Clouds and Holiday Lights

This is one of those photos that I noticed and took a few moments to take but then had to move on. I would have loved to have hung around and tried to get a shot when the sky was still light and the lights had been turned on, or earlier in the day with sunlight filtering through the colored lenses of the lights.

David's Maple

One of a series of shots taken in late November at the arboretum. Vivitar Series 1 70-210.

Square Chicken

Pentax K10D with new Vivitar S1 70-210 A

feather

Late September Tomatoes

Pentax K10D with 50mm f1.2 Pentax lens at about f2.0

Multi Colored Sugar Maple

It has been 4 months since my last post! Wow, it was a busy summer, but too busy for much photography. I took a trip to the Portland Arboretum today to scope out things for some color later in the season. I came across this sugar maple that had already begun to change. Taken with a Vivitar series one 70-210 mm lens with the K-10D

shame

This photo was not taken by me, but by my grandfather or father. I scanned in the print, and adjusted it to accentuate the dark moody feel the photo seemed to convey to me. It is remarkable to me that in the astonishment of the moment of his resignation someone would be moved to photograph the television. I know those were different times - no internet to store and archive images that would be instantly available later - but still it is the only photo of a television broadcast I ever remember seeing.

Lineman

Another shot of my favorite telephone pole with late day clouds and sunset behind. I liked how this looked in black and white compared to the last post when I tried it out as b&w. I've been fascinated by clouds ever since I took a plane trip as a child and peered out at the tops of clouds like a landscape of a mysterious country in the sky. I'd like to take some time to look at clouds more, and think about how I see them by taking more photos of them.

Flower Starter

Spotted this flower poking through a charcoal starter forgotten in the backyard over the winter.

Fuzzy Seed

Here is another effort to try to see in black and white more. I didn't have as much time as I wanted to take this photo, I was anxious about disturbing birds that have made a nest in the vines behind this seed.

Equine Moment

I laughed out loud when I saw this creative jest someone thought up to highlight the absurdity of continuing to have horse tie ups on city street curbs. Luckily I had my phone camera handy to capture the moment. It is great that Portlanders can express themselves in such creative ways!

Shadow Study #1

I made this image with my digital camera as a test for exposure while trying out my old Argoflex 75. As I previously posted, I disassembled this old medium format camera at the age of 13 or so, and perhaps hopelessly un-calibrated the focus of the twin lenses. Well I made a good attempt at roughly re-calibrating the lenses, and went out to shoot some shots and see if they end up anywhere near focus. Since the Argoflex has no light meter, I thought I'd just double check my use of the "Sunny 16" rule for exposure by taking a digital photo at the same time. I'll post some of the Argoflex roll when I get it developed.

I liked this image because it seems somewhat abstract, and lets the mind make its own guesses about what it is seeing.

Leeks

Clouds on Staff

More Hoar Frost Mine Herr.

hoar
O.E. har "gray, venerable, old," the connecting notion being gray hair, from P.Gmc. *khairaz, from PIE *koi- "to shine." Ger. retains the word as a title of respect, in Herr. Of frost, it is recorded in O.E. (hoar-frost is c.1290), expressing the resemblance of the white feathers of frost to an old man's beard. Used as an attribute of boundary stones in O.E. (probably in ref. to being gray with lichens), hence common in place names.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

Frost Thorns

Portland Redwood

Last of 2007

December Sunflower

December Star on Stage

Someone caught me trying to prop this leaf up and commented that I was not allowed to stage leaves! This is a repeat performance from last December I think. The straight version is with the Vivitar version 3 minus, and the askew version with a Pentax 50 f1.2, both taken with a new tripod!