Sunset Stil-life

I was struck by the light from the low sun after "suppah" last night and so I went down front to see if I could find a few pictures. I found more than sixty-five and narrowed down a few to post on blogs. I have taken so many pictures of the apple tree down by the shore, and in fact it was one of the first subjects I put on this blog, that I've lost count. I'm always telling my students to "work for the picture" by changing points of view, moving in and out, and generally just looking for a "fresh or unusual" approach to a subject. I found my self doing just that with the apple tree, and moving around to the lighted side I found this sort of "still-life" with some flotsam that wintered under the base of the tree.

Last Weekend

A surprise visit from Jackson and his Mom & Dad made last weekend very nice! We had a lot of "holding" time and I took hundreds of pictures. Here are a couple I liked.

Sewing for Matthew

Tonight after supper I took Matthew's torn jeans upstairs to "patch up", and I used the Brother machine. I started sewing with the classic "zig-zag" and saw something in the cloth, the shiny pressure foot and the path of thread that came from the process. I went downstairs and grabbed my camera, took three shots, saw what I wanted, what struck me in the first place and finished the sewing. Here are two of the three shots, they seemed to have the most "drama" for me.

Wintered Apples

So after the snow melts and the ground begins to reveal what was underneath, it seems almost tragic that the advancing decay occurred in spite of the cold of winter. I feel like I have been looking toward the ground frequently lately, but there is much to offer the inquisitive mind there, and this late afternoon gave me this image. It was quite dim as the sun had set but the remnant of light in the western sky was enough to allow me to photograph, although I had set the camera speed at 800, knowing things might be a bit "grainy".

This shot seemed to symbolize the winter's work and the leaving of winter at the same time. My active imagination always looks for imagery (imagine - imagery, hmmm) and I found a hand with thumb and forefinger reaching for these decaying apples in the shape of the snow. The passing of another winter presents me with all sorts of thoughts! Faces everywhere in those apples.

Thin Ice

Ahhh... "thin ice" can suggest so many things, being a metaphor dealing with risky behavior or the fragility of things. The ice on Flander's Bay shore yesterday was very thin and washed up on the beach and around the rocks in layers that taken all together gave a look of glistening lines through out the many layers of the ice.

Here are a few photos I grabbed on the shore that morning. It was cold and I was dumb enough to go down without a jacket, so I didn't stay long, just long enough!

I see things sometimes in these photos, things that are really only in my imagination, but to me are symbols of my thoughts and inner feelings, such as figures darting about or large faces gazing questioningly at me. I suppose I might have "tweaked" these a bit, but I often like to just trust the camera to be "smarter" than I.

Evening Windows

The nights seem to come way too fast each day, but the sense of spring is so very much in the air that I find it difficult to fall into the winter "doldrums". Stepping out into the air Monday night in Bar Harbor after the show at Morning Glory it really felt like winter was over before it ever really began, with 40℉ as the temperature and a full moon in the sky. Here's the shot from last night in the dining room.

Tempting, but the Ice?

So as the winter moves on and the temperatures get lower, inevitably ice begins to form in the bay. Less than a week ago it was over 50˚ and I was tempted to head into the bay and do some paddling. Single digits and 30 mph winds tomorrow, I now wish I had gone out last week! Kayaks and ice below.

 

Blowing Snow - Short Lived

Here are a couple of shots of David doing the snowblower thing last week with the snow we got and at least have kept for a few days. Glad the ski areas finally got some God-made snow to add to all the "home-made" they've been laying down. I love the big round "snowflakes" in the flash path!

Almost a Week Old

Jackson is back into the gaining weight stage and doing well in his new home on a pleasant street in Portland. I FaceTimed with Torrey tonight and then he sent me the pic below. I'll post one of mine on here as well. Photographing really young, as in newborn, children is pretty easy, but taking great pictures of young people is always a challenge. The "pros" always seem to have some good tips that help them be successful in this genre.

Jackson as a newborn last week.

Jackson Avery Johnson...

...was born at 11:11 on Thursday, January 5th. The above photos in descending order are: Jackson with a flash (dim light in the hospital - I had to reset my camera flash), Jackson trying to get a digit in mouth, wrinkled up feet, my two sons and grandson, and the new family.

What a rush to see all this happen and to hold that fragile little piece of life in my arms. He is so bright, looking around and moving and stretching his limbs! What a day!