White Balance

In photography there are many, many choices and ways to interpret a scene. Here, by adjusting the white balance to shade, overcast, auto and open shade, I achieved four different looks. One can go further by adjusting the exposure up or down or the shutter fast or slow. Then you could go vivid or neutral or monochrome. Then when you return home make it infrared. So which of these has the most appeal to you?
There is another reason why I take so many photographs:  In order to get the look that I am after, it often involves, like painting, using a raw or a burnt umber, a pathalo or an ultramarine blue, a veridian or a forest green.
The digital era, while short on lasting value, is long on experimental value. In the old days, we were limited to one roll of film at a time. Kodachrome for a warm look, Velvia for vivid, Extachrome for cool, etc. That was our white balance. To achieve a neutral white balance that properly exposed the whites, we would calibrate the meter on an 18% gray card. We would hold the 4x4 card in open shade and take a meter reading. This would give us a starting point to proper exposure. We wouldn't know if we got it right until the film was processed.
Now, on average, I will take nearly 200 shots daily when I am out. That amounts to roughly ten rolls of 24 exposure film daily. In the film days, I was lucky to shoot that much in a month.
And still, I do believe that I come under the 100,000 exposure mark that Thom Hogan says you need on a camera in order to consider yourself having mastered your craft. Even today, there I was, fiddling with the exposure and white balance and focus like trying to play a warped necked guitar out of tune.
It will be a glorious day when I go forth into the field and I am master of the camera, it melting in my hands, not my cursing mouth.

Susie Q

Comtemplative

And what of this Friday, the rapidly moving month of February, into the seventh day? Early cool and painting the wash tubs like watermelons for the sidewalk sale tomorrow at the Gallery. Finishing the printing of Mr Jones photographs and again running low on cyan. Sending him the information on the total cost and him so far purchasing all, but I am cautious. Going into town to take mamma to her hair appointment. Going to the lake while waiting for her and seeing the White Pelicans arriving in two groups. Must get out in the kayak, but they are quite elusive and fly on a whim. Picking mamma up and bringing her to our house. Printing more 5x7's for myself and the sale tomorrow. Hoping for no rain. Allison and Paula bringing ham for supper with Melanie making sides. Carson too. Pearce spending night with a friend. Watching Olympics opening.
Set up prints in living room. Melanie excited I am finally getting something going.
So many others I want to print out on a larger scale. Start small.
Wolfie and I spoke and he wants us to take a trip somewhere by 2015. Got to get busy on that. Looking forward. Up.

Sand Hill Sojourn

The winter is moving onward into February 5th with a cool day, lingering with rain and persisting. Usually another cold spell is in store for North Florida around mid February and into March, when the early buds often get nipped.
Lately I have been hearing a few of the Sand Hill Cranes making their way Northward. A few circle Alligator Lake and make a stop off for the evening, but most move on through.
The Sand Hills are in the distance, with a trail packed down by the alligators that move about.
A dynamic tension ensues. The peaceful passing of the Sand Hills, the disruption below of the alligators. A fight or flight tension.
One of few verticals that I have posted lately. Seems I prefer the horizontal.
If you are one of twelve followers reading this, what are your thoughts?
It would be nice every eon to get some.
Thanks.

Leading nowwhere

It fits the afternoon mood. Been to town to mamma's. Alone as usual. Sister a terrible caretaker. Mamma comes here tomorrow for the weekend. She looks forward to us. Melanie especially. Tables are always turned. Would it were us able to be retired and keeping her full-time, not a sister retired and not having time or wanting time for her.
Painting the washtubs like watermelons for Saturday's Sidewalk Sale at Gallery. Went by the gallery to get schedule. Mold in downtown building I find out from Rex and they will not be working tomorrow.
Vegetable soup on the stove. All the day I have had two coffees, two cokes, two almond joys, one turkey sandwich. Do not like this eating process. Suppose I to be crazy like a sister.

Cry of Coot

There is lake full of Coots. The Coots are vocal. They do not make any bones about it. Cackling and crying. They remind me of myself. Here I am, this crazy Coot always cackling and crying about. Notice me, look at me, like me, say something to me, me, me. And the herons, egrets, cormorants and osprey go about their business, ignoring the cackling coot.
And so the Coot has this disposition not so pleasant. Chasing other Coots about the lake, head lowered in an aggressive manner, chasing off any other Coots in his space. Its not a very happy lake when it's full of Coots, all vying for attention.
No one even likes to eat the Coots, so there is no thinning of the herd. They just multiply and add to the misery of the lake.
We need to make a decree, that the Osprey must take at least one Coot a day away from the herd. If not, I am afraid the Coot will take over the lake and it will grow viral with everyone cackling and no one giving a hoot about it.

Share

Mamma didn't teach many of her children to share it seems. Oh there were one or two who would, I suspect only because bully brother would beat the stew if they didn't. The children grew on into adulthood and had their own, and their own likewise would not share, much less care.
Each generation removed from Grand Mammy grew selfish as the giraffes, those long necks just standing out there in the rain.
My mamma taught me to share. Mrs Mary taught me to share the bread pudding. Angeline taught me to share Mr Langston's candy, Grandma Orander taught me to share the black cherries growing in her front yard, the raspberries off the East River Mountain. Oh, it took a long time. I didn't want any part in sharing what I had worked to pick, to pile upon my plate, or stolen from Langston's store.
But many spankings later it finally took hold and so today I share, if not from the heart, at least from the smart's.

Thursday Here

Melanie, on this sunny and 40 degree Thursday has gone to Grace Life Church to get her hair cut from Jayne, our former elder's wife, Barry. Three hour tour. She took the ink to exchange. Perhaps she will. She has a conference call at noon. Perhaps she won't. She texted to set the frozen chicken out. I fold the three dryer loads. Drink the coffee with the Hazelnut creamer. I copy the painting of CV Jones outside in the diffused light under the patio umbrella. Like to have a record since ole CV has been with us 35 years.
The growth on my right hand needs seeing. Continues to itch. Hit is today and it now looks worse.
And its Thursday. I posted the photograph last night at midnight. Ever Present. 52 views so far and two comments. OMg.
What lies ahead? Sameness. Yard. Fix the bird feeders. Pool. Sweep. Print. Hopefully. Watch. Sky. Dream. Continually. Read. Usually. Clean. Kitchen.
Sent the daily photo to Mrs Duncan. See her son hasn't left yet for Gainesville. Got to be wearing on him as well, the daily riding down, the sitting, the trying to communicate with her, well I know.

Ever Present

We made it to the podiatrist in Gainesville and the doctor took a scraping to be sent off for analysis. He thinks it benign, but wanted to be sure. We went by Dollar General on the way home at Ellisville. I snapped several shots while waiting in the car. Melanie was buying food and snacks for mamma over at Paula's. We feel she is not getting enough during the day. We arrived and took the little mini refrigerator from the garage and set it up in her room. From there Allison called to say she was ordering from Cedar River, would we like to come over. We called Jordon from home and we all met over at Allison's and ate. My sister was there mostly all on the cusp of tears, having gone to the animal shelter over a week ago and still crying over it. She is a basket case of nerves in dire need of her doctor visit tomorrow.
She gave her long time dog to Tommy Bailey, who once she was married to. Tommy cried, as he loves Phoebe, or what Pheobe represents, a past gone for him as he tries and recover from a stroke.
All quite sad. I posted about Melanie, seemingly making light, but I said, we need the laughter to balance our many tears. So tonight I read three chapters from A Land Remembered. Quite the sad tale as well, amid the joy, the loss.
Tomorrow is Thursday, trash day. I shall try and return the 99 ink cyan for 200 cyan and hope they will. Either way, I need 200 cyan in order to finish printing for Mr Jones and the others I want to take to the Sidewalk Sale Saturday.

A Spring in your step

Easy to pick an unpublished photograph of Itchetucknee. There are plenty. This one was next to one previously published. This one showed the slant of early morning sun. We are about to head down to Gainesville for Melanie to get a biopsy on her big toe that has a fungus like growth. Being the oncologist nurse she is, naturally she thinks it melanoma bought on by all the radiation she had while battling H1N1 in 2009.
I was not going to post on Facebook today, but I am just too vain and self-centered. I am also one who loves misery. Misery in that I will sit back and grow angry over the usual eight likes. Then I will see Dave's post ticking into the hundreds and well....he is off to the races.

The rain came and now it remains just wet and overcast.
Peace out.

my Face movie

how the apps of Facebook rook so many in. never a moments dullness there. one does it, they all do it. we are all so enamored with our selves, our mugs, our posts, our photographs, our words. we have little time for reflection for that would mean missing something.
this is my contribution. i am not immune. i am just opposed to the sameness that parades daily on facebook with no originality. one shares, we all share. it goes viral. next thing on Leno.
once in the day when my church friends and other locals would comment on my stuff, they mostly no longer do, i would get so aggravated. they never, ever posted their thoughts, their stuff, always something from some other site or quote from scripture or some preacher.
i would say, i do not want to hear a quote or a preacher, i am interested in what you have to say. have to say besides you are having grits and cornbread over an open fire for supper. and on it went.
but it will never change. it is safe and lazy to just post other peoples stuff and everybody wants to know what you are eating.
deliver me....

Chill

My last boss at JCPenney would rant and rave constantly about this and that, did you do this? why not? did you do that? why not? One day I had all I could take. I said, Chill out. You would of thought I had confronted the Pope about the divinity of Mary. It was the beginning of my end with JCPenney.

I need to chill. I am taking the social media thing way too seriously. I am becoming the one I so despised.
It is not an enjoyable experience. It is a job. A drudgery. The answer may well be the getting away for awhile. Not the twenty-one day thing, but a mind set, a getting away emotionally and mentally that causes such consternation from being basically ignored.

Go forth and produce some work worthy of adoration. Take pen or pad and write some poetry and essay worthy of publication. This off the top of the head and shoot from the hip stuff is worthy of the can.
Take the time. Print it the best way. Frame it the best way. Place it in the gallery.

---Today is Wednesday, the 5th day of Feb. Clothes in the wash, dishes in the wash. Floors next. Animals fed. I will go with Melanie to her dermatologist appointment in Gainesville at noon today. She has a growth on her big toe nail that is either fungus or cancerous. They will biopsy it. Looking like rain today with an overcast sky.