Penning Photography Daily

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house……

This house has creatures stirring, getting things wrapped and getting the house ready for tomorrow’s housefull of relatives, celebrating the birth of Christ.

We used to go out together and buy live Christmas trees, sometimes cutting them down ourselves. For years we’ve had a simulated tree, and a couple of years ago we bought this pre-lit tree. It’s very practical, and oh so fast to put up and have the lights on. Karen is in charge of triming it with her collection of ornaments.

I remember having an aluminumm tree in our home as I was a lad. There was a tri-colored wheel which shined light onto the aluminum branches. It was pretty, but I hated touching it, as I built up quite a static charge in my socks and would routinely get a large spark!

I just upgraded to Lightroom 2.2 which handles the RAW file format from our Panasonic LX3 camera. It’s a big jump in processing ability for me and this camera. I’m finding even more things I like about it!

Merry Christmas Eve to you all.

The Bells – Edgar Allan Poe

Hear the sledges with the bells
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!
While the stars that oversprinkle
All the heavens seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells –
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

This first stanza of Poe’s The Bells, is the joyful one which I was reminded of by this photo of me in reflection of one of the ornaments on our Chirstmas tree.

Merry Christmas Eve to all.

After I warmed up my car tonight and cleared out the ice off my windows, I started creeping home.

This fencing caught my eye and held it.

The background of clouds lit up with streetlight gave it a great ghostly cast.

I pulled up and rolled down my window to grab this. It just took about a minute.

The elusive moment of art – to my eye – seen and then recorded. All because I was open to seeing it, and open to stop.

There’s a plaque on my wall at work which my Mother gave me. It’s a wood cut-out and painted daisy flower, with the words: “Don’t forget to smell the flowers!”

Doing this daily photo task, has enriched my life, schooled me in what is interesting and how to photograph it (I have lots more to learn), and opened me up to seeing more than I’ve seen before I started. Most importantly, I’ve been learning to stop and smell the flowers. To stop and do what is important in that moment, knowing that the moment and everything about it are gone in the next second. Precious time to savor.

Today started out with freezing rain and it ended with freezing rain.

The sidewalks are treacherous, the streets are slippery, and there was a nice coating of ice on my car tonight.

I made it to my car and home without a fall or slide or collision. I used my StabilIcers which strap using velcro onto the soles of my shoes for walking and staying upright. Love those! They have an overboot with the same heavy-duty studs on the bottom which I’m thinking of getting – might be easier to get on & off.

The ice on my car really was thin. I just turned on the heater defroster and listened to the radio, letting the engine do it’s heat magic. The ice slid off after a good warmup.

Driving was slow, which was good. No crazy drivers in my group heading home, kept us all in the safety zone.

I noticed the nice glazing of ice on everything and walked down to our evergreen trees to try to get a self portrait and show off the ice. you would have to blow this up extra large to see the ice, but believe me it’s there. It was raining down on me as I was taking this. I didn’t linger for a better capture.

Sometimes I sacrifice for my art, but tonight you get this instead. I’m inside, snug and fairly warm. Dry, for sure.

In color too.

Sunsets like this thrill me to no end.

Perhaps it’s the connection with the whole world, something much larger than me or my surroundings. Knowing that the sun, 93 million miles away, warms the earth and provides the catalyst for beauty such as this.

Something makes me crave these scenes.

I’m grateful to be able to capture them in this small way, to be able to look back and relive the glory of the moment.

I guess that all of my photography is like that. Capturing a representation of the unique and wonderful moments of our lives.

I didn’t have a red suit on, and my beard isn’t very long, but I felt like Santa Claus tonight, bearing gifts to our wonderful clients.

I had two wedding albums to deliver tonight. They arrived at our door around 6:40PM via the popular UPS driver. After carefully unpacking them I took them over to my son Chris’ home to do some archival product photos for our studio portfolio. Then it was delivery time!

First was a client in Sherman, Illinois, and then was Jenn, pictured here.

Jenn & Jim’s wedding was in September. We had a great time that day, capturing the emotion and joyful celebration of the moment.

Chris designed their album, and with a few edits, we got it off to our Album provider just in time for Christmas delivery.

The rich red imported Italian leather that wraps the album is so luxurious, and the printing with gorgeous 10×20 inch 2 page spreads, had me grinning all night long with how lovely it turned out.

I think you can tell Jenn liked the album.

Thanks to Chris for taking our photo.

Fowl not Wine.

On a very gray, overcast, Winter day, I detoured through Washington Park to see what interest hit my eye.

This partially iced-over lagoon with ducks on the ice fit the bill. Duck Bill that is.

I marvel at the ability of these waterfowl to widthstand the sub freezing temperatures and still thrive. Adaption to the environment I suppose.

Today it’s around 4 degrees F, and no one wants to be out in this weather. I hope these ducks keep their blood pumping and keep quacking.

Me, I’m inside and enjoying the warmth. It does have me thinking of those homeless and where they will sleep tonight. Next time the opportunity comes round, I’ll make a donation to the shelter and pick up an extra coat and gloves.

Counting my blessings, and hoping to share them.