns… after a fashion. There is beauty and serenity in the world. You will read my thoughts in about a month. We will smile. I will hug you. That is the best part, to be able to hug you at will, now.
Pick one
Too numerous to count… I have so many pictures that have and hold significance to me. Some, held very pleasant surprises for me when I finally developed the slide. I tended to shoot the roll of film and store it in the freezer accumulating about 64 rolls to develop in a gallon kit of developer. Since I shot about a hundred rolls a year, this meant a massive developing session about once a year. Yes, there was no instant review of your work; duplicates occurred infrequently as well. And with that preamble, I did indeed get the occasional “keeper!” Que? Well, you know it when you see it. Each picture a story, I apologize for leaving you hanging. I strive for succinct posts… not enough time. By contrast, one hundred rolls of slides (before 2004) is about 3600 slides/year, and digital images last year exceeded 100,000 using at least four different cameras.
Another please
Another tree? How about some pansies? I think in color. Black and white is awesome. It’s just that I think in color. I shot black and white film, and I developed and printed it. Then I did the same with color slides. Phewf! That was hard. The Kodak instructions called for temperature tolerance of +/- .1 degree. That’s a tenth of a degree! I was a chem major and had the thermometers to measure. But a water bath? Ha! Try doing that in your bathroom tub and sink. Then I got the means to afford a real darkroom. That all worked until my neighbor complained about the water running at 3AM. Hey, I was a night owl! He was a grouch? Was it him or me? I guess I must credit him with ushering (shoving unwillingly) me into digital.
Down the Barrel
I got this shot years ago. I shot over a pot of tulips on a checked tile floor. Graphic! Since then this image has been a standard. Just substitute time and place. Of course, no two tulips are the same. Hmmm… a tongue twister of a thought.
But you get the idea. The focal point is the pistil or stamens. You are asking a lot from your depth of field. And then there is frequently a breeze to compensate for. It doesn’t always work. But, if you start with good composition, you have a higher percentage of success.
Tulips
The town makes a seasonal display. It’s spring. It’s tulip time. At least they can know that I appreciate all their hard work and effort. Lately, Delaware has been in the news. It’s been on the top ten list of places that are boring and no fun at all. Nice. It’s kind of private here. The beaches are not too crowded. There’s no sales tax. I never sit in traffic jams. I admit that there is a dearth of places to eat out. But, I’ve become a better cook. My blood pressure is down and my attitude much improved. Yeah, don’t come here, it’s awful!
They try
It’s inevitable that you run across construction. So, you take what you get. The tulips tell you that it’s springtime in DC. Meanwhile we were here to see the cherry blossoms. I’m just one among many (photographers) trying for a quintessential shot. This wasn’t it. But, I like the graphic anyway.
It also leaves me with a philosophical/existential question. Am I shooting to post? Or am I posting what I shoot? I thought I’d post what I shot? That was the beginning. But it’s way easier to remain in the present than the past. Hmmmm….
Imperfect
Why strive for perfect when imperfect is so easy. There’s a lot to criticize. But then there’s a lot to praise about the gestalt. Graphic. I won’t go into everything. But I liked the graphic and I’m stickin’ with that.
Get down
Photo tip – move low with the camera to get a lower perspective. You get a different perspective. You can move the background out of distraction. It also helps if your eye can focus on a particular point in the pattern. I’m not perfect but it does catch your eye.
Tulips
This an iconic view for me. We have a white tile floor in the kitchen in Westhampton. It’s spring and it’s tulip season. I’m trying for a shot of the tulips that is different from the usual. So I went for this graphic composition. You can see my shoes at the bottom. I’ve done this with other flowers in other seasons since this image. But this was the first shot like this for me.
Tulips
There is a spot in Central Park where there are some spectacular displays of tulips. It doesn’t appear every year. But this year they were in full splendor. And what is better than painters catching an artful interpretation of the display? So I ask why their easels were set up before the tulips and at the top of each easel was a picture (not this scene) from which they were referencing. Did I miss something? They are painting a picture in front of a real scene of beauty. Hey, it’s a way to go, I guess.
Tulips
I have lots of chances to get shots of the tulips. So you have to look for a different point of view. It’s always worth a shot to shoot the center of the flower. Shadows can be tricky. I got this one at Columbus Circle on my walk around the city.
City Hall Park
I just love this shot of having a snack surrounded by the petals in a light rain. ‘Nuff said. And then again, I had the good fortune to catch the tulips from high atop a building overlooking the park. It’s a good idea to always have a camera handy. I’m a full time tourist these days and always have a camera close by.
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