Absolutely Boring Photography

Facebook has a way of not inspiring, but depressing me. All the Absolutely Amazing Photographs posted locally and from across the world.
I see my one-two perfunctory likes and sigh. And no wonder when stacked up against the Absolutely Amazing. Image bulge is what we have. I would imagine the total time looking at a photograph upon Facebook is less than five seconds. I know I am guilty of same. When editing my photographs from hundreds, I flip them at a rate of two per second at least.
Times when I slow down and take a longer look, I see something in one long ago passed by.
I then pull it up, look closely at it, see what I can do to it to improve it or just leave as is.
This one I applied HDR then backed the HDR off to the minimum and increased the radius all the way. I then added saturation. The photographs I post at John Stokes Photography I cannot manipulate since they are transferred there from the computer, not the edited Picasa as this one was.
What do I predict? Ten likes? We shall see.

Dungeness

Dungeness
once the finest
from the sea
Kings sailed to see
now but an empty shell
scattered upon the shore
where Cancer magister
now dwell
and Kings no more
sail to see
the glory
that was once the finest
Dungeness.

Class of 1973

Saturday night we had our 40th(!) Williston High class reunion at the Woman's Club.
We had prime rib,mashed potatoes,green beans, tea and banana pudding from Cowboys.
Allen Neal said the prayer and read the memorial to those class members gone on.
Each round table was set up with all our senior photographs cut out for us to go through and try to recall who was who. Patty Lowman Gaylean's husband Larry had his music DJ set up and took photographs as well. Cindy Lowman Drew assisted her with others as well. We had a fun time recalling days of old.

Itchetucknee Trip

 

 

Rick Bringger and I met up at the S@S in Lake City Friday afternoon at 2:30PM and traveled down to the South entrance of the Ichetucknee River. We put in around 3:30 and paddled down stream to the Santa Fe River. Along the trip down we saw two otter on two different docks and a snake crossing the river.
No other kayakers, a few floaters, one pontoon boat. Scattered people in their river places swimming.
It was still quite hot but a touch of fall was present.
I kept having to adjust the exposure compensation on the camera before later finding out I had the ISO set at 400 from the moon shooting the night before. Regardless to say, I was not pleased with any of the results.
I was trying too hard to take epic photographs like Carlton Ward, John Moran and David Moynaham, a recipe for disappointment.
I have found that the best way to up my quality of photography is to travel alone. With another along, I am always conscious of falling behind and keeping up. Alone, I take my time and will sit for as long as it takes until I feel it is right or close to being satisfied.
With another along, I am more point and shoot and pray.
I just need to distinguish when I am going to photograph and the expectation and when I am going to just relax, paddle and not be so concerned with getting the shot.
Lesson learned.

Esther's Chairs

this was to be one of the three entries in tonight's Gateway Fall Art Show. I missed the deadline to enter by an hour, not checking closely the schedule.
Esther Moore recently passed away in her 90's. Never married. Kept her parents til their deaths. Kept her sister til her death. No one to keep Esther, so she died peacefully.
She leaves a wonderful old Florida homeplace I hope to be able and return and photograph.

Release of Claim

Let it be known that on September 11, 2013 the letter came,
Satisfaction and release of claim
that VNB loan services has received full payment of the claim filed on July 11, 2011 to release the estate and the personal representative of the estate from all further liability with respect thereto of the estate of one Luther R Stokes, deceased.

And so it ends. I was to have the right portion toward Bronson adjacent to the Blue Grotto Road. Lewis my brother was to have the left side toward Williston. My sister Paula was to have the middle section with the house and barns. We heard him say it. It meant nothing. In the end, with the reverse mortgage, VNB got it all.
Someone has purchased the property for a song, and now the lights are again on.
I trust that somewhere nearby Becky Foster is not lurking, with her so called uncle Jerry, to suck the inheritance from these unsuspecting new tenants.
They certainly drained my father of his.

Deadlines

What was I thinking? The emails,flyers had been sent and printed for weeks. And how in my thick skull did I come to the incorrect conclusion that tomorrow from 10-12 was the time to enter the three works to the Fall Art Show, not today?
I was up deciding which three to enter, diligently framing and filling out the entry sheet when I noticed the date being today, an hour ago.
And this time around I actually felt decent about the entries.

The prints I currently have at the Gateway Gallery are 11x14 black and white prints of Mt Tabor Methodist Church that burned several years ago. I do not think they will sell, as the interest is limited.
So, since I missed the Fall Show, I think when I volunteer at the Gateway Gallery next week I will switch those out.
I need to re-coop my $45 to rent the wall space by the end of October.

My domain

Took very few landscapes yesterday in the three mile perimeter walk around what was once a wet field diked in, now part of Alligator Lake Park. Years ago the Hills built a series of dikes along Alligator Lake, making fertile fields out of the lake bottom. How they were able, I suppose before the days of environmental concerns and permits. When the county purchased the property, they cut two holes in the dike and constructed a bridge over the opening, flooding again the field.
This view is from the Western side, looking East toward the parking lot,playground and pavilion.
A nice little park and the dikes are great for hiking and biking upon. So Hill had foresight we might say.

Garter Boy

This is another one of those something seems amiss feelings you get as you pass. Something often tells me to stop, even though I have yet to fully discern why. Usually, it is a critter like this little six inch long snake upon the leaves. Perhaps it is subconsciously seeing, then as one slows, stops and looks about, the conscious catches up. Either way, I try and obey it.

Journey of the Zebra Longwings

These three were oblivious to my presence, flitting about the undergrowth, going no place in particular. I set the camera at the widest angle and photographed without looking into the viewfinder. This one came out. These Zebra's seldom alight for long, always flitting about.

Rat Snake

He looked like a long stick, stretched out straight on the side of the trail. One of those things you notice when walking instead of riding. Perfectly blended in the brush. Stopped and stuck the camera at his eye level, trying to make it focus upon him. Set is on live view, the one I really wanted came out blurred. This one was in focus before he tired of my close proximity and crawled off.

a blue view

at the end of the walk around the perimeter which took over three hours since I stopped like every three feet and at times waiting ten minutes or more for a butterfly to catch up, the sun make fantastic rays through the clouds. I was in the right spot for a nice  shot looking down the long dike. Took several from various vantage points. A nice end to a walk.