Frosty Hangers On

I was about ready to leave for work yesterday but I made the mistake of stepping into my back yard. What drew me was that I could see that we had gotten a good frost during the night. The other thing that drew me was the soft, filtered light coming from very thin cloud cover. This is an average bush, with average leaves. But it is very special light.The other thing that helps this photo is the selective focus. You may see this photo differently, but my eyes are drawn initially to the top right corner because that is the brightest part of the photo. But I linger there only briefly because I am looking for something more sharply focused. So I follow the line of the branch until I lock on to the well-focused orange backlit leaf. Did I think of all of this before I pushed the shutter release? As Sarah Palin (and many South Dakotans, as well) would say, "Youbetcha!"I ended up taking 50 photos yesterday morning but this is my favorite - at least right now.

More Frosting

These are tiny, dime-sized leaves rimmed with beads of frost. To photograph things like this was my mission yesterday, though I like yesterday's post a lot more.

Fall Fire

I was in the garden early this morning looking for frosty leaves and as I was heading back into the house, I saw these leaves, which were illuminated by the strong sunlight just making its way into our yard. I took a few shots, not knowing what I'd get.This photo is evidence that what I conceive of capturing with my camera and what strikes my eye are often two different things. I guess that's serendipity and I can live with that.

Do Corks Grow On Trees?

This post is less about interesting photos than it is about my compulsion to educate the reader about cork. So, if you are still with me, note that you are looking at a cork tree in a cork grove in Portugal (one of the world's largest producers of cork.) Then note that there are no corks hanging on this tree. Why? Well, because the cork comes from the bark - it doesn't grow like an apple or a pear.In fact the cork comes from the bark of the tree and each tree is stripped every few years and then left to build up a new layer of cork. This tree doesn't show evidence of a recent harvest but this tree does (click here.)Fascinating, isn't it?

Vortex

As my photography has "matured," I would say that one of the biggest differences is that I spend considerably more time looking for lines, shapes and patterns when I look through the viewfinder. I guess I like symmetry and these fern leaves seem to have plenty of that. Plus, there are at least four layers of lines in this photo, each less distinct. Among other things, it gives the two dimensional digital file you are looking at the illusion of depth.Another thing I spend more time with is using the right lens, focus and aperture to manipulate what the viewer will see. In this case, I used a telephoto lens and a medium aperture to make the top right corner blurred and the bottom left quadrant fairly sharp. In the end, I like this blurry upper part of the photo because it looks a bit like a vortex from which the central leaf is rising.Do I really think this much when I take a photo? Not really. The kind of analysis you are reading today usually occurs much later - when I am "thinking" about what I was seeing when I took the photo.Canon 5DII 1/60s f/5.6 ISO400 102mmSubscribe to A Photo A Day by Email

Cheating the Minnesota Winter

This is one of the wings of the Como Park Conservatory in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was a cool October day outside, but inside it was warm enough to grow flowers, ferns, palms and cactus, which makes this place a perfect escape.Subscribe to A Photo A Day by Email

The Underside of Life

I visited the Como Park Conservatory in St. Paul this past weekend and enjoyed stepping from the cool, October air into tropical humidity. There are many photo opportunities, including a room filled with many types of ferns. I don't know what the name of this particular fern is but from the other side, it was one of the least interesting. But the backside was amazing, as I hope you agree.I always feel good when I see something that many others don't see because I think that this ability is what helps define a "photographer." And I keep working on becoming a better photographer.

Clinging To Life

This vine is at its best when it's green - when it is busy doing its photosynthetic thing. So there is an irony in the fact that it looks best when it is about to give up its efforts for the season. That's true of almost all leaves, I guess.

Moist Color

Sometimes when I am out taking photos in our garden, I carry a spray bottle to add a little "nature's mist" to the flowers. During the time I had to take photos in Olympia, Washington, a few years ago, mist was no problem - it drizzled almost non-stop. And there were many photo opportunities, though I had to work quickly because my camera isn't particularly water proof.I found this photo in the Japanese garden close to downtown Olympia. I would love to go back on a nicer day, though the rain did much to enhance my photos.

584 and Counting

Here are some statistics about this blog: Since February, "A Photo A Day" has had 9561 unique hits and 42,119 total hits. On any given day, some of my viewers visit because they know about this blog. But I also get visitors using Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. to search for things like "flying geese," "amazing flowers," "mycenae," "Thad Titze," "southern most point Hawaii," and "Japanese school girls." Those searches were all charted from yesterday's hits. Every time I look at the search terms that got people to my site, I am humored and mystified. And sometimes chagrinned. (Japanese school girls!!!????). (Thad may be mystified by being subject of a Google search but I'm not. He's going to be famous some day. And here's the post that made my blog.)I have also posted 584 day's worth of photos and that's what got me started on this post on statistics today. Being pretty right brained, I keep no master list of what I have posted. Thus, I rely on memory to keep from repeating myself. I can actually recall almost all of the photos I post, though I often can't remember the specific photo I posted on any given day. My wife, who looks at the photos late in the day, will say "Nice photo today." And I will often say, "What's the photo?"And today I don't know if I have posted this particular photo before. I can tell you that the very first "A Photo A Day" photo was taken from this very spot. I visit this spot as often as I can, both "really" and "virtually." I tend to go alone but today I am taking you. Thanks for coming along.

Frosting

Aspen Leaves Again

I suppose you could say that this is the second is a series. I'll call the series "Three From the Same Tree." Today, the dominant color is yellow, which one would expect from aspen trees.