Wet Christmas Likely

I guess the guys on WTOS this morning called it a "brown" Christmas, but I don't think the rain is that bad, especially after the winters we have had in the past where there was no place to put the snow! I walked up to get the mail this morning and I noticed the drops of rain clinging to the branches. I realized that I still had the clip-on lens for my iPhone in my pocket, so I put it on and took these photos. I did switch around and use the "fisheye" when Vern came down the driveway to take a shot of the house, so I will post that picture first.

The details of taking a picture still fascinate me, and I catch myself on that "search" for the most interesting and best shot I can find whenever I am in "shooting" mode. There is something about where the "macro" shot takes you in terms of looking at the details existent in life and the myriad situations of form and color that we see without seeing every single minute of every day.

Ice Crystals

Cold enough in New Gloucester this morning to create ice, and the resulting crystal formations were beautiful. No high quality equipment here, just an iPhone 5 with a macro lens attached. It never ceases to amaze me at the images which I've captured with that thing, and yet they are so much better than any of the first digital devices for making images. Carrying on!

Looking Closely

I screwed a +4 close up filter on my zoom lens and went out this afternoon (too dark, though - should have gone when the sun was out) and shot a few images even with the wind blowing everything around and making the focus hard to achieve. The act of moving the camera toward the subject to get focus created movement I'm not sure I liked, but the images always seem so unique when done with this technique. Compositions are so simplified that they tend to be difficult to mess up.

Here they are, also one from the studio with the more sensible +1 filter!

What is this third image? A blue compact fluorescent in my studio! 

Classroom

My "A" block class is an eclectic mix of students with a wide assortment of artistic skills and sensibilities, which makes the interactions I have with them all the more interesting. They were engaged amazingly well all this past week, and the work they are presenting is remarkable. I know this may come across as a brag, but it isn't me, never has been, and I give them full credit for the efforts and outcomes that result from their fascination with the arts and what can be done with some simple photographic devices and a bit of imagination!

I had to post this image of them working.

Zooming Toward Christmas

We do have the tree up, and there is a feeling other than humbug creeping into the air, but I had done this (look at previous Christmas time posts on this site - maybe a few years ago) before and thought that this tree is a little simpler and might make some interesting lighting shots! Here are a couple I "filtered" out to post. Not anything great, I'm just looking for something to post tonight!

Christmas Tree Already

Our niece and her husband came over yesterday and stayed the night. They helped decorate the tree in the front corner of the living room and so it starts...

Our cat, "Pooter", helped some by chasing dropped decorations around the floor, and I took a few pictures of him. I chose this one to post as it was the third of a quick series and it felt like I truly had his attention! That directness with the camera seemed precious in describing his personality!

Two Golden Angels

All sorts of Christmas objects have come up from the basement after the Thanksgiving Holiday. The reflections, the content and the shiny surfaces that remind me of the PhotoShop "chrome" filter all contributed to my wanting to take a photo of these two. The process started with a straight shot of what I saw to finding a "cleaner" background, and then finally to this shot where I moved the two figures closer together! My brother had an FV called the "Two Angels", named after his two daughters.

Sunsets and Old Fall Apples

Electricity, or the lack thereof, has cancelled school for the third straight day today, so of course I went in to work anyway. Amazing what you can get done when there is nobody around. I took a few pictures in my travels today, but I'm always inspired by the ever changing world around me right here at home.

Here are a couple of shots of the sunset tonight and of the fruit still stuck on the tree in the West shoreside corner of the field.

The apples are so interesting with the blemishes (the trees are not well kept, unfortunately) adding a texture and additional visual information. I really liked the saturation (no touch-up) of the color in the bottom shot!

Geese Are Back

We have had Canada Geese visit all summer, but towards the end of the fall and the beginning of winter they show up less and less often. They can be heard "honking" from quite a distance away as they fly over the field or bay and circle to see where there might be a good spot to land and graze for a while as they move on toward their journey southward. Their size, their distinct coloration and their habits of movement all contribute to their familiarity and the beauty they bring to the day!

Fishing Shack

Here's an image that I captured in "Sunshine" (Deer Isle) and it just caused me to consider a variety of metaphors about the lobster fishing industry and how it has changed over the years, how it has been a part of my life, and how time moves on and changes almost everything!