Penning Photography Daily

My eldest (sounds better than oldest) brother Larry and his bride Beverly have this view as they open their front door.

Lovingly crafted over many years of occupancy. There used to be this gosh awful dark stone volcano-like water thingy in the center. It’s but a distant dark memory now, replaced by the lovely greenscape in the middle here.

The tree at the back gives this the anchor it needs. A fresh air sentinel of nature, reaching up into that beautiful sky, declaring to all, “I’m Alive!”

“What’s It All About, Ralphie?”

We had a lovely cat named Ralph, long ago. I would, at odd times, sing out to him the above line.

Not sure what brought that particular memory to mind, except the quizzical look on my mug in this self portrait.

It’s all about me, and it’s all about you. I’ve grown accustomed to not having all the answers, not being perfect, being content with being me, “warts and all” as I like to put it.

So I figure this fits, the portrait. I left in the two red (I know, it’s a b&w conversion, cut me some slack here) blotches, found on my nose, which I usually clone out. They’re there, a part of the rest of me.

Happy to be free to be me. =)

From the recent wedding in Joplin, Missouri.

At the end of the evening, the remaining guests fired up sparklers and lined the way to the getaway car.

The sparklers were a smoky red version as opposed to the gold magnesium type. This resulted in a very smoky red haze for the couple to run through.

I like this one, as Karen says: “It’s like they’re leaving the stage!”

Escaping to their future together.

Walking to my car tonight, after taking my bride out to a welcome home dinner, I saw the sky.

The rest is history.

This is just about the same look I had when I spotted the sky. I’m entranced with the grandeur of blue sky & clouds.

I had my ultra-wide Sigma 10-20mm lens on, and thought this would work well. I propped the camera on the roof of my car with the handy Gioto Rocket Blower (sensor cleaner) as a way to point it up at an angle. Put on the remote shutter and presto!

I’m looking up at the clouds, soaking up that good blue sky.

Another nice sunset tonight. Perfect opportunity for a self portrait setting.

I was working on photos and waiting for my bride, my Karen Sue to come home from Chicago on the train. I noticed the sunset and thought it would lend itself to me for a daily self portrait.

I had my ultra-wide Sigma 10-20mm lens on, and headed out.

This is a familiar place. There’s finally construction going on, so ultimately, I’ll have to find another location for sunsets. Until then, let’s enjoy it, shall we?

I hand held my camera upside down, using my thumb for the shutter. I wanted my head to show up in the frame, and for the sunset to be seen also through my glasses.

I got some funny looks and clear avoidance from the lady out walking her dog. I’m getting used to those looks. =)

I tweaked it just a tad in Ligthroom, adding some exposure to my head, so it wasn’t in deep darkness.

Mid-Summer self portrait of the artist as an appreciator of the beauty of sunsets.

The weather forecast was for severe thunderstorms yesterday.

I looked on the weather radar, and there was a solid line of dense thunderstorms going across the State from Quincy heading on to Indianapolis in Indiana, to our East. My town, Springfield, was just at the Southern edge of the storm.

I looked out the sunroom window and saw this edge of clouds Clear sky to the South, a giant front of clouds to the North. The storm wasn’t due to break for another hour. I had a chance.

I drove to one of my favorite spots and settled in for the show.

I wasn’t disappointed.

I like this vertical version from among the 20 or so frames I captured.

The sun, slipping behind the cloud bank at the horizon, it’s rays beaming out one last wave of goodbye to the day. The tall edge of the thunderstorm catching those beams of light and showing off their grandeur.

From deep blue to deep purple, with gold, gray, white, and everything in-between. It all adds up to a majestic display.

I added a touch of exposure to the foreground soybean fields, to bring it out (Love Lightroom Version 2 Beta).

Not sure why the line from “Sympathy for the Devil” By The Rolling Stones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy_for_the_Devil

Perhaps it because of the next line: Hope you guess my name! Since I don’t know the name of this delightful flower in our front garden.

Another post-watering capture. I’m loving the contrasting colors, the reds & pinks against the shades of green.

“If you meet me, have some courtesy, have some sympathy and some taste.”

Quite the song. I’ll have to listen to it once again.