Seeing What's Not There - Day 30

Shadows Define Texture  

Texture in a Piece of Wood 

-  is defined by the pattern of highlights and shadows        

Our fingers can touch a texture, feeling it as a collection of raised and lowered areas on a surface. Our eyes can see a pattern of light and dark, and our brains have learned to associate it with the texture that our fingers can feel.    

Close Up and Personal - Day 28

Snowy Fir Branches at Dawn  

Light and Translucence and Darkness   

- Early Morning Silhouettes    

This morning I was struck by an abrupt physical sensation, seeing an orange glow around the edges of the snowy trees near the house. By the time I got outside with the camera, the glow was yellow-gold, and in another few minutes the effect was totally gone.
The camera didn't catch it, but I can still remember that jolt of intense colored light against the darkness.    

Close Up and Personal - Day 27

Orchids at the Theatre  

Light and Colors and Shadows   

- Kathleen's Mother's Orchid    

In the lobby of our community theatre there is a sizable display of flowering and foliage plants, mostly gifts from friends of the theatre. One generous donation is this large orchid plant, which seems to be in constant bloom. Despite the orchid family's reputation as a difficult plant to maintain, this particular specimen seems to savor its place in the spotlight, thriving on the attention it gets in the lobby as audiences come and go.      

Close Up and Personal - Day 26

Geranium Translucence and Silhouettes  

Light and Colors and Shadows   

- more of that darned geranium!    

The early morning winter sun shines in the window, low and intense. It is backlighting my office geranium plant and revealing translucent effects you will never see in direct lighting.
Here are layer upon layer of petals, colors, shadows, opacities, and highlights.
How can I get any work done?

Close Up and Personal - Day 25

Geranium Flowers and Buds  

Continuity on a Stalk   

- that darned geranium again!    

The first entire stalk of January geranium flowers is now gone - but on this plant there are three more stalks of glorious pink blossoms, and hidden beneath the leaves, there are more clusters of buds waiting to take their place.
I predict that I will have geraniums in February as well. Life goes on.

Close Up and Personal - Day 24

Red Wine Glass in Sunshine 

Red Wine Glass in Sunshine   

- reflections and refractions in direct light    

One of my grandmother's treasures was her full table set of Portuguese cut glass, which included everything from thumb-sized sherry and port glasses to full size water goblets, with jugs and sherbet cups to match.
My favorites were always the red wine goblets, with their distinct color contrasts and well defined patterns. They always looked beautiful, and they still do.

Close Up and Personal - Day 23

Sixteen Markers  

Sixteen Markers, Sixteen Different Colors, and Drawing Paper   

- and a quiet afternoon    

 Markers are such fun - they can be neat and tidy, but they could be messy -  they are colorful and their color goes on the paper quickly.
All office-workers deserve to have a bundle of water-based markers and some drawing paper in their desks for a little time-out before going on to their next official task.

Close Up and Personal - Day 22

Chinese Fortune from a Cookie  

Just be wonderful, in English and French   

- working with a different lens, different settings, different results    

In English, this Chinese restaurant cookie fortune gives an exhortation to be aware of your own character.
And on the other side, in French, the fortune says : "Stay faithful to yourself, you are magnificent."
Nice to hear such sweet words twice, accompanied by a tasty mouthful at the end of a good meal.

Close Up and Personal - Day 21

Tiffany-Style Stained-Glass Lampshade  

Double source incandescent and fluorescent lighting  

- colored glass back-lit by compact fluorescent and side-lit by tungsten incandescent bulbs      

The pinks and yellows and greens here are pretty close to the original stained-glass colors in a lovely Tiffany-style lamp which I enjoy every time I turn it on.
 Accurately reproducing colors lit by two different light sources is tricky at best. I'm not satisfied with the results here, and so I will be working on this set-up again.

Close Up and Personal - Day 19

Backlighting Through a Geranium Stalk

Sunlight Shining Through Leaves and Petals  

- colorful translucence     

Inside the cells of the leaves and petals of this geranium, there are spaces filled with water or air. These "empty" spaces are how the light shines through, colored by the chlorophyll and the other plant pigments in the translucent leaves and flowers.
The white halos along the edges of the leaves, stems and buds are caused by light refracting off tiny hairs - the plant's defense against insects - making outline echos of the plant's shapes.
Outside the window, there's clear blue winter sky and bare trees. Inside, there's the color of spring and summer.

Close Up and Personal - Day 18

A Dozen Almonds  

Single source daylight-balanced lighting  

- simulated natural light coming from one floodlight bulb, white-balanced in editing     

Almonds. Years ago, they were a tasty treat, I could never get enough of them. Almond Bark. Candied Almonds. Marzipan. Almond Guy Ding. I tasted Almond Butter once. Even Almond Joy candy bars. All sinful pleasures, to be enjoyed at special times, and in carefully scrutinized moderation.
Fast forward to 2014 - almonds are so common today that even birdseed has them. AND my doctor recommends that I eat a dozen almonds a day "for my health."
Treats as health food! I didn't have to be told twice!

Close Up and Personal - Day 17

Reflected Light on Geranium Flowers  

Daylight from Window Reflected on Three Sides  

- natural light coming from all around     

These pretty flowers have been my office companions for several weeks now, and I have become used to having them around. But already, today, the first two blossoms have fallen off the plant.
Never mind, there are more flowers here, and there are at least three more stalks on this plant, with buds ready to bloom, in their turn.
Life goes on.

Close Up and Personal - Day 16

Two Different Light Sources, Two Different Colors  

Daylight and Incandescent, Blue and Orange  

- Colors blending and colors clashing     

You might not pick it up on the first glance, but there are two different colors of light illuminating this scene, the cold bluish tone of daylight from a window, and the warm orange tone of incandescent light, from a tungsten bulb. The camera is set to detect automatically the "White Balance" it is operating in, and to compensate for color shifts, but I think we have gotten the camera confused, and it has forgotten to override one of these!
But that doesn't matter to the candy in the dish - it is ready to be eaten, any time!

Birches and their Neighbors - Day 17

Sunny Birches with Catkins

Catkins  

- silhouetted against birches in the sun  

Catkins are a birch's way of making another birch.
In summer, the fertilized female flower ripens and develops a stack of tiny tri-lobed nutlets, the tree's seeds. Over the fall and winter, these miniature gliders gradually separate from the core of the catkin and drift to the ground. There, the nutlets provide food for birds, mulch for other plants, and where conditions are right, some of the seeds sprout and grow into baby birches.