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 31

This Little Light Of Mine...  

"...I'm Going To Let It Shine!"    

- darkness by candlelight    

Candles are so familiar to us. We have ritual candles, church candles, votive candles, birthday candles and candles on the dinner table. We can have candles for decoration, as well, always being aware of fire safety in their use.
And we also have the symbolism of candles that relates the self-sustaining candle flame to specific events in our lives. We may not need candles, but there is something magic about them that makes us want to light candles all the same.

Close Up and Personal - Day 30

In Its Own Light  

"By the Light of the Kerosene Lamp"    

- an old-fashioned way to light up the night    

Even today, in areas where electricity is not available, people use oil-burning lamps to give light after the sun goes down. Up to the mid 1800's, the most commonly used lamp fuel was whale oil, but nowadays oil lamps burn cleanly with kerosene or refined lamp oil. They may not give off a great deal of light, but when there is no electric power, oil lamps are good things to have at the back of the shelf, ready and waiting to be lit.

Close Up and Personal - Day 29

The Light Within  

Solar Flare? Glowing Ember?    

- No, it's a lamp made from a crystal of salt    

I thought this was a real curiosity at first when we got it. It's a large crystal of rock salt, hollowed out to accommodate a small electric light bulb. When lit, the lamp gives off a soft orange glow, due to minerals and inclusions in the salt. The lamp came with claims of health-giving ionization and air-purifying qualities, but its real physical effect seems to come from the relaxation of sitting in a darkened room, staring quietly at the colors and patterns in the crystal. And yes, it does taste, well, salty.

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 20

New Snow    

Last Night's Snowfall Collected on Tree Branches   

-   Contrasts of Light and Dark  

So far this winter we are well below our usual snowfall.
But we know that more snow will be coming this month and next, and that people will be out enjoying it.
Or shoveling it away. Enjoy it while you can!

 

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!

Close Up and Personal - Day 15

More Toys and New Tricks    

A Styrofoam Cup Light Tent for Close-Up Photography of Jewelry  

-   and other very small things  

With the fun of making a new photography toy yesterday, I decided to try again today with a different camera and a real challenge - to photograph a piece of jewelry or a coin as if I were going to sell it online.
I had a point-and-shoot camera with macro capabilities, a goose neck lamp, a lapel pin, and a styrofoam cup upended and with its base cut off. The initial idea came from this blog post. Thanks, Strobist! It me took a bit of time to convince the camera that I knew what I was doing, but in the end it allowed me to do a manual focus macro shot. The cup doubled as a handy tripod for the shoot.
I'll be looking for other sizes in opaque cups to allow for zooming in on the subject, but on the whole, this experiment turned out well.
 

Close Up and Personal - Day 14

Old Stuff, New Tricks    

A Juice Jug Light Tent for Close-Up Photography of Shiny Items  

-   recycling in a useful way  

I've been checking out ways to photograph jewelry, and ways to set up the camera to do it. Jewelry is tricky to shoot, because it's usually small and shiny and requires lighting that shows off its best features.
Well yes, there are commercial light diffusers available to buy, but there are some pretty ingenious homemade solutions, as well. So this morning, I cut the bottom out of a juice jug, and set it up next to a window, with a goose neck lamp sitting next to the jug. Then I set a small point-and-shoot camera lens down into the neck of the jug. Details are here. Thanks Camera Jim! I had to add to the jug's height to allow the camera to focus, and a measured length of paper towel tube did the trick.
I'm pleased with the results, and I'm going to try it again, and see where this can take me.

Close Up and Personal - Day 13

Cracking the Spine on a New Book   

Waiting to Start  

-   and there's hours of enjoyment ahead 

If I don't get at least one new book over the holidays, I'm just a bit disappointed. Getting a book as a gift is a fine thing, no matter if it's a title that I've been anticipating reading, or if it's someone else's choice that comes to me as a surprise. Just taking a day off and putting my feet up and sticking my nose in a book is a supreme pleasure.