Penning Photography Daily

A stately tree, standing cold against Elkhart Hill in Elkhart, Illinois”

If you look closely, you can see the faintest sliver of the moon at about 1 o’clock above the tree. I didn’t see it until I had to clone out a speck of dust off the frame. Hello Moon!

I love how the pale yellow branches pop against the deep blue sky.

The snow, a carpet of cold beneath the tree.

Elkhart, Illinois – Elkhart Hill to be exact.

There’s a small, upscale grouping of homes on the hill. I took advantage of the wide spaces between homes to take this one.

The snow was melting today, with temperatures up to near 40F. The sky was nearly cloudless and the sun was shining.

I used my Sigma 10-20mm with a B+W circular polarizing filter for this one. Wide and the colors pop. My Pentax K20D brings out the detail in both the highligts and shadows.

A pleasant diversion for a Saturday afternoon.

I just finished processing a family photo session tonight. Whittling 400 photos down to 51.

Photographer Ansel Adams said “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.”

Some folks are astounded at the number of frames I fire off when I’m on assignment.

Not me.

I try to get the technicals as perfect as possible, but the light and the subject is changing faster than I can ever capture. The fleeting moment of beauty is just that: fleeting.

Sunset, September 28, 2005

I had just received my Panasonic FZ-30, a big step up from the Olympus 2100UZ which had been stolen.

Karen & I went out to the State Fairgrounds to try it out.

This sunset features a slice of the Department of Natural Resouces building with it’s wing-like sloping roofline.

Every photo I took tonight was off, and I went in search of a photo from the past.

This fit the bill.

The color of the sky is what grabbed my eye as I was perusing the photos I have “in the can” and waiting for a 2nd look.

Peachy.

I was dropping off some work out west of town tonight. I saw the new moon, hanging up in the sky.

As I came out of the office, I pulled out my camera, the Panasonic LX3, as a reflex action. Automatic move.

Frame, set and grab the lucious sunset against the treeline.

Bonus: seeing the lingering orange of the suset through the trees, bare for winter’s nap.

The Moon and Venus, haning around against a dreamy blue.

Surise as I’m leaving for work.

The near snow bulge is the top of my car. Snow covered.

The gold sunshine caught my eye.

Whip out my Panasonic LX3 and here you are. Always carry a camera with you. Visual treasures are fleeting.

The fleet of camera, grabs the gold.

I drove around Lincoln Park tonight.

It was long past sunset, and the chill of Winter was everywhere.

There’s a stillness in these times, at night, in Winter, in a park. As if Nature itself is hibernating under the blankets of snow.

The trees stand as sentinels over the crystal carpet of snow. Guardians of the promis of Spring to come.

I’m finding more exciting capabilities to my Panasonic LX3. Pushing it to the limit.