There are traditions and groups in every school that those imbued with those things don't think twice about. One of Watertown High School's traditions is something called the "Tuckabachee Club." It is an honor society for junior and senior girls and in the fall they host a formal dance. As with many high school formals, a "queen" will rule over the proceedings. In the case of the Tucks Club, the person elected is called the "Sweetheart."I was asked to do the informal portrait for the Sweetheart Candidates and here they are - happy and cooperative. It's not a hard photo to take, other than finding the right setting. Here we are in bright shade but I couldn't do much to control the background, but I'm probably the only one who cares about that detail.
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Tributaries
When I was studying the leaves of this tree last weekend, I was struck by the fact that the veins look a little like the multitude of channels in a river delta. In fact, just now I did a search for "river delta" and came up with this amazing NASA photo of the Lena River in Russia. What do you think? The veins in the leaf seem a little less random but there are similarities.
The Aged Angel
To me cemeteries are always photographically interesting and I think that this blog is evidence of that. This angel is one of the first things I photographed in Mt. Hope cemetery in Watertown, SD. As you can see, the angel is worn by time and covered in part by dark lichen. And she is engaged in quiet prayer every time I visit her.(Click HERE to see other cemetery posts in this blog.)
Things Unseen
I've said before and I'll probably say it again: photography has the power to force the viewer to see things that are often ignored. We ignore them because either we don't have the time, the inclination or the interest. Those of us who capture images might say that some people just don't have "the eye."I can tell you that I'm still learning to see and that I have a long ways to go. To see the lines, to see the color and ultimately to see the importance of objects is part of what I am learning. Maybe I could say that about life in general?Here is a single goose feather stuck in landscape rock at the Terry Redlin Center in Watertown, SD. Now that I've forced you to look at this, you might think "that's nothing special" or "there's no real color" or "where is the rest of the bird?" I look at it and see something I've never really seen before - the delicate structure of each part of the feather. When I look at this picture, I wonder how much beta testing went into this design before it actually worked?Sometimes a good photo will raise more question than it answers.
The Duomo - Another View
This is a view of the famous Duomo dome taken from Giotto's famous bell tower. If you go to Florence, you might considered climbing to the top of this tower, though if you are out of shape, claustrophobic or acrophobic, it may not be your thing.Here's yet another view of the dome from a blog entry I posted a while ago called "The Impossible Dome."
Bokeh
According to my Mac's built-in dictionary, bokeh is "the visual quality of the out-of-focus areas of a photographic image, especially as rendered by a particular lens." I've said it before about my Canon 50mm 1.2 and I'll say it again: this lens gives good bokeh.This photo was taken in the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France. My wife doesn't like it when I take photos of votives but I like having the chance to play with bokeh (and fire).
We Begin Again!
Students return to the classroom in Watertown today and I can't wait to meet my sophomores. The girls in this photo aren't expressing exuberance for their return to school, however. This photo was taken of the 2005 homecoming parade. And, as seniors, they were pretty excited about that.Incidentally, if you are curious about the other blog entry for today, which I think shows up as a "Protected" entry, it is something I am doing for my world history students. So it is just for them. Sorry. I may share the final product with you if it turns out OK. :-)
Skeletons
Create a short story that describes what you think happened in the photo. Like detectives do when they study crime scenes, you need to study the photo very closely.
Shipwreck
The shore and the land along Lake Oahe are relatively devoid of trees in the 20 mile stretch that I have sailed for two decades. But those who remember the river before the dam was built in the '40s and '50s will tell you that there were many trees.And then, when the water filled the massive reservoir, the trees died and ultimately floated to the surface. One local told me that when he sailed the lake in the early days, floating logs and beached driftwood were plentiful.A half century later, there is still evidence of what the Missouri River used to be, including this massive, ancient cottonwood. The tree is bleached white from thousands of sunny days and I can only guess at its story. Was it a sappling in 1804 when Lewis and Clark led their expedition through the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase? Who knows? The tree isn't talking. . .The title is figurative, of course. As far as I know, there are no real shipwrecks on Lake Oahe.
Mirror Image
Curiosity 2
This doe ("do, a dear; a female dear") wasn't very fa ("a long, long way to run") from me. It was late in the day but there were a few rays shining through the trees ("re, a drop of golden sun"). Stop it! I'm already having visions of Julie Andrews (as Mary Poppins) coming out from behind a tree. And that's not a sign of good mental health.Anyway, I like the look this dear is giving me. She is trying to decide if I pose a threat or if I have more cracked corn to feed her. Neither was the case, but I did shoot her with a camera.By the way, I called this "Curiosity 2" because it reminds me a bit of another photo I posted several months ago called "Curiosity".
Squall Line
