Penning Photography Daily

I almost stepped on this before I noticed it.

A leaf, thoroughly munched upon by some insects, laying on a supporting bed of fine blades of grass.

I stopped and marveled at the handiwork of those tiny beasts, doing their part to stay alive and keep the cycle of life going, while transforming the leaf into a different role than what it had up to it’s demise. From energy factory, turning sunlight into energy for the tree that supported it, into mulch for the soil from which the grass springs.

I took several frames from different angles. I was trying to get a full frame of the leaf, but this, being the last one taken, spoke best to me. There’s something in it lighting, the incomplete view of the leaf and the clear grass surrounding the leaf, that is so good.

I’m glad I stopped before I stepped.

I had looked at this photo several times and did not see the bud, nestled in the midst of the spiny fingers.

I even picked it to work on today, and still did not see it.

Only after I had begun my work, after zooming in to check some other aspect of the photo, did my eyes open to seeing the tiny bud.

This is a crop, about half the full frame, of the whole photo.

What drew me to take the photo – one frame only – were the spiny branches reaching out. What appears to be a sort of protection device for the bud, is what caught my eye.

Such is much of the wonder of living.

The miracles of wonder that live among us without drawing attention to themselves. Whether in nature or in our fellow humans.

Make time to stop & take in what is in front of you, then gradually start to see what lay in plain view but which could not be seen until I give my full attention.

Chrysanthemum or Coleostephus myconis, from all I can tell.

I don’t pretend to know about flowers. I just look ‘em up when I grab a photo of one.

This happens to be in my back yard.

We’re going through a very tough heat wave here in Central Illinois. Mid-90F and humidity in the low 80′s. That is typical mid-August weather around here. What we call Fair weather, because that’s the time of year that the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois occurs.

So, we get Fair weather a bit early in the season this year. I hope that everyone affected takes advantage of the cooling shelters available. If you know of someone, especially an elderly friend, who might not take care of themselves and try to ‘tough it out’ – please encourage them to get relief and drink plenty of water. It could save a life.

I took respite in looking at and taking this flower’s image. The beauty of the yellow and green, not perfect, but perfect for reminding me that life pushes ever onward.

This squirrel was not very skittish about us being nearby.

I’d say he was more curious than anything else.

My son Chris & I were out scouting portrait locations for an upcoming photo session when I pointed out this stand of trees with flowerbeds around them as a likely spot.

The squirrel was scurrying about the flowers, when Chris pointed him out. He scampered off and I went about my framing and looking about. Soon Chris said something about the squirrel not being very shy, and I said, where? Right in front of you, Chris said, pointing out the curious squirrel.

An instant portrait of the curious gent, checking us out and posing as I grabbed this.

I wonder if he will be back for my portrait session, hamming it up in the background?

In any case, I recommend a stroll through Washington Park at any time of the year. With the heat and bright sunlight today, the shade of the trees is a welcome place to be.

After a pleasant lunch with my bride, Karen Sue, my sister Trish and with our son Chris & his delightful bride Jennie, Chris asked to accompany me to scout out the location for an upcoming family portrait session.

It’s a hot one out there today, 92F and humidity in the mid-60s. Muggy and damp as well as warm.

These Roman columns are behind the Arboretum at Washington Park. Originally they adorned the Carnegie Library in downtown Springfield, Illinois. The local Roman Cultural Society saved them and had them installed along with a fountain area of rest in the park. It’s a peaceful place to spend a moment or two, and a nice backdrop for any photography.

I asked Chris to take this pose of me. The water looked refreshing enough to want to jump in, but I restrained myself, barely.

The nice thing about this area, is that even though it’s the full bright part of the afternoon sun, the place is mostly in shadow. There’s enough reflected light to give good lighting for a portrait with just natural lighting.

Thanks to the good folks of the Roman Cultural Society of Springfield, Illinois for preserving these fine columns and creating this place of peaceful respite.

Thanks to my dear son Chris, for loving me and putting up with me. Oh, and for going out today and taking this portrait. I love you.

One out of 70 frames isn’t bad for a first outing with this monster of a lens.

This duckling was searching for morsels to eat among the plants near the shoreline.

The lens weighs in at 6 pounds, but seems like 10, perhaps due to it’s unwieldy length at 14+ inches excluding the hood.

It’s totally manual, exposure and focus. The focus part is what got me most of my bum frames. I was shooting moving objects – the ducks at the lower lagoon of Washington Park.

All the same, I’m happy with this one.

It even caught the drops of water falling from the duckling’s bill.

Patience delivers results.

I had just spent a slightly frustrating time in Washington Park at the lower lagoon, taking photos of the various fowl with the new (to me) Tamron SP 200-500mm f5.6, a beast of a lens. I need to tighten up my tripod, and spend lots more time practicing to get to know this lens.

I put on my Sigma 10-20mm with the B+W slim circular polarizing filter on, and as I was pulling out of the parking lot, this scene caught my eye.

The colors and the wispy clouds are what got me to stop and fire off a set of three frames.

The carillon is at the right in the middle of the frame, with the terraced rose gardens following the slope up the hill towards the top.

This really soothed my frustration. The scene, the lens and my ability to capture the tranquility of the moment.

It’s all good, even the angst of getting to know new equipment. It all works for good, for my improvement, even if it doesn’t feel that way at the time.

Distance gives perspective.