Seeing What's Not There - Day 23

Reflections on a Wooden Deck  

A Series of Reflections in Tiny Pools of Rainwater

-  on the wooden planks of a backyard deck       

The focusing distance of the reflection is much farther away from the camera than the focusing distance of the wooden deck at my feet. This sets up a strange in-focus and out-of-focus conflict for a viewer's eyes, which is only resolved when the viewer's brain says: "We are looking at the trees." 

Seeing What's Not There - Day 21

Reflections in a Light Breeze  

Rippled Reflections of Riverbank Trees 

-  in a light spring breeze       

It is the wind that causes the water surface to have tiny ripples in the surface. It is the reflection of the trees on the riverbank that shows the ripples. And if I wasn't standing where I was, at just the right angle to the water, I wouldn't have caught this scene at all. 

Seeing What's Not There - Day 16

Spring Melt

Reflections in a Vernal Pool

-  life waking up in shallow pools of melting water         

In pools and puddles where spring melt water collects, under a mat of floating seeds and dried grasses, you will likely find signs of plants and animals coming to life again after the winter. Insects, salamanders, frogs and toads may refresh themselves here and as the pool dries up, they will move on to seek a more permanent home. 

Seeing What's Not There - Day 13

School Window Reflections

Reflections on School Windows

-  on a sunny Spring afternoon.         

This was not the school I went to, but I think of the many pairs of eyes that have looked out longingly from these windows onto a sunny day in spring, their owners battling Spring Fever, or else succumbing to it. 

Seeing What's Not There - Day 7

A Pale Sun    

On a Dull Overcast Day

- a pale sun shines like a star in the slush.         

Overcast days may not look promising for photographing either shadows or reflections, but if you keep your eyes open, you never know what you may see!   

Seeing What's Not There - Day 6

The Face in the Snowbank    

Shovel marks along the edge of a snowbank 

- set up two snowy profiles, one in sunlight and one in shadow, sporting eye, nose, mouth and chin.         

Some days you can search and search and not find what you are looking for, and then you get out of the car in the driveway - and there it is!  

Seeing What's Not There - Day 5

Utility Pole Reflection    

Unsteady Reflection 

- on the rippled surface of a puddle disturbed by traffic        

Puddles on the side of the road rarely achieve a state of mirror-calm. Even on a quiet street, traffic rumbling past will set up vibrations in the puddle or else throw a splash of water to disturb the surface. 

Seeing What's Not There - Day 3

Birches in the Slush    

Shadows and Reflections  

- of blue sky and birches      

Reflections make our eyes focus on different planes at the same time. This sets up a puzzle: do you look at the melting ice crystals, or do you look at the reflections of the birch trees?     

Seeing What's Not There - Day 2

Broken Window and Snowbank    

Shadows and Reflections  

- are tricks of the light     

Reflections show us objects in places where we know they are not. Reflections are images produced by light bouncing back to us from a surface which does not absorb that light. Here, the outer pane of plexiglass is broken, but the inner plateglass is still intact - notice the difference between the reflections on the left and the reflections on the right, inside the circle.    

Seeing What's Not There - Day 1

Shadows of Birches on Snow    

Shadows and Reflections  

- aren't really there, but we do see them.    

How can we see what isn't there? By paying attention to what is there. Shadows exist where the light is blocked off by an object. Shadow is the absence of light. Shadows are there, and they are not there. 

Take It To The Streets - Day 30

Spring Melt    

Droplets of Water  

- drip from melting icicles    

Cool overnight temperatures froze yesterday's melting snow into icicles on the eaves, and the afternoon sun is melting it, drop by drop. By late afternoon, all these icicles were gone.      

Take It To The Streets - Day 26

Icicle Wall   

Snow Melt from the Roof 

- freezes into icicles in the cold air   

A wall of icicles acts like a light catcher as it creates patterns of light and shadow against the side of the building. Signs of spring are around, but we're not out of winter yet. 

Take It To The Streets - Day 24

A Slushy, Sandy, Spring Street  

Warm Afternoon Sunshine Reveals the Winter Accumulation of Sand

- and reflections of trees and poles in the puddles   

Daytime temperatures are still below the freezing mark, but the warmth of the sunshine is skimming the top layers of ice and snow off streets and roads. The ridges of sand will disperse as soon as the road dries, leaving bare pavement.  

     

Take It To The Streets - Day 22

Clearing the Intersection  

A Municipal Snowblower Makes A Tight Cut

- to widen a street intersection   

When the roads are cleared, where does the snow go? It gets piled up along the sides of the roads. After a while, roads and intersections need to be cleared, and that's what this snowblower and its skillful operator are good at doing.   

     

Take It To The Streets - Day 21

Icicles Melting  

Icicles Melting into Water Droplets

- in the Springtime Sunshine   

Today Spring started. Today we have equal periods of daylight and darkness, and the daytime temperatures are noticeably milder.  In the mid-afternoon sunshine, icicles which were formed by snow melting off the roofs of buildings, were themselves melting off the eaves.