Kousa tree

Another day when I was not able to take new photos. I am posting a picture from the recent past. This is the leaves and a berry of the Japanese dogwood or Kousa tree.

Day 45, Lighting

This is a study in the supression of the camera flash. In the photo above the flash was used. In the picture below I suppressed the flash. Using the flash generates little interest in the scene, but with the flash shut off there is a little mystery in the presentation.

Day 44, Still Life

Here are two still life studies. I wanted to work with lighting on different surfaces. The first was not giving me what I wanted, as you can see one object has a matte surface and, the background is a distraction. I did try other attempts with a neutral grey surface but that did not work. I then replaced the matte object with something more reflective. I think this is a better image.

Day 43, Building Art

I have been searching for a description for this type of art. Somebody spent a lot of time and effort trying to express themselves using the building as their canvas. If art is suppose to have a message, I'm not sure what the artist/craftsman was trying to say. Close-ups can be viewed: Here

Day 42, Still trying

I visited my sunset advantage point hoping the clouds would give me a good formation for an ideal sunset photo. Still not getting what I want but someday!

Magnificent

Today was a day when I did not have the time to take photos. I thought I would share a picture that was taken a short time ago at the Harmony Hill Farm, 354 High St, Randolph, MA. This horse has a very commanding presence and is beautifully groomed.

Day 41, Minnows

This Jack Russell terrier is chasing minnows. She had some success in the past and it is both play and an obsession. In case you do not know, Jack Russells are non-stop in their pusuits and play. More photos can be seen: Here

Day 40, Close-ups

Today it's close-up photography. I had two other ideas in mind but neither was doable. So I settle on searching for some subjects for study. I visited one of my favorite haunts, no pun intended, the cemetery. I found a some flowers and foliage to photograph.
Just before I posting this blog I had the good fortune to see the insect, below, clinging to the window screen. It looks like I have to clean the screens. Additional photos can be viewed: Here

Day 39, Saddle Rowe

Today was an interesting assignment. One of the problems is that you can get caught up in watching how well the riders are doing and forget that you should be taking pictures. From the youngest to the oldest the equestrians were intent on doing their best. Saddle Rowe put on a well attended show. Other photos can be seen at: Sports

Day 38, Young at Heart

I was scouting a horse farm for tomorrow's assignment when I saw this rider. She asked me to make her look younger but she really doesn't need any touch up. She is young in heart, mind, and spirit. Can you tell that she likes the color orange?

Day 37, Rugosa Rose

Perhaps one of the most under appreciated of the rose family is the Rugosa Rose. It's not showy but it is a very pretty flower. It doesn't demand a lot of attention and year after year the flowers can be enjoyed throughout the summer and fall.

Day 36, Guinea Fowl

The scene was amusing, the Guinea hens wandered back and forth on the outside looking in. They wanted to get at the feed but weren't sure how to get there. As I slowly approached they squaked, gave me a nervous look, then flew to the top of the fence.
Even then they were not sure what to do next. Finally then flew into the safety of the enclosure.

Day 35, Another sunset

The clouds did not cooperate, they all stayed in the east. I got this lone wisp of clouds but the colors are still enjoyable.

Sunset

This was taken yesterday at sunset, I had to share it. I happened to look out the window and saw the sky was painted in these beautiful colors. Grabbing the camera I rushed outside and took a few pictures. When I finished I noticed that I was bare chested. To get the best view I had to use my neighbor's lawn, I don't think they were home. Luckily I was wearing trousers.

Day 34, Bicycle

These are pictures of a bicycle I just finished equiping. The wheels are 20 inches so it is a smallwheel bicycle but it is a pleasure to ride. It's quick, responsive, and lightweight. It would be good for in-city apartment living. Although not a folder it is easily transported.

Day 33, Horse Shows

Today was busy, drove 23 miles to Hanover, MA took some photos at the Hanson Riding Club show and then drove 38 miles to Millis and got some more shots at the Southeastern New England Regional Pony Club Festival. Additional photos can be seen at "Horse Show".

Day 32, Equestrian training

These photos were actually taken on September 12th, I didn't have time to post them. They are taken with available light and I had to adjust them with iPhoto.

Day 31, Stonewalk

The stone of "Stonewalk" is a 1400 pound granite memorial honoring the "Unknown Civilians Killed in War" There are two memorial stones, One remains on the grounds of The Peace Abbey, Sherborn MA. The other travels throughout the world. Today they were transporting the stone from Sherborn to the Massachusetts State house in Boston, a distance of 20 miles.

Day 30, Equestrian

On this training session the equestrian, Haley, was quite comfortable and attentive during her schooling. She looks like a good candidate for the future Olympics. I hope I got the spelling of her name correct, I must remember to ask.

Day 29, Bees

Another day in the backyard, but a little more interesting this time. I was concentrating on some close ups of the flowers when the bees arrived. The little buggers are difficult to keep in focus.

Day 28, Calm Waters

In the first photo a quick look makes you wonder if boat 8 is tired or trying to get back to the water. On closer observation you can see that it was left on a boat trailer. In the picture below the water is so calm to can see the reflection of the cloud in the upper right showing in the lower right.

Day 27, Bamboo

Another day of limited opportunities. I had to make use of my backyard because I was not able to wander about. I decided to try some photos with a wide angle lens. Below is the canopy formed by a small grove of bamboo.

Day 26, More horses

I thought today would have to another day of static scenes but just as I was about to leave they released this horse into the corral. The result was a roll in the dirt and a romp around the corral, happiness.

Other photos of today can be viewed here: Photography

Day 25, Polo

Today was very interesting, I had been wondering what I could shoot for the days assignment and came upon a group of polo players. The picture above is of "Sissy", I suppose the spelling could be "Cici", forgot to ask. But who ever heard of a sissy umpire? What ever the spelling she is a talented instructor in the sport of Polo. Throughout the weeks she instructs groups of students in the basic and finer points of polo. It is said that she is a "bear", maybe that is a better name.

After doing a search I did find the correct first name spelling of the learned coach for the Harvard Polo Club, it's Cissie.

In the picture below Nick is giving a demonstration on how to handle the horse and the mallet. Tomorrow I will be adding some more of today's pictures in the following site: Polo.

Day 24, Circle A Cycles

Today's exercise was to take some photos using available light. The pictures were taken at Circle A Cycles. Chris and Brian makes some of the world's best bikes. It's my kind of shop, a little on the messy side, but productive.

The light source for the photo of Chris, above, was daylight through an open door. The source for Brian's picture, below, was a bare incandescent lamp.

Day 23, Beech trees

Here is part of an interesting grove of beech trees. I will be returning to this area as the seasons change. It should be interesting to capture the scene as the leaves fall, as the snow builds up, and again as new foliage appears. The photo above would make a nice backdrop for a spooky Halloween setting. In the next photo do you see the toad emerging from the tree?

Day 22, The skyline, again

I'm trying this again because the air was a little cleaner and also I wanted to include a little of the foreground to give some idea of the distance to the city, approximately 9 miles. The first image was taken at 3PM, the next at 6:30PM.

Day 21, Backlighting

This was an exercise in exposure with backlighting. If you are wondering why so many photos involve a graveyard, it's a matter of convenience. The cemetery is close to home and I can wander about and still keep an eye on the one I care for.